Oviedo, Spain is something that shaped me into the person I am today. Past Review
By Sarah Jimenez (Fontbonne University) - abroad from 01/09/0017 to 05/20/0017 with
University of Oviedo: Oviedo - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
When I thought I was at my end, I still powered through. I found out what I was made of and what my limits are.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
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 administration at universidad de Oviedo really didn't offer much help to me but they did as much as they could. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I know some people had bad homestay family experiences, but I really enjoyed my family and still keep in touch. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
If you want an authentic Spanish experience, you should go to Oviedo because you're so immersed in the culture there. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare was NOT accessible to me or other webster students. We had the geoblue international healthcare insurance and no clinics in the area would accept it from me and the same thing happened to another student with the same health care. I had the fortunate experience of being able to have my insurance accepted at a local urgent care and was treated for an upper respitory infection but after that I got sick another 3 times with the same thing and no place would take my insurance again. My only options were to get over the sickness on my own or go to the hospital and pay hundred of euros. I am not happy with the geoblue insurance, it was not helpful and caused me a lot of stress. Yet, the time that the urgent care did accept me, the doctor's visit went well and it wasn't any different than one here. |
| * Safety: |
a very safe place |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Although it was a really hard program for me because I didn't know the language at all, I wouldn't give up the experience I had for anything. |
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? | 25 euros+ I also did visit different countries almost every weekend there. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would say that you should expect to spend a lot of money if you want to visit europe and the only way to not spend all that money is if you stay in the city during the weekends. |
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? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | nothing |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | If you have no knowledge of the language, be sure that the program offers beginners courses |
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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| 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? | The spanish levels. |
