Guadalajara Mexico was the most rewarding internation, unforgettable, and preeminent experience Past Review
By Gregory-Thomas S (Biology and Economics, University of California - Riverside) for
Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara: Zapopan - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I understand that each region has its own specific weakness and strengths. That I should not dwell on the comparrison while travelling, but embrace the differences. In the future I hope to one day live abroad for a time and travel in the near future.
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. |
The workload was sufficient. Some nights there would be no homework, and others you would have 2+ hours. The grading was based on proficiency and grammar. The professors were amazing and were collectively mastering the ability to teach spanish in the most effecive manners. What I learned in one month, many learn in 6 months. It was an extremely excellent method in learning spanish. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was full of strengths with little weaknesses. classes were small ranging from 1-10 for every 2 teachers. Teachers were accessably by email. The school resources including the library and health centers were available to us to use. Public transportion was easily assessible and safe to use. There were no weakness that I found. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host mother treated us as her children. She fed us, had our rooms and bed sheets cleaned and spoke spanish to us everyday. The food was authentic and extremely delicious. A good portion of my outside oral practice came from her communicating to me about daily life and mroal issues. The school was 10-15 minutes walking distance along a busy and safe street. |
| * Food: |
The host mother was very willing to change her meal plans to any diets we had. It was the corn for my japanese roommate. The food quality was always delicious and looked wonderful. I have personally been wanting to remake many of her dishes. I took pictures to remember the salads, burritos, enchiladas, etc. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We took a trip to Mexico City. We visited the temples, the museums, the undergroud ruins, galleries, shopping districts, and more! We also visited the city of Tequila and saw the town as well as went through the Jose Cuervo factory to learn how Tequila is made starting from the blue agave to tasting it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There was an orientation the fist day lasting several hours going over safety, campus activites, resources available, signs of caution, etc. |
| 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? | Roughly $100 a week because I traveled. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You are going to want to spend extra money for traveling so please have more than you anticapted so you can get the full experience and won't miss out. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
You speak spanish to everyone around you. Your teachers, classmates, tellers, friends, schoolmates all speak spanish. In everyday activities spanish was spoken as the priority language. All spoke spanish, and only the very few from US and Canada openly communicated in English. The majority of the foreigns that were chinese, korean, or japanese the language of communication being used was spanish which further helped the learning process. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be as outgoing as you can possibly be. Join a team, go to dance lessons, go out and have fun. Students who would be benifitted the most are those that are willing to give it all a cahnce. |
Comments
We are pleased to hear that your study abroad experience turned out to be an amazing one! CCIS
CCIS October 27, 2011
