Excellent Experience Past Review
By Christian V (International Business, University of Nevada, Reno) - abroad from 09/03/2015 to 12/14/2016 with
USAC Spain: Alicante - Spanish Language, Linguistics, European, Mediterranean, and Gender Studies
I was able to experience so many different cultures and meet people I will never forget.
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. |
All the teachers were very helpful and eager for you to learn. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Resident director and assistants went out of their way all the time in order to make us more comfortable and helped us make reservations for activities. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was in central Alicante, close to downtown and the beach and bars. |
| * Food: |
Food in Alicante is typcal mediterranean but you can find other stuff as well. All delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Felt very integrated. Set up with language partners from the university, local students who wanted to improve their English and help you with your spanish. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
Extremely safe city, never felt threatened. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Some of the best times of my life. |
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) |
Depends on how much you like to go eat out and go out at night. Grocery stores are very cheap, eating out isn't very expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Shop at the grocery stores and make food at home. Very cheap in Alicante. |
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 |
Encouraged us very much, took us to the market on a few Fridays in order to help us practice our spanish and how to order things there. |
| 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? | Spanish 112 |
| 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? | Try to order everything in Spanish and expose yourself to it more. |
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? | To take every opportunity you have to go travel or do something new in your city or to meet new people. |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
