Madrid: A great time in Europe. Past Review
By vianney d (Communication and Speech Disorders Speech Language Pathology, The University of Texas at Austin) for
Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid: Madrid - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Definitely. You become more open minded, meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world, and traveling helps you find 'home' everywhere you go. It makes you more knowledgeable and more confident.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The grading system made the experience a bit more stressful. But overall I enjoyed my time at Comillas. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Overall, everything went smoothly. Sometimes things do take a while to get done and you need to visit the office all the time to make sure you stay on top of deadlines. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host mom. Her house is located in the most expensive area in Madrid, so things there were quite expensive. She kept the house really clean. She was a great cook, and did my laundry. She was flexible with my schedule. I am very satisfied with my experience at her house. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
It is a very safe city overall. The local health care system is not foreigner-friendly and if you are not a citizen of the European Union it is ridiculously hard to find a clinic or hospital that will take you. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Europe in general is expensive. You need to make and follow a budget. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I got credit based on examination. Spanish is my first language. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Classmates, host family. Most people spoke English. |
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?
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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? | BE OPEN MINDED! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Spanish Art in the Museums of Madrid |
| Course Department: | Traduccion y Relaciones Internacionales |
| Instructor: | Norma Catalán |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The material is not challenging, but the exams and quizzes are extremely complicated. They often include questions that were not covered during class, and it is hard to find the answer the professor is looking for. The professor is a good lecturer, but it was impossible to understand what we needed to focus on. Even though I put forth a lot of effort I still made low grades all the time. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Comparative Cultural Studies |
| Course Department: | Traduccion y Relaciones Internacionales |
| Instructor: | José María Marco Tobarra |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course is not very structured. It is very different from the class set-up at Universities in the U.S. You have to take plenty of notes. Lectures can be slow and sometimes hard to follow. But the professor is very, very flexible. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introducción a las Relaciones Internacionales |
| Course Department: | Traduccion y Relaciones Internacionales |
| Instructor: | Emilio Sáenz-Francés San Baldomero |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Excellent course. Professor Emilio is wonderful. He is very knowledgeable, and one of the best lecturers I have ever seen. He makes history fun. He really knows his stuff. It definitely made me get out of bed early in the morning, and the professor kept us awake. The class is challenging, since he talks rather fast and the material can be complicated at times. But if you take good notes you will do well. Highly recommended. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Japones I |
| Course Department: | Traduccion y Relaciones Internacionales |
| Instructor: | Hanako Fujino |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish/Japanese |
| Comments: | Hanako is a good professor. The class is not too fast paced and she gives you plenty of time/quizzes to help you memorize all the hiragana and katakana. You definitely need to attend class, since it is only twice a week. They usually have very little students in that class, so you really get to ask plenty of questions and get involved in class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Metodología de Estudio en Relaciones Internacionales |
| Course Department: | Traduccion y Relaciones Internacionales |
| Instructor: | Beverly Ann Rising Cletzer |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This is a very straight forward class. If you attend class and do all the homework you will do well. The material is easy to understand. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
