Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I felt I had a very well structured academic experience. I feel that I got to work on my writing as well as speaking Spanish a fairly good amount each day. I liked having a conversation class to put into practice what I learned in grammar class or just talking in Spanish with other students and the professors.

On-site administration of your program

I feel the program's administration was wonderful. They were super helpful with information for traveling around Spain and they let us use printers and phones if we needed to. The teachers were always available for help. They didn't mind explaining things to me if I had questions. I was glad to see that they were very patient. It made the experience a good one. My teachers knew a lot about my home country and we would discuss current news in class. The class size was perfect. I only had 4 other people in my class and it made for a good learning experience because it was personal and I felt that I was genuinely being helped to learn Spanish. We didn't always start and end on time but I didn't mind that too much because the classes were so lively and we were always learning a lot. My expectations were definitely met. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the school. The teachers' enthusiasm was at a high level which made class interesting. The school was within walking distance from my host family's house which was very convenient.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I got placed with a daughter, mom and grandma in my host family. They were very hospitable and the location of their house was perfect. It was in the center of town and close to the school so I was happy with my host family. I was satisfied with the meals and the knowledge the family gave me about the culture of their town. The neighborhood was safe, I didn't experience anything bad when I walked home at night. It was a pretty place and there were bars nearby, within a 5 minute walk or so.

I enjoyed the food. My host mom cooked for me all the time and it was fun getting to eat new food. I didn't have any bad reactions to the food. I liked everything I tried, for the most part and was grateful my host mom made such good meals. I would suggest eating at the kiosks on Avenida de Martin Astein. It's very cheap and good quality food. Perfect for the late meal of the day.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I enjoyed my school and my host family and the activities in the town. There were things going on in Ronda every week that were either free or for very low entry fee. We took a school field trip to Sevilla and had a guided tour. I really enjoyed that. I learned a lot about the history of the city on the tour. We paid a small amount of money to go on the trip and I feel it was worth it. It was a successful event. A lot of students from the school went and it was an all day thing.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I don't know how well health issues were addressed as I did not have any experience with that. I did feel very safe throughout the program because I didn't have to walk far from my host house to school and Ronda isn't a city that has a lot of violence. I felt safe exploring the city and staying in my host house.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I feel my language skills improved because I was in an environment where I was forced to speak Spanish. The teachers in the school were good at understanding what I was trying to say because they were patient and helped me when I was saying something wrong. I was able to talk in Spanish without the fear of being wrong and I think that helped my language skills a great deal.