No Rules Spain Past Review
By jillian.app.7 (The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 01/18/2012 to 05/20/2012 with
William and Mary: Seville - William and Mary in Seville
Totally worth while. My language skills did improve even if I don't feel fluent now, I am able to hold a conversation and I understand spanish speakers much better. Also, so many fun experiences in the city with friends, at home, and travelling elsewhere.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Pablo Olavide |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
We did have assignments and essays but the reading amount was much less than at William and Mary so I had more spare time. The assignments did not seem to require that much time input though. The professors did have office hours to help out and you could e-mail them as well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Some of the professors were not very challenging (granted a couple were quite well qualified). The administration in the library appeared to not do much at all. However the international student office was very helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was nice getting to know my host mom but also hard living under someone else's roof after being away from home for 2+ years. We were not allowed to really have friends over and spent much time in our room but the terrace was lovely! |
| * Food: |
Sangria and Tinto de Verano were great and I did enjoy patatas bravas and croquetas but there was a lot more fried food than I expected and much of it was bland to my taste- they don't use many spices. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 15euros |
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? | Intermediate |
| 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? | intermediate |
| 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? | Spend time with your host family and make Spanish friends (you'll really appreciate it when Feria comes along)! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | It's cold in the houses in the winter! Bring layers! |
