Opportunity of a lifetime Past Review

By (University of Connecticut) - abroad from 01/15/2016 to 05/15/2016 with

UConn: Granada - UConn in Granada, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I practiced my Spanish and saw a lot of truly beautiful sites that you don't find in America

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

While our program director was nice, I feel she was unfit to run a study abroad program, she lacks organization and proper communication

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Loved my family overall but the children were quite loud and often lacked discipline or follow-through of discipline on behalf of the parents

* 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)

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

In classes we used only Spanish, but amongst each other we used English, and our director would use both with us

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Students should really speak to each other in Spanish to practice even more, we didn't and it's something we certainly should've done, even if not all the time

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Staying with host families
  • Being with fellow UConn students
  • Having more freedom
* What could be improved?
  • Better director
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That I don't need to travel with as many things as I always think

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 Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!