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Granada Spain: There's No Place Like Home
AIFS: Granada - University of Granada
Program Information
Study in the lively city of Granada, perched between the dazzling white peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the glistening blue Mediterranean of the Costa del Sol. During your stay you will see some of the most beautiful and intricate buildings of the medieval world and soak in traditional Spanish culture with the ... More
| Provider: | AIFS |
| Location(s): | Granada, Spain |
| Year Founded: | 1964 |
| Website | Take me there! |
Review By:
Caroline D. (Corporate Communications, The University of Texas at Austin) on June 03, 2011
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2011-01-06 |
| * End Date: | 2011-05-25 |
| 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. |
The spanish education system is very different from America, and the workload is extremely light in comparison. However, I took all my courses in spanish so even though the outside of class work amount was very low, I still was getting a lot of practice with the language, which was of the utmost importance for me. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I cannot express how amazing my program and its directors were. They have inspired me to look for a career in this field as well. They have been doing it for so many years that they know every in and out of the system and know exactly how to get things done and the best way to go about things. The program has so many activities and excursions throughout the semester because they are very insistent on you getting the absolute best experience possible. They offer many cultural experiences so we really got to know the city we lived in and everything it had to offer. They were always throwing a million suggestions at us the entire semester, it was literally impossible to be bored. |
| * Housing: |
No I did not need to buy anything extra. I was most definitely treated like another family member by my host family, I absolutely loved them. I was in a great location. Granada is a small city so you are able to walk everywhere, I absolutely loved it. |
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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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* Home Institution Advising:
How well did The University of Texas at Austin prepare and support you for your time abroad? |
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I lived with a host family so I had to speak spanish every single day. And as I previously mentioned, I took all my courses in spanish as well so that definitely helped. I also lived in a much smaller city than other ones that were offered so english speaking citizens were at a minimum. I enjoyed this because I truly felt immersed and felt more like a local than a tourist at any given time. |
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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A Look Back
| * If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same program? | Yes |
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | No matter how terrified you think you are, the leap of faith you will take will provide you with the most amazing experience of your entire life. |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | Exceeded my expectations. My only regret is that I wish I would have done a year. |