Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

The Best Summer of My Life Past Review

By (University of Arizona) - abroad from 05/30/2015 to 06/29/2014 with

Travel & Education: Salamanca - University of Salamanca

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Venturing away from home is the hardest thing to do, until you do it. Leaving home was scary at first for me but once I was in Spain I wanted to stay there forever. I learned a lot about myself as well as the people I had the chance to be able to meet.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100 Euros
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I would recommend saving as much as you can with months in advance, since the Euro is worth more than the dollar everything is increasingly much more expensive in Europe and money is spent faster.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? I took the Spanish CLEP exam
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Practice with others who speak the language, implementing in daily is the best practice!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • I loved the constant cultural exposure
  • The sense of belonging and feeling safe in a foreign country/
  • Everyone was so kind and helpful.
* What could be improved?
  • The down time we had was very limited so I would have wished we had more time to ourselves.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I feel like I was very well prepared for the trip.

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 Urbanite
A 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.