I had an amazing experience but the program was complete garbage. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I found the educational experience to be completely unsatisfying. The university itself was small and unprofessional. Resources were limited, there was poor internet. The "textbooks" we were given were rarely utilized and mostly consisted of content plagiarized from Wikipedia. The professors were not available for help. Most courses were taught in complete lecture style, which is claimed to be a European trait but as the university if made for and taught exclusively to Americans who are trying to gain language skills, opportunities to speak the language should be made more common instead of nearly non-existent. I was never academically challenged during this program. Grading was completely arbitrary and there was little accountability held of the student's or the professors performances.

On-site administration of your program

On-site administration of the program was a joke. The program staff consists of people who are either related or have been friend their entire lives. They are helpful as long as your problem has nothing to do with the teachers, programs, and any of the faculty. I found the secretaries to be the most competent. Elena leads the cultural activities and she is by far the most intelligent and capable staff at SAIIE. They will care for you and help you navigate Spain the best that they can but if you need to know anything more than where some good restaurants are they are pretty unreliable. Friendly nice people but not good for much else.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I enjoyed my housing situation. We lived with a senora and her daughter. There were no small children and the senora generally left us to conduct our lives how we pleased. I did not like that I was living with other American students because that leaves you speaking much more English than you ever should when trying to learn a language. I would have much preferred my own housing or to live with only Spanish speakers.

Loved the food. The hardest part was adjusting to the different eating schedule as meals are more spread apart. Food was provided by our señoras from Sunday dinner to Friday lunch. On the weekend you have to fend for yourself. You will never find anything more than toast for breakfast and no restaurant starts making anything else until after 1 p.m. I was hungry very often.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This program completely failed with cultural and social integration, they successfully false advertised much more contact with natives than actually occurs. The university is all American students, there is no natural or organic contact with locals. In your home stay you live with Americans and so are again speaking English with them. Even though the program organizes "cultural activities" you are always with the other Americans and speaking English with each other. The intercambio program is a joke as you are never actually put into contact with natives in a natural way.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never needed any assistance for the health other than an occasional cold. Over the counter drugs are cheap and doctor visits are as well and easy to schedule. They will help you with appointments and finding the right medicine you need. Spain as a country is very well put together in regards to health care.

I felt safe in general. As a woman I walked alone late at night without any problem. My biggest complaint is the gender violence and sexism that is a terrible problem in Spain. I avoided going out to clubs and bars because everyday I had gone before I was harassed by Spaniards and disrespected. As a woman you can be expected to be stared at and hissed at as well as touched. They don't seem to understand the word "no."

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

It was extremely difficult for me, it is not the Spain is incredibly expensive and would be very manageable for other student's. My family personally lives below the poverty and so it was difficult and I was responsible for all my expenses and received minimal financial help from my family. It was difficult not being able to have an income.

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

I could have survived without ever learning any Spanish or really using it at all since we were so isolated from the culture.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Americans

Select all that apply

• Americans

• Elena who lead the cultural activities
• Program trips
• Courses in Spanish

• The Faculty
• The exposure to the culture
• More Speaking opportunities!

The Academic or Linguist