Sevilla: Some good, some bad but mostly good Past Review

By (Finance, Trinity University) for

CIEE: Seville - Business + Society

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes, I travelled to more countries than I thought possible.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Depended on professor but the teaching was not great. Very difficult to follow and only sometimes (even when translated to English) did their ideas make sense.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

No English allowed. Threrefore, if I had a problem, I had to humliate myself to get a point across, which was more frustrating.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Very poor home stay selection. Almost like the only question was "Do you want to host an American and get paid?" For lack of a better word, the lady I lived with was a bitch. She was hardly ever there so i made it through the majority of the time but couldnt handle it after a while and moved out.

* Food:

Quality was terrible. Spanish cooking is nasty and plain. Olive oil is not a seasoning

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Morrocco-- awesome

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Health was not addressed much except for emergeency situations. Safety was hit hard being craz, American students

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Give yourself some crazy, impulse-buy spending money. Go on a crazy trip to Italy of France and indulge in as much food and wine as possible.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
Language acquisition improvement?

Tutors were available.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
  • Local Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Three day weekend
  • Sponsored trips
  • Travel abilities
* What could be improved?
  • Housing
  • Some professors
  • Spanish only rule