Past Review
By Kate F (Spanish Language and Literature., Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Madrid
DEFINITELY! I gained a better command of Spanish, a love of Spanish culture, and friends from Spain, America, France, Denmark, North Ireland, and Italy. As cliché as it sounds, I also learned a lot about myself through the way in which I responded to stressful situations or through the way I related to the different people and cultures I encountered.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad Autonoma de Madrid |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program classes were of the same caliber as classes at Tufts, with slightly less work than normal. The University classes were not too challenging, but still interesting. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Joan, Luis, and Mayte are great! They helped me so much, and are very knowledgeable about activities and resources in Madrid. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had my own room and bathroom (although that was rare) in an apartment very close to the center of the city. I lived with an older woman and a 24-year old who was also renting a room from my host mother. <br /><br /> My host mother was great, and the location of my house couldn't have been better - a quick (10 min) bus ride to the very center of the city, a 2-minute walk to the closest metro stop. |
| * Food: |
My host mom was a great cook, and it's really easy to find great, cheap lunches in Madrid. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Tufts gives you a stipend each semester for extra-curricular activities - you can use the money for things like music lessons, dance classes (I took flamenco), art classes, sports, gym memberships, etc. Also, the nightlife in Madrid is absolutely amazing, and being right in the city makes it easy for you to take advantage of it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Madrid is overall, a very safe city. There are some neighborhoods to watch out for a night (Lavapiés), and you should be very careful with your wallet/purse in the center of the city, especially touristy areas, but other than that, no need to worry. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | The program gives you 70 euro a week for lunches. I really didn't spend too much more than that in a week, and some weeks ended up with extra money that I used for going out, travel, etc. It depends on how much you're going out, and if you eat at the university or not (food at the university is really cheap). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There really were no unanticipated expenses - because you pay Tufts tuition, you really get taken care of. You probably will spend about as much money per week as you would at Tufts if you lived in a dorm and had a meal plan - it depends on how much you go out, how much you shop, etc. And obviously you have to take into account how much traveling you're planning on doing. (although Tufts gives you money for travel within Spain - I think around 100 euro, and you get reimbursed for any cultural site you visit, such as museums, cathedrals, etc.) |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
It's so important to push yourself to speak Spanish as much as possible - although my Spanish greatly improved, I wish I had spoken it more! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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