Past Review
By Rebecca C (Art History, Spanish, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Madrid
My study abroad experience was completely worthwhile. I'd go back and do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Full-Year 2007 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Spanish university system is very different than that of Tufts, so the class material was not quite as challenging as what I was used to. What made the classes difficult was the fact that they were entirely in Spanish. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Joan and Angel Berenguer are completely accessible and engaged in the students' well-being while abroad. As far as I'm concerned and based on my conversations with other students who were studying abroad at the same time, the Tufts program is one of if not the best. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed with a wonderful host family that I now consider a second family. All of the students in this program stay in different parts of the city. I was at the center in Barrio Salamanca. Tufts provides a check for lunches and the host family cooks your other two meals each day. It was a wonderful experience and I still maintain contact with them. <br /><br /> There was a rather long commute to class, but it was completely worth it considering I lived in the center of Madrid. |
| * Food: |
The food in Madrid is fantastic, and with the help of the menu, relatively well priced. I don't have any dietary restrictions, but I can imagine that living as a vegetarian or being a picky eater in Madrid would not be easy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Madrid's nightlife is one of the most unique things you will ever experience. The streets are bustling at 4 in the morning. The program also took us all on field trips throughout the year, which were some of the best trips I went on during my time in Spain. Money was also provided by the program to travel within Spain, so it was great to get away for some three day weekends with friends and go to the beach, or see a city that the program wasn't going to take us to. |
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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? |
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? | outside of the money given to me, I'd say maybe 40 euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Most of these expenses accumulated because of going out at night. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I came back from Madrid totally confident in my Spanish speaking abilities. I learned so much and am now on my way to fluency. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | This program is one of the best out there. It really takes care of its students and has an essential focus on total immersion which is one of the most important aspects of studying abroad. You will come back speaking beautiful Spanish. |
