A time to see the world and learn where you belong in it! Past Review
By Allison G (Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, University of Wisconsin - Stout) - abroad from 01/13/2015 to 05/01/2015 with
UW-Platteville Education Abroad at the Spanish-American Institute of International Education (SAIIE)
I gained a deeper understanding of who I am, and who I want to become and realizing that makes everything worthwhile
Review Photos
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. |
It was an amazingly put together program, with only a few changes that I would make in order to give kids a richer experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were always available if needed and frequently went out of their way to talk to the students and help them in any way that they could |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
This was the only downfall of my experience. I was not happy with my home experience due to the senora that I lived with. My roommate was wonderful, but it was hard living in such a small house with a woman who was a small amount of insane. |
| * Food: |
I had some amazing food, but Spanish food is always the same at every restaurant and I wanted a little more variety. My Senoras cooking was 50/50 for being good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt integrated, but I would have liked to be more so because people usually disregarded us as Americans right away. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues |
| * Safety: |
Seville is one of the safest feeling cities that I have ever been to. I never felt uncomfortable or scared. Spanish culture I feel is just so welcoming that you feel like your in a small village and not a city. |
| 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) |
Plan to exceed your budget immensely. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be careful of the amount of money you are spending on booze. One evening out can end up being 100 euros if you go to hard. |
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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | one semester in college |
| 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? | I recommend getting a solid base of Spanish language before arriving. They say it is not needed, but it makes things much easier if you can say simple phrases. |
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? | I wish I had know more Spanish. |
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. |
