Alcalá de Henares: Dull, Isolated, Sexist, Racist, Homophobic, and NOT Madrid Past Review
By Thomas C (PSYCHOLOGY., Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Madrid
I now feel very American, even somewhat patriotic. I have attained a new respect for the following tenets of American culture, which did not exist in Alcalá: The customer is always right, you can drink as much coffee as you want (whenever you want), food-to-go, doing homework in a restaurant/café atmosphere, the ubiquity of internet access/functional computers, bicycling, vegetarian/vegan food, political correctness/respect for difference, varied cuisine, the American work ethic, and the social acceptability of alone time. My Spanish has greatly improved, but I am probably never going to settle down in Spain. I might return to a more progressive city or live on a farm, totally removed from civilization.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I did about one week's worth of Tufts homework in exchange for 4 A's. My GPA was a legit 4.0, which is not supposed to happen in college. I spent a lot of the semester wondering where my tuition was going and what it was paying for, because it certainly was NOT the quality of the instruction. I suppose it went mostly to overhead costs? The grading system was easier for sure. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Miguel and Sergio did an excellent job and usually did all they could to help me, while keeping in mind the value of me going to do certain things for myself. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with two different host families since the first one was unable to provide me with internet access. It was tortuous having to leave my first host family that I had grown so close to for another. However, the next host family was also excellent. I did not have to buy to many things to supplement my comfort. Both apartments were sufficient for walking to class or to the trains/buses in less than 15 minutes. |
| * Food: |
Spaniards eat delicious, fresh food (in general). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program did a great job providing us with several opportunities. My issue? I kind of don't care about anything that has happened in Spain prior to the 20th century. I do not care about Spanish literature, art, or religious practice either. I spent most of my time on the tours stoned as a way of rebelling against having to wake up at the crack of dawn to learn about cathedrals. I can guarantee you that at least half of the students felt this way to some extent: our tours and activities were monotonous in their focus on classical Spanish culture, and wouldn't it just be more fun if we were inebriated? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Spain is much safer than the United States and has the second-lowest violent crime rate in Europe, below Portugal. I was certainly harassed, but I was never explicitly threatened. Spain also has a functional public health service, unlike the United States. I never had serious health issues but I know that my friends received wonderful care from the free clinics. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | This survey is way too long. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 121 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My Spanish-speaking was continuous, as Spanish was ubiquitous unless I was hanging out with friends from the program itself. This was the most valuable component of the program. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I would recommend reading the rest of my answers to this survey. |
