Spain: A once in a lifetime experience Past Review
By Richard P (Mechanical Engineering., Olin College) for
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid: Madrid - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Absolutely. Gained a much broader world perspective. Good to get away.
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. |
Workload was easy-just took classes to get credit. Education was similar to state college. Lots of emphasis on final exams. 80%-100% of final grade. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Not enough information beforehand about the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Just found an apartment near school, the program offered no housing options. Nice part of town. Paid a little more than i would have liked. Furnished. Nice landlady. |
| * Food: |
Don't go to Spain for the food. Cook for yourself to eat well and save money. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Nothing arranged by the program, but I traveled all around Spain on weekend trips, and it was amazing! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Madrid is a very safe city. I felt comfortable letting my female friends walk alone anywhere in the city at night. |
| 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? | $400. This included weekend trips around Spain almost every weekend, and rent and food and all other expenses except tuition. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Nothing really. Just watch the exchange rate. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | AP Spanish |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people with whom I had daily interactions spoke English. However, classes were in Spanish, and all interactions outside the home (such as stores) was in Spanish. I improved a lot, but it took awhile because I didn't fully immerse myself. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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? | This was very very open. All we had was enrollment in the school. The rest was up to us. Good for people who don't like to be babied. Bad for people who have trouble meeting new people on their own. |
