I Left My Heart in Valencia Past Review
By Charlotte M (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., The University of Texas at Austin) for
University of Valencia: Valencia - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I am such a better person because I did this. I went to Valencia to learn Spanish, but I accomplished much more than this. I gained the best friends I've ever had and got to travel to France, Italy, Morocco, and all around Spain. I had the time of my life.
Review Photos
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. |
The teachers were not concerned with the students' performance for the most part, education is not that important in this society in comparison to in the U.S. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was no support when I was feeling lonely or confused. I had no one but myself. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Calle Pintor Ricardo Verde, 14. 5 minutes from campus, down Calle Suecia <br /><br /> I lived with a Spanish girl. I found the apartment on my own. It came furnished. She was very sweet but had a boyfriend that had his own key and was over all the time. |
| * Food: |
I bought my food at the local grocery stores. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My program didn't arrange anything for me. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Valencia is a very safe city. Everyone is pretty friendly. I was only sick once and my roommate took care of me. Pharmacists are very helpful. There was a school clinic. |
| 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? | No. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be strong! You're going to be all by yourself and you may feel alienated at times but if you keep on trying to meet people you will have the time of your life. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Medieval Literature |
| Course Department: | Spanish Philology |
| Instructor: | Antonio Huerta |
| Instruction Language: | Castillian |
| Comments: | This course was tough. If you are looking to make all A's don't take this course. This was also my most interesting class. We read four Medieval texts. There was only one final. It was fairly easy. I ended up getting an 8 in the class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | It transfers as an area V English credit. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Translation of General English Texts |
| Course Department: | Philology |
| Instructor: | Sergio Meruenda |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | 5 group projects or a final exam. In a society where no one really cares, it was hard to work in groups. No one really showed up to class, however the class was still jam packed (they let far too many people in the class). Attendance required. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Sociolinguistics |
| Course Department: | Philology |
| Instructor: | Barry Pennock-Speck |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Barry is a great professor who cares. He is British. He will take care of you if you participate in class. This class is based on groups. A final presentation is worth a good chunk of your grade. Tests were easy. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | linguistics credit. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
History of English |
| Course Department: | Philology |
| Instructor: | Miguel Fuster |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Fuster was really involved in this class and you can tell he is genuinely interested in the content. However, his enthusiasm usually manifested itself in ridiculously hard tests. I ended up getting an 8 in the class because I studied really hard, however I knew many people who did horribly. Don't take this as a blow-off class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | It transfers as English or History, upper division. |
