4 Months in Spain= A Lifetime of Memories Past Review
By Valerie G (Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas., Illinois State University) for
University of Granada: Granada - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I loved studying abroad however there were things that ISU needs to fix from there end as I mentioned above.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The one issue that I would have with Granada's administration would be that there was no one in the secretary's office that spoke English, I understand the reasoning but I think that for those students who do not have a program director in Spain or Granada it is important to have someone who they can speak to in English if a problem arises. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment that I stayed in was with an older woman and her daughter. We were allowed in our bedroom, bathroom, and the kitchen for meals or if we were getting a piece of fruit or a glass of water but other than that we were not allowed in the other rooms of the house which included a family/living room. This made for an awkward time when we needed to speak to our host mom but could not step past the kitchen area. The bedroom that we stayed in was more of a storage room for our host mom as well. In the storage in the room was much of her unworn clothes or other items and for this reason I had 3 small shelves for all of my things in addition to a small closet that my roommate and I had to share. The beds in the room also were very uncomfortable as they were a box spring without any mattress to them. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My program did not arrange any events but the university did that we were allowed to go on. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? | Just travel expenses that I did not think of before such as eating out for the entire time away and extra blankets or towels in a hostel. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | LAN 213.15 or Spanish Grammer |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced my Spanish with anyone who was not another American student at the university and many times with these students as well. In my everyday interactions I had to speak Spanish as the people I was speaking with did not know English. However most of the students at the CLM in Granada were American and so we spoke English several times. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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