1-2-3, As Easy As A-I-P Past Review
By Daniel D (Linguistics., SUNY - Binghamton) for
Spain Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
I absolutely treasure my experience abroad. New friends, the massive improvement of my Spanish, the beaches, the clubs, the aquarium, the zoo, everything I saw and did and learned was an amalgamation of events that I will always remember.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was more than fair, and their system of placement is flexible and efficient. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
AIP was always very tailored to the needs/wishes of the student. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We needed to bring nothing but our clothes. The neighborhood was nice and within walking distance of many nice places to go and spend time. |
| * Food: |
My roommate and I were vegetarian, and any vegetarian student should tell the host family that food should not be cooked with meat/fish/etc, and then have the meat/fish taken out. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The field trips were absolutely phenomenal. The tour guide is very personable. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The safety in Valencia was very much not an issue. There were many places in Valencia to go where other young people frequented. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Overall expenses on food is probably 20 Euros. Food is very cheap in the grocery store, but students usually like to go and sit down at a restaurant/cafe. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to a Mercadona, Carrefour, etc and buy food there, so as not to go to tapas bars, cafes, or restaurants everyday. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
They had weekly language exchanges and we stayed with a host family, which gave us ample opportunity to use the language. |
| 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? | A student who would very much like to learn Spanish would benefit most from this program. Everyone likes to go to beautiful scenic places, party, and eat good food, but it would enhance the experience for the student to do their best to actually learn Spanish. |
