Past Review
By Alexis J (PSYCHOLOGY., SUNY - Binghamton) for
Spain Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
The study abroad experience was definitely worthwhile though given the chance, I would have applied through Florida State University instead of Binghamton. The program was great, it was the school I went through that really seemed to drop the ball.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was too much. Other students in the program only had to take 3 credits but SUNY Binghamton required us to take 6 which was far too much for the amount of time we were there. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The people who were in charge of getting us to and from the airport were very unhelpful and I had trouble figuring out what exactly some people were hired to do because it seemed like they didn't do anything at all. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We staying in Colegio Mayor Mara. The accomedations were good though the food left a lot to be desired and the rooms were EXTREMELY hot. <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
The food was not very good and there was no selection. You either ate what they had or didn't eat. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The people running the program planned activities and gave us suggestions at the beginning but at the end they pretty much gave up on planning things and left people to fend for themselves which made it more difficult for us to do things and figure out what to do. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city was safe enough but I sometimes didn't feel safe with the other American participants and the people in charge did very little about that. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Always have a credit card or something on hand that you don't use so that if you need it for an emergency you have a large amount of money on hand. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The amount of interaction with native Spanish speakers was great |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Honestly, any student wanting to learn Spanish could benefit from this program. It's good for all levels. |
