Unforgettable city and culture! Past Review
By A student (NA) - abroad from 12/02/2017 to 02/24/2018 with
Spanish Institute for Global Education / SIGE: Study Abroad in Seville
I gained not only more Spanish fluency but also gained an incredible network of friends both from Spain and other European students. You learn a lot about yourself when you arrive knowing no one and are learning how to navigate a new city. Seville is an incredible city to discover more of yourself and new ways of living life.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I did the 2 week intensive language course through the Giralda Center before starting my 2.5 month internship with Sevilla World. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Incredible support from the host country administration! They are really there for you at ANY time! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I definitely had the option of changing my living arrangement, and the choice was mine to stay with my current housing situation. However, I will say I felt very safe and was given a lot of freedom and had a lot of flexibility while living with my host family. |
| * Food: |
I really appreciated that my host family provided a lot of healthy options for me and gave me the freedom to use the kitchen and have a place to store extra food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Seville is an incredible place where you feel that you can experience the local culture simply by walking out into the city. You learn a LOT by wandering about different sites, overhearing conversations, and taking advantage of intercambios (a language exchange with locals in Spanish and one's native tongue). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Although I didn't have any health issues while in Spain, I was provided the resources by the host country administration if I did need health care during my time. I also did not need any previous vaccines or medical attention before leaving for my internship. |
| * Safety: |
I felt extremely safe during my time in Seville, Spain. Overall, if one uses common sense, you will do great here in the city. Making good judgment calls and listening to the locals is always important, but I felt extremely safe when wandering through the city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would do it over again, but I might ensure that I had a host family next time that I could spend time with more. |
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) |
It really depends on how much one eats out and does tourist attractions. Because I kept eating out and my tourist outings to a few times a week, it was easy for me to live on $250 a month. However, I really explored and learned the culture from mostly walking a lot through the city. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50-$75 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring a water bottle and a snack when exploring the city. This way, you don't need to eat out as much and are staying hydrated throughout the day. Also, take advantage of walking rather than constantly using the bus/metro system. There is so much to learn from the culture by walking through the city! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Bachelor's in Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get involved with intercambios and make friends who want to speak Spanish with you! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think I wished I would have understood the Spanish culture more before coming. However, sometimes the only way to learn a culture is though sometimes working through cultural differences which was new to me since I had not experienced this very much when living abroad before. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
