Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Granada: Difficult but a wonderful, wonderful experience. Past Review

By (Spanish Education, Illinois State University) for

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Granada, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much about the Spanish culture and my speaking skills, especially vocabulary have grown immensely.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

At my university in Spain, they didn't have any small tests and barely any homework assignments. We had a midterm, a final, and sometimes a small homework assignment. We also didn't have class on Friday.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I loved my program here in Spain. I had a lot of medical issues and was in need of a lot of help making appointments and getting refunds. My program was always there and they would email me and call my house to check up on me. They were always supporting and helped with whatever was needed. One of the best parts of my experience here.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My apartment is in a safe area and always clean. It is close to nightlife and the city center is about 12 minutes walking and class about 20 minutes. I didn't need to buy anything when I got here. I was offered everything that I wanted and needed if I chose and my host family always treated me like part of their family.

* Food:

Food was always made for me and my host mother took my likes and dislikes into consideration.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I'm not a fan of traveling so it was nice to have a couple trips planned into the program.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I have almost always felt safe here in Granada. It is a safe city and beautiful. Health care was accessible, but going on weekends to the emergency room took a lot longer than being able to go to a clinic during the week. My program always helped me with the insurance, getting appointments and getting refunded.

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? It is really tempting to go shopping a lot because of all the stores that you walk by. I stopped bringing money with me so that I wouldn't shop as much.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? LAN 233 Introduction to Literature
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I believe that my language skills have improved, even from just being in classes all in Spanish, when the teacher doesn't speak English. I also suggest living with a host family. Only being able to speak to my host mom in Spanish has taught me a lot and she would help me by correcting my errors. Most people here do not speak English.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • advisors
  • Centro de Lenguas Modernas
  • living with a host family
* What could be improved?
  • cost
  • choosing our own schedule
  • help filling out paperwor
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I think that any student could benefit from studying here. It is close to many other Spanish cities which makes it easy to travel, the people are friendly, plus not many speak English. It is especially perfect for those who really want to learn or work on learning Spanish.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

History of Spanish Music
Course Department:
Instructor: Alejandro Vicente Bújez
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: It was interesting to learn about the history of music as well as the music today.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Varieties of Spanish

Course Department:
Instructor: Pedro Barros García
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: There is a lot of information in this class that is detailed and similar. It's interesting, but a lot to take in and the test is difficult
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Islamic Culture in Spain
Course Department:
Instructor: Juan Manuel Barrios Rozúa
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: I thought this would be more about culture, but it ended up being more of a history class. Some of the material was interesting, but the tests were hard.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Spanish Culture and Civilization
Course Department:
Instructor: Christina Vara Ocón
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This class was always interesting and kept the class involved as well as organized with powerpoints.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Oral and Written Production
Course Department:
Instructor: José Javier Leon
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: We had a lot of discussions and interesting writing assignments that allowed us to be creative while still practicing the necessary skills.
Credit Transfer Issues: