Spain is the BEST. Past Review
By Addie D (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Ithaca College) for
IES Abroad: Madrid - IES Abroad in Madrid
ABSOLUTELY.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Pretty easy grade-wise, but taking classes all in spanish was IMMENSELY helpful in learning the language. And the class at the Prado was AMAZING. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were wonderful! SO helpful, SO enthusiastic, SO willing to do whatever they could to make students more comfortable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved the independence of living in an apartment in another country (though not being allowed to drink as a 21 year old seemed strange). I think a host family could have given me more opportunities to speak spanish regularly, but I really loved having other Americans living with me who I could talk to whenever I was feeling stressed and/or homesick. And regular dinners with our Spanish RA were really fun and helpful with language acquisition. |
| * Food: |
If you're a vegetarian, don't go to spain. They don't quite understand dietary restrictions... BUT I wasn't a veg, so I loved the food! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
LOVED traveling to other places in Spain on the weekends. It was awesome. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Program admins were VERY helpful. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Traveling on weekends was always more expensive than it seemed it would be. |
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 202 |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with my roommates, with people on the street, with my professors. I used spanish every single day, almost from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to sleep. Surprisingly few people speak good English in Spain, so I was usually able to practice with everyone I met. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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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