An Academically Difficult Journey with Little Social Reward Past Review
By A student (Anthropology., Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/20/2013 to 07/12/2013 with
Boston University: Madrid - Spanish Studies Program, Summer
My language skills did improve, but at the cost of being very stressed and struggling to balance enjoying being in a foreign country and taking classes.
Personal Information
| 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. |
The program was very academically focused and did not emphasize spending time in the country. We had to be in class for 5 hours a day and then had 2 hours of homework each night. The teachers had very high expectations and were not very forgiving or willing to spend extra time helping students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Ray Green is the best! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my homestay family. I lived with a mom, a dad, and two brothers all of whom were so welcoming and nice. |
| * Food: |
My homestay family always cooked for me deliciously! I also loved Madrid's tapas. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Most people on the program spent most of their time with other students on the program. There was not much opportunity, besides being with my homestay family, to integrate into the local culture of people my age. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
If you miss a day of class due to being sick it is extraordinarily hard to make it up! |
| * Safety: |
I always felt very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Approximately $150 - $200. |
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 |
You are not supposed to even speak English ever when in the language building. And your homestay family is supposed to only speak to you in Spanish as well! |
| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I only took Spanish in high school and therefore struggled a lot with the beginning level. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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 is very very academic!! |
