Past Review

By Molly W (Hispanic Studies and English, The University of Texas at Austin) for

IES Abroad: Salamanca - Advanced Spanish Immersion

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Traveling abroad is always worth while, and I firmly believe that every student should experience what it is like to study abroad at least once in their life. "Travel, experience—there are education in themselves."

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	University of Salamanca
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 professors were obviously knowledgeable, but I resented the fact that a few professors dumbed down material simply because we were foreign students while upping the (busy)work load.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The center was conveniently located and very nice. The program coordinator (David Artime) was absolutely wonderful, but the others (such as program director Barbara Liberator and academic coordinator Maria Angeles) were not nearly as good at dealing with students and their complaints/concerns/questions.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Colegio Cuenca. Very nice. I had my own room and bathroom and shared a kitchen with a neighbor also in my program. It felt like living in an efficiency apartment. <br /><br /> While most of the essentials except for towels and toilet paper were pretty much provided, I still had to buy my own cleaning supplies, sheets, quilt, bath mats, and hangers.
* Food:	Different cafeterias varied drastically in food quality, but once I found one I liked, the food was acceptable. Not much variety, but I was happy to eat fish and salad daily.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	David made great efforts to provide IES students with fun trips and events throughout the semester.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Safety-wise, Salamanca is as safe as they come. I didn't hear about a single crime other than pickpocketing taking place in the city the entire time I was there. As far as health concerns, pre-existing conditions were adequately handled by IES, but getting sick or injured was a different story. Most students found that the Spanish system was adequate but by no means superior to the care they received at home.
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?	Eating out and going out can get pricey, so when possible cook at home (or if in a homestay, eat the meals your housemom cooks for you.) The main expense is travel on the weekends. No matter what company you go through, the cost of flights and busses adds up quickly!

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?	I had taken 5 semesters of in-class college-level Spanish (varying from grammar, writing, civilization, and linguistics).
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?
Language acquisition improvement?	I spoke with all faculty, staff, administration, other students in Spanish every day. Spanish was the only permissible language in class.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Travel to Portugal!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Surrealism in Spain
Course Department:	(transfers as) AH 326
Instructor:	Laura Muñoz
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Laura is a fabulous professor and makes Surrealism incredibly fascinating as both art, philosophy, and a historical period
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A

Course Name/Rating:	Topics in Advanced Grammar, Composition, and Syntax 1
Course Department:	(transfers as) SP361
Instructor:	Javier ____
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	BEST CLASS EVER! Javier is a spectacular professor and I learned more in this class than I did in all of my other classes combined. This should DEFINITELY count as an upper division grammar course, however, as it is very difficult.
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A

Course Name/Rating:	Gender in Western Mediterranean Societies: Historically and in Modern Times
Course Department:	(transfers as) SO 375
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	More of a history course than a sociology course. Pretty dry until the discussion on women in North Africa.
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A

Course Name/Rating:	Spanish Literature and Politics in the 20th Century
Course Department:	(transfers as) LT 357
Instructor:	Javier Zapatero
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Heavy reading load (and unfortunately 20th century Spanish lit is rather depressing.) Javier is young and entertaining, however, and he encourages class discussion.
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A

Course Name/Rating:	Women Writers in 20th Century Latin America
Course Department:	(transfers as) LT 360
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	This was more of a feminist history course than a literature course. The professor had an obvious chip on her shoulder and wasn't shy about expressing her feelings on the subject matter without giving any credibility to different opinions. The course overall was pretty easy to do well in though, and it was well organized.
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A