Past Review

By Juliet T (Communications and Culture, Clark University) for

Tandem Madrid: Madrid - University Spanish Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Studying abroad was one of the best experiences of my life. Living in another culture, speaking another language and living with another family -- it is almost impossible to describe. I would not change my experience for anything. There are only 2 improvements I can think of for this program. One would be to have less class or less homework. The other would be to do dramatic changes to the Historia class. I still cannot fully measure how i have changed or what i have learned, but I know that I am a different person then when I left. I feel that I understand the world and myself better. The experience was completely worth while and I would do it all over again if given the chance.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	Clark University
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month
The term and year this program took place:	Spring 2010

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I honestly felt that the work load was too large. Since I spent anywhere between 5 to 8 hours in school every day, and then about 2 to 3 hours of homework afterwards, I did not have much time to do anythign else. I felt that that was a big shame since I was studying abroad to experience another culture but did not have a lot of free time to do so. I think in the future there should be either less hours in school, or less homework.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Leslie Clark is fantastic. She was so helpful and went above and beyond to help me numerous times. For example, when I was struggling with material in one of my classes, she tutored me outside of class. Without her help, I probably would have failed one of my classes. I felt completly comfortable coming to Leslie with any of my problems (travel, problems with teachers, coursework, intercambios etc). Leslie is a real asset to the Tandem program and I am so grateful to have had her guidance.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in a host family in an apartment with a senora and her husband as well as with 2 other american students. My host family was incredible. I lived in a safe and beautiful aparment complex in an excellent location. My host family treated me as if I were a family member. The memories I have of the time spent with my host family are some of my favorite from my entire experienc abroad. Futhermore, I ate the best food of my life and lived in a very clean and beautiful apartment.
* Food:	could not have been any better. Very healthy, plenty of food, very accomodating.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	the cultural activities were fun, but many of them were at times I could not make it to (often because i had class or too much homework). One of my favorite memories in Spain is of our trip to Granada. It was amazing and I hope that Tandem keeps organizing that trip in the future.
* Safety:	i do not know how student health issues were addressed because I did not have any and did not know anything about other students health situations.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)

Language

Language acquisition improvement?
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Other
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Other

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	This is a great program for learning spanish. Students should know that if you want to spend a large amount of your time exploring and having fun, in this program you will spend the majority of your time doing homework or being in class. So if your priority is to learn spanish, this is an excellent program. but, if your priority is to have an abroad experience, you might want to choose a less academically rigorous program.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Grammar
Course Department:
Instructor:	Natalia and Ruben
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	They were both fantastic professors. I learned so much in their classes. I think there is little room for improvement in their classes.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Historia
Course Department:
Instructor:	Mario
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	I was dissapointed by this class. I felt that it was disorganized and taught in a very stressful environment. The material was not written clear enough for students coming to the material for the first time and was further complicated by it being written at a level too advanced for students learning spanish. I felt that the professor was not really interested in teaching us. The way he taught and behaved made the class very stressful and was not a comfortable environment for either learning or asking questions.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Actualidades
Course Department:
Instructor:	Susana
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	This was a dificult but educational class. The class was well organized and the material was presented very clearly at an appropriate level for students learning spanish. I learned a lot and felt that all assignments were fair and pertinent. Susana was a great professor. I really enjoyed her class and felt that she was genuinely interested in us learning.
Credit Transfer Issues: