Take me back! Past Review
By A student (Tourism and Travel Services Marketing Operations, Villanova University) - abroad from 01/15/2007 to 07/03/2007 with
CIEE: Palma de Mallorca - Business & Tourism
Seeing how the Spaniards treat every day is completely different than how Americans go about it. It truly showed the cultural differences and being able to live in that environment for over 6 months was the highlight of my life.
Personal Information
| 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 |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to go to the hospital with a friend while we were abroad, nothing major, just a few stitches. I was extremely wary of the situation... but it was completely seamless and without issues. |
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| 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) |
The host family has their own budget which is allocated towards our in-home meals. Right away, they asked me what I liked to eat and always made sure everything was on hand. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It depended if we traveled or not, but about $300 per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You don't need to spend a lot of money. I purposely saved a lot so I could enjoy every meal and every excursion. |
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 |
Host parents only spoke in Spanish. Classes were purely in Spanish. |
| 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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Conversational Spanish |
| 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? | Keep speaking. As soon as you stop, your memory will begin to forget. |
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? | Mallorca is a tourist island which means, almost everything is marked up in the summer. I wish I had known that one piece because you can see prices slowly rise as the temperatures go up. |
