Past Review
By Mary Catherine W (Plan II Honors, Public Relations, The University of Texas at Austin) for
CIEE: Seville - Liberal Arts
It was incredibly worthwhile. I am more confident, worldly wise and independent now.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | La Universidad de Sevilla |
| 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. |
The greatest difference was learning in Spanish rather than English, but the Cursos Para Extranjeros were great because the Spanish professors taught knowing that the students were learning in their second language. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The people who worked at CIEE were very accessible, very nice and really cared about the American students. They sent out weekly Noticias emails to help us get involved in CIEE trips to surrounding cities, cultural activities, etc. It was very fun. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Calle Asunción, 40 in Los Remedios. I lived in an apartment with an older couple, but five other family members visited daily. <br /><br /> I can't say enough wonderful things about my housing. I was treated as a member of the family and truly loved the family I lived with. I lived in a beautiful neighborhood - a fabulous location for school and nightlife. I didn't have to buy anything to settle in; it was all provided for me. |
| * Food: |
My señora made a lot of food and it was all fabulous! |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved our overnight trip to Granada; it was my favorite. Students should definitely take advantage of the activities offered in the weekly Noticias emails, like museum trips and cooking classes. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe. While I never got sick, I had friends who did and they said they had a difficult time communicating with the doctors. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
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? | The USD wasn't doing well compared to the EURO while I was overseas. Europe is just an expensive place, especially if you're traveling but it's the price of lifelong, life-changing experiences so I think it's worth it. Just apply to as many scholarships as you can beforehand. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 312L |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Live with a host family and practice chatting with them in Spanish every day. Use the Intercambios program. Not many people speak English in Sevilla, so I used Spanish in my everyday interactions all the time. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Do it. You will never regret it. I'm a homebody and was so worried about missing out on what my friends were doing in Austin, but I realized while I was overseas that I truly wasn't missing out on anything. When all of my friends were having a blast at Round Up (one of my favorite springtime Greek parties), I was having a blast exploring Rome. It really is an incredible, life-changing experience to go abroad. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Teatro Español |
| Course Department: | FB16 |
| Instructor: | NA |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The professor was very nice and explained concepts well, but she was a harder grader. I did not have much interest in the subject matter. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. I made sure my credits would transfer before I Ieft. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
La proyeccion historica de las tres culturas - Grupo B |
| Course Department: | GB17 |
| Instructor: | Jesús García |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was a difficult class, but our professor truly cared about the material and his students and he wanted us to care about the material as well. He was very approachable, very nice. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. I made sure my credits would transfer before I Ieft. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Redaccion y Estilistica |
| Course Department: | LA |
| Instructor: | Ana María Abril |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | I cannot speak highly enough of Ana! She was so kind, such a passionate teacher, took us on field trips to museums to make class more interesting, her assignments were engaging, her grading system was very fair. I miss her! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. I made sure my credits would transfer before I Ieft. However, I knew ahead of time that this was the one class I would not be able to get credit for. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introduccion a la Historia de España |
| Course Department: | GB01 |
| Instructor: | NA |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The professor was very nice and laid back. We had very little work. Knowledge of Spanish contemporary history really enhanced my experience living in Spain. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. I made sure my credits would transfer before I Ieft. |
