Madrid: The Most Amazing Time Of My Life. Past Review
By Shreena B (Spanish/Religion, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Madrid
It was worth so much, and meant the world to me. It really has helped to change me life, especially my outlook on many things.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was amazing, especially in their availability to us students. They helped us with anything and everything, planned great events for us, and really helped us adjust in our abroad experience. They only thing I would suggest is that they consider changing the excursions that they planned for us, and the locations of our trips. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was amazing. I didn't have to worry about anything. They treated me like a member of their family. It was in a great location near the center of the city, and a very safe neighborhood. |
| * Food: |
Spain is a really hard place for a vegetarian. That being said, if you get creative you can find good food to satisfy you. There are a bunch of vegetarian restaurants in the city that you may have to research, but they're all great. And when in doubt, go to Maoz in Sol for some delicious falafel! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program is great in that it provides a few trips for the students. Some of the trips were alot of fun and we got to see alot of interesting things (like Toledo). The excursion to Extremadura was not as great because it rained the entire weekend. It would have been much better if we had gone to a more popular region of Spain, like Valencia or Andalucia. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Madrid is probably one of the safest cities in the world in terms of crime. I had no health problems while I was there. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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 gave us 11 euros everyday to pay for our lunch. I would say that I spent less than that on a daily basis on food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try your best from day one to save the money that the program gives you for food. You should save it for trips, cultural activities that may not be reimbursed by the program, and for the nightlife, which can get to be expensive sometimes. |
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 191 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced the language with my host family, with the Tufts office in Madrid, and with locals on a daily basis. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | Make a good group of friends, because the social aspect of the experience is definitely one of the biggest. Learn to become independent and more relaxed, and it will help you have a much better experience and open you up to things you never dreamed of doing. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Siglo de Oro |
| Course Department: | Historia |
| Instructor: | Pedro Garcia |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | It was a dry subject matter, but the professor is great. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
