Best Time of My Life and I Can't Wait to Return Past Review
By A student () for
CIEE: Barcelona - Liberal Arts
Studying abroad helped me learn so much about the language, customs, traditions, lifestyle, and so much more of Spain. But most importantly, it was a time of self-discovery for me and I became a better person because of my study abroad experience. The joy it brings me just thinking about it is something I will have and treasure for the rest of my life. I plan to return to Spain after graduating from PC to either study or work
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. |
The work load for me was a lot heavier because I was in advanced classes based on my level of Spanish. I spent a lot of time on my studies and felt as though my semester abroad was my hardest college semester thus far. I didn't like the grading system (scale 1-10) because it's really only a scale of 5-10 since 5=failing. I also didn't like the frequency, or rather lack of, performance assessment. For example, for one of my classes, my grade depended solely on my final project - I had no other grades for that class throughout the whole semester. For me, that felt like a lot of pressure being evaluated for the whole course based on one project. I found that the teaching methods were relatively similar with the exception of my law class in which we had numerous debates on polemic issues such as euthanasia, abortion, etc. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I really liked the CIEE program because it was a small group and the staff got to know the students well and made themselves available for anything we might need. However, I felt as though sometimes they went a little overboard in trying to put together group activities - I didn't like that they made numerous events mandatory |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved the location of my home stay with the exception of its location with regard to the university (~1 hour commute). But otherwise, it was a great place and I enjoyed my stay very much. The host family welcomed me as if I were part of their family and made me feel very comfortable |
* Food: |
I was very satisfied with the food overall, no complaints |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I got to see the running of the bulls which was awesome, spent a day in Toledo, and took a weekend trip to the Canary Islands all with my program |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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* Safety: |
The safety in Spain is pretty good although there were times at night when I felt uncomfortable because the men are somewhat aggressive so if possible, girls should try to not travel places alone. Robbery is very common (on the street of purses, wallets, etc. - not in houses) but there's typically no violence involved. I personally didn't have any safety related incidents nor an experience with healthcare. No, there were no prevalent health issues |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Language
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Language acquisition improvement? |
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Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I would recommend CIEE. The program works well with all types of students but it would definitely be hard if a not-so-dedicated (academically speaking) student went with this program because CIEE definitely pushes you to work hard |