Past Review
By Jason C (Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin) for
CIEE: Alicante - Language & Culture
My study abroad experience was very worthwhile. It was my first time in Europe and I feel like I got a good feel for Spanish culture. I wish I could have stayed longer and learned more Spanish. I learned that the world's a bigger place than I previously thought and I have much more to see.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Alicante |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
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 |
The program was readily available to any needs of the students. I experienced no problems, but some of my peers had difficulty getting medical attention if they were sick. But they were very knowledgeable, were excellent tour guides, and very nice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Habitacion de Santo Domingo in San Blas. It was an apartment. <br /><br /> The program set up students with host families. My neighborhood was safe, I never felt threatened. It was a bit of a walk to the nightlife but not too bad. My host family was VERY nice. I had my own room/ bathroom and they respected my privacy. They provided 3 meals a day every day, and they were delicious. They provided everything I needed for daily living except personal toiletries. |
| * Food: |
My host mother was an excellent cook, I rarely ate out. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The first week, the festival of Las Hogueras was crazy. I was in Spain when it won the world cup, also crazy. And program organized field trips to Guadalest, Altea, and Granada were all well done and lots of fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There were no safety incidents reported during my program. Safety wasn't really an issue, basically as long as no one acted like an idiot there were no problems. I had no issues with healthcare, but some of my peers seemed to have some difficulties. I can't comment on healthcare personally because I never needed it. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wouldn't eliminate anything. It's easy to spend euro's without keeping in mind the conversion rate. In general, walking/public transportation is way better than taking cabs, and look out for drink specials. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| 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? | none officially, I took three years of Spanish in high school but didn't attempt to transfer credit |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice with my host family, the local student helpers, my peers, and any daily interactions with locals. Most locals spoke only Spanish. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would say do it, I really loved it. It wasn't hard to adapt, any student could enjoy his time in Alicante |
