Spanish Studies Aborad: THE Place to Study in Sevilla! Past Review
By Danielle B (Spanish Language, Literature, Susquehanna University) - abroad from 02/02/2015 to 05/10/2016 with
SSA Education Abroad: Seville - Semester, Year or Summer in Seville
Studying abroad gave me so much confidence and motivated me to keep challenging myself to try new things.
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. |
Spanish Studies Abroad offers a wide variety of courses that will easily appeal to a wide variety of majors. All of my professors were incredibly encouraging and my the end of the semester I was amazed at how much my Spanish skills had improved both in writing and in speaking. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Spanish Studies Abroad is an amazing program and quite well known. The downside to this is that there are quite a few students that choose to study through SSA. Although most concerns were usually addressed, because of the high number of students it sometimes took a few days longer than expected. However, if you have a bit of patience and understanding, it's very unlikely that this will be much of an issue. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had the opportunity to stay with a host family during my time in Seville. A huge part of this was actually dismissing common stereotypes about Americans. Although it was frustrating at first, it was really interesting to learn how another culture views the USA. Host families are never the same for any two people. While I never grew very close with mine, some of my friends ended up keeping in touch with their host families and flying back to visit them. |
| * Food: |
Spanish food is amazing, no doubt about it. I wasn't much of a cook before I went abroad, but now I like to try to recreate dishes I had in Spain, especially the delicious tapas that Seville is famous for! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living with a host family was a huge part of adjusting to Spanish culture for me, and for many other students. The only downside to studying alongside other Americans is that there's always someone else that knows English. However, Seville is a place where it's very easy to surround yourself with locals that don't speak English which is what integration is all about. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Although I personally didn't have any health issues, I know fellow students that did and Spanish Studies Abroad provided all the necessary support, like having someone take them to the necessary facility so that the students were never overwhelmed or confused. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe, even walking at night. Seville has a great atmosphere and actually was a lot safer than many US cities. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Seville was incredible and my time there changed my life. If I could go back, there's not a thing I would change! |
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) |
Seville was great because although it felt like a city, most of the daily expenses were in the same range as my small town home in the US. I spent more in Seville than I usually do in the US simply because I ate out more often |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $30 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You can spend a lot or a little in any city really. It all depends on how much you plan on traveling, shopping, going out to eat, etc. |
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 |
SSA has a "Spanish only" policy which is amazing and really helpful in developing language skills no matter how well (or little) you know the language when you start. |
| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish Conversation (SPAN 301) |
| 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? | Just don't be afraid to make mistakes. Most Europeans have studied multiple foreign language so they understand that it can be difficult. |
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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| 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 didn't realize how much I would miss home. At first, it's a lot but it gets easier as time goes on and before long you'll find that you have a Sevillian family too! |
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! |
