Madrid, everything I expected it to be Past Review
By Christina A (International Relations and Affairs., Tufts University) for
Syracuse University: Madrid - Syracuse University in Madrid
I feel like I made the most of traveling across Europe. That is what I wanted to do, so mission accomplished!
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. |
Since Syracuse is an American university, the academic set-up was like a usual university back home. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The faculty and administrative support was incredible. They were always friendly, organized, and supportive. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
You stay in a host family with one other student from the Syracuse Program. My host family did not speak English, so I always had to use Spanish to communicate with them |
| * Food: |
I was lucky to have a senora who loves to cook and is amazing at it. She did not like to cook for vegetarians, but that did not matter since I am not picky and I am definitely not a vegetarian. The Spanish culture eats plenty of meat and fish, so I felt right at home. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
This program is great for traveling and special program trips. I was able to go to Morocco and Portugal with the school. They also plan day trips to the palaces outside of Madrid. Every weekend there was something planned. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? | 100 euros a week. If I went on a trip, it was 300 euros. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you want to travel, get ready to spend a lot of money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 3 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Pro: You improve your Spanish with your host family. Con: The program is filled with American students, so everyone speaks in English on a daily basis. |
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? | If you wish to travel throughout Europe, this is the program to do! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Ecology of Spain |
| Course Department: | BIO 220 |
| Instructor: | Fernando Montes |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | One of the best professors I have ever had! He is an expert in Ecology and has an immense amount of enthusiasm and energy in class. Plus, the course has two field trips where students get to kayak, hike, and go horseback-riding. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
