An Amazing Semester in Sevilla Past Review
By Ryan T (The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 01/18/2012 to 05/20/2012 with
Centro Mundo Lengua: Summer and Semester Programs in Spain for College & University Students
Too much to write or explain, but it was certainly worthwhile and a wonderful experience. Along with a greater knowledge of the language and culture, I gained quite a bit of experience surviving on my own in a different part of the world.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad Pablo de Olavide |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My first homestay did not work out well, and I was somewhat irritated to find out that there had been problems with the same woman in previous semesters, but after expressing some irritation one morning, I was moved to a new homestay within about 8 hours. The move was very easy and the new home was great. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was difficult at times to feel completely integrated, but that does not really have anything to do with Mundolengua; these integration difficulties seemed the same for basically all of the international students. It is up to each student, or group of students, to put in effort and become more integrated. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any serious health issues while abroad, but when I wanted medicine, there were pharmacies everywhere to go pick it up. |
| * Safety: |
Despite hearing about pickpockets and other issues in Europe, or Seville specifically, I felt quite safe in Seville. |
| 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) |
Depends on the week--when traveling, I had to spend a good amount of money, but when in Seville it was relatively easy to live on a student budget and not spend too much. |
| * 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? | Depends on the week...some weeks closer to 50 Euros, other weeks over 100...more when traveling. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Unless you need to get to a specific destination at a specific time when traveling, look around for cheap flights! And unless others are doing so or you know you are going to travel a lot on your own, don't bother getting a Eurail pass; others probably will not have one, and buses/RyanAir make it easy to get around for little money. |
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? | Advanced |
| 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? | HISP 305 |
| 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? | Try to make friends with Spaniards as soon as possible! I only met up with my first Intercambio student once, and by the time I got a new one I could only meet up with him one time. The 2nd half of the semester will fly by with traveling during Semana Santa and Feria, so take advantage of the time in Sevilla during the 1st half. |
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? | You will have to pay for the metro to get to school! It is under 1 Euro each way, but it adds up. You will also have to pay to use your phone; phones are provided, but it costs around 10 cents a minute and 10 cents per text. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Spanish/English Translation |
| Course Department: | Spanish |
| Instructor: | Verónica Pacheco |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This class was great. At first it sounded like it might be quite challenging, but it ended up being a perfect balance--the translating was not always easy and we learned quite a bit, but it was easy enough to put in effort and get good grades. Every class was enjoyable with a relaxed environment, and along with translation techniques, we learned lots of colloquial, day-to-day phrases that we could use in conversation. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
