Wonderful town, overwhelming university Past Review
By A student (SUNY - College at Geneseo) - abroad from 01/23/2012 to 07/02/2012 with
University of Cadiz: Cadiz - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
YES.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
NO advisement in choosing our courses, registering for our courses, anything. Navigating the system was a serious nightmare, and most of us were in classes way over our heads without knowing it and without a chance to change. No resources, too much rigor. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
None. Absolutely none. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Stayed with a host family and they were FANTASTIC. |
| * Food: |
Cádiz. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Cádiz is a good mix of international and local students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health insurance covered nothing, and we were on our own. |
| * Safety: |
This is literally probably the safest place I've ever been. |
| 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) |
I stayed with a host family where room, board, laundry, etc etc was a flat 600€ a month, but most people who got an apartment were paying around 300€ a month and getting their own food quite cheaply. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 30€ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The grocery stores are all extremely cheap around here, and even a night out for tapas will only end up costing you around 10€! Electricity is apparently quite expensive here. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| 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 |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300s |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Go to all the Erasmus intercabios that you can, interact with students in class, engage in conversation with people at restqraunts etc. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | That the courses were going to be extremely difficult, and that navigating the system is quite a feat. |
