A great base to experience Madrid and travel Europe Past Review
By A student (Political Science and Government, Barnard College) - abroad from 01/11/2016 to 05/11/2016 with
Syracuse University: Madrid - Syracuse University in Madrid
So worthwhile! I improved my Spanish, learned to be more independent, got exposed to different food and cultures, and had an experience of a lifetime.
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. |
Depending on what classes you take, the intensity varies. From my personal experience and from that of my friends, there were much higher expectations for the Political Science and Economics classes than for other classes, such as those related to marketing and communications. Overall, the workload was easily manageable. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was wonderful. When I got sick, they helped me out so much with finding a doctor and accompanying me to the appointment. Whenever I had any questions or concerns they were very useful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I went through multiple home stays. In the end, the last family I lived with was wonderful. However, the road to get there was quite bumpy. It's really the luck of the draw-some students got great families and others didn't. |
| * Food: |
I was told that I would be accommodated for as a vegetarian. In reality, this wasn't 100% accurate. One of my host mothers repeatedly served me seafood. Most students didn't have problems related to food though. Definitely be straight forward and tell your host parents your food preferences from the start though. They will repeat the same dishes-you don't want to get stuck with food you don't like. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There was no integration whatsoever. You only take classes with other Syracuse or otherwise American students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got sick over the course of the program and the administration was wonderful and helped me go to the doctor. The doctor was bilingual so there were no issues. |
| * Safety: |
Overall safe. Students had their phones, wallets, purses stolen. Some students were assaulted by strangers. it's a city-just be vigilant. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I improved my Spanish through classes and through my homestay. the workload was very easy to manage and allowed me to travel almost every weekend to a different county. I would 100% go back to Madrid and recommend this program. |
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) |
Depends on how much you eat out and travel-that adds up quickly |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go into your time abroad with a budget and spread out your trips. Take advantage of your homestay's food as much as possible. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | 0 |
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? | As the majority of students are from Syracuse, coming from outside the university, it can be difficult socially if you do not go into the program knowing other students. It gets clicky very fast. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
