Past Review

By Casey L (Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies., The College of William and Mary) for

William and Mary: Seville - William and Mary in Seville

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My study abroad experience was extremely worthwhile. I learned how to be more independent, my Spanish improved immensely and I became more aware about my own culture and how to properly respect and adapt to foreign culture.

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?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Academics at UPO were not quite as challenging as at William and Mary, especially as far as the workload, but I found that I learned a lot, in a relaxed environment. Classes were small - no more than 20 students - and teachers were very accessible. I took 12 credits (4 classes) and found with a manageable workload and time to enjoy Sevilla and do other traveling in Spain and around Europe.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Mundolengua was very helpful and accessible. We could always contact them by e-mail and expect a response right away, or we were able to drop by their office which was very centrally-located. It was also very helpful that Antonio from Mundolengua was also our professor twice a week so we were able to find out information easily from him and he was always there to help with issues that were academic and otherwise.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived with a host family that mundolengua set up for me. I had a roommate from William and Mary and 2 other American girls lived with us - they were from UNC. My host family consisted of a mother and her 2 daughters. They were extremely friendly and generous. My host mom, Graci cooked lunch and dinner for us everyday as well as cleaning our rooms and doing our laundry. She even made us packed lunches for the days where we would be in school during lunch hours. Graci talked to us a lot which was a great way to practice Spanish..
* Food:	Graci was a very good cook and paid attention to our dietary preferences. The Sevilla restaurants in general offer delicious Spanish food (tapas!) however we mostly took advantage of the food we were receiving in the host home.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I really enjoyed my stay in Sevilla. My host family was dleightful and I really like the environment in the host home - I felt comfortable and welcome - Mundolengua does an excellent job in finding good host homes. As far as nightlife, Sevilla is overflowing with options for weekend nights whether I was interested in dancing the night away or chilling out with friends. Sevilla is beautiful and I couldn't help but to constantly admire the place I was living.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I had no health issues but some other students did and they were very well taken care of by Mundolengua, who accompanied them to hospital visits, doctor visits or pharmacies.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

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)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Watch out for atm fees. Plan to buy a cell phone and use it - it's very necessary for keeping in touch with new friends and making plans - the pay as you go plans tend to add up if you use your phone a lot. I hadnt thought about the money I would be spending on the metro - while it wasn't very expensive, with the constant commute added up.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	HISP 482

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	This program is not only a great-deal money-wise, being connected to William and Mary is so worth it in that there will always be someone nearby and back home to provide advice and reassurance. It is also a huge relief to not have to worry about credits transferring. In addition, as a Hispanic Studies major, I was able to count all of my courses toward my major. Sevilla is such a beautiful and charming place - you can't help but not fall in love with it.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	History of Sevilla (W&M course)
Course Department:	HISP 385
Instructor:	Antonio Cuaresma
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	This was a very thorough overview of the history of Sevilla and its context within the broader history of Spain. Sometimes the material felt a little dry but Antonio (we referred to professor by their first names) was extremely excited about what he was teaching and his enthusiasm was contagious. Homework assignments were interesting, tests were challenging and for the final paper he allowed us to choose our topics, which allowed us to do research on issues we were excited about. Overall a very good course.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.

Course Name/Rating:	History of Spanish Art
Course Department:	ARTH 330
Instructor:	Rafael Rodríguez-Varo Roales
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	This course was relatively dry and lacked organization - this was mainly due to the professor. Rafa was difficult to unerstand and seemed to know the material however he wasn't very good at teaching it. While I love art history, I found that the way in which the material was presented was unexciting and I was not motivated in the class. Rafa was not very accessible and made little effort to engage students.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.

Course Name/Rating:	Spanish Cinema
Course Department:	HISP 417
Instructor:	Samuel Neftali Fernandez Pichel
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Although the majority of class time was spent watching movies (as a film class should be), this class was very challenging. The films were not only Spanish classics, they were also typical of Spanish popular culture and thus extremely entertaining. We also learned about the history of spanish film, film techniques and cinematography. Assignments were challenging and tests were very difficult. Samuel was very serious and expected high quality work and he was very enthusiastic about the material.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.

Course Name/Rating:	English-Spanish Translation
Course Department:	HISP 388
Instructor:	Penelope Recio Garrido
Instruction Language:	Spanish/English
Comments:	This class was engaging and a helpful review of grammar and vocabulary. Homework assignments were very manageable. Penelope was extremely engaging and enthusiastic and very good at explaining translation principles and skills. We translated interesting texts from english to spanish and spanish to english. The course required participation and was often very enjoyable.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.