BEYOND AMAZING Past Review
By A student (history and spanish, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 06/03/2012 to 07/14/2012 with
CIEE: Alicante - Summer Language and Culture
SO WORTHWHILE. i loved it and i think everyone should go abroad.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Alicante |
| 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. |
I really liked me classes. The teachers were AWESOME. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CIEE staff couldn't have been better! They were cool and fun to hang out with. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I LOVED my host mom and host sister. They treated me like family. |
| * Food: |
The food in Alicante is different and lots of ham. But my host mom was a great cook and she always over fed me. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The locals were so nice to the American groups! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Very safe! |
| 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) |
My host family paid for all of my meals, so basically the only thing I had to spend money on were trips to other countries. So it's really all about how much you're willing to spend. |
| * 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? | 100 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring euros over from the US. Taking money out of ATMs costs money per transaction. |
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 |
Classes only in Spanish |
| 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? | Upper division Spanish courses. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Talk to people who only know Spanish |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | bring more euros ahead of time |
