Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Unforgettably amazing Past Review

By (Spanish Language, Literature, Troy University) - abroad from 08/27/2015 to 12/18/2015 with

USAC Spain: Alicante - Spanish Language, Linguistics, European, Mediterranean, and Gender Studies

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Traveling on my own is so much less intimidating! It's impossible to completely sum up everything I learned. I got to experience how people live, think, and feel differently in their own society. Simply reading it from a textbook doesn't do it any justice at all. At some time or another, we all got lost, or lost something or had travel delays. You think you can't recover but you can totally deal with it. It's the best way to do school! Now, I'm pushing everybody to study abroad at some point in their education.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

NA

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I can't imagine not meeting the people that I did. It feels like I left a piece of myself there.

Finances

* 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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? For food, maybe 50 or 60€/week. Transportation is about 30€/week

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
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? 2 college semesters of Spanish
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? Totally immerse yourself! Converse with your roommates in the language, buy/read books and download/watch movies in that language, learn the history of the country, keep up with the country's politics, change the language of your phone over, etc.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • My program advisors facilitated absolutely everything about our transitioning process and our living and travel arrangements while we were there.
  • Our advisors were so knowledgeable about everything, from history and origins of the county and significant art pieces to current political affairs of both their country and my home country. It was so easy to talk to them and gain knowledge and relevance and try understood our differences and explained similarities and differences between our society and politics and theirs.
* What could be improved?
  • I had the worst roommates EVER
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I would've had more money to travel with! I wish I would've brushed up on my Spanish and the history of the culture more. It was my very first time ever flying and I packed totally wrong, but I definitely know now.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.