An Unforgettable Year in Spain Past Review
By Stephanie O (Communications, Spanish, ) for
ISEP Exchange: Pamplona - Exchange Program at Universidad Pública de Navarra
It was definitely worth it. The amount of diversity among the students and the population of the city was something I had never experienced to that extent before, and it was amazing to learn so much about other cultures. It made me even more certain that I want to work in a job where I can work with people from different cultural backgrounds.
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Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Most of my classes had no assessment besides a written test at the end of the semester. While it takes away some stress that you get from being overwhelmed by daily assignments, it is definitely not my preferred way of learning. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The orientation could have been more thorough-they did a good job of showing us where everything was and explaining extracurriculars, but there was some confusion among a number of exchange students I knew regarding where to find the location of classes, for example. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The school's ISEP coordinator helped to arrange housing. It was within walking distance from both the campus and the downtown area of the city. It was clean, safe, and there was a large number of students (international and otherwise) living in the same neighborhood. |
| * Food: |
Pork is a fairly common food in Spain, and since I do not eat pork I was worried that would be an issue. However, there were no problems with that apart from everybody asking why I do not eat it! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The trips that I was able to go on were good. Unfortunately some of them were fairly expensive, so it may have been nice to have a few options throughout the year for those that could not afford to travel out of the city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Pamplona was a very safe city, especially for the size. I only went to the docton once, and because there it was not a major problem it was actually nice to go in free, even if the exam was not as thorough as it may have been here. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Even within the first few weeks I noticed a big change in my speaking and comprehension abilities. Classes were held in Spanish, I needed to use it any time I was out in the city, and many of the other international students were also looking for frequent opportunities to practice Spanish. A number of people spoke some English, especially among exchange students, but because they understand you are there to learn their language, they generally do not speak to you in English. |
| 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you tend to be reserved, do NOT let that keep you from doing this! I have always been known as "the quiet one" among friends and classmates, but that did not cause any problems. In fact, this experience even helped with that, because I was forced to go beyond my comfort zone, if only slightly. Even if there are some times that are harder than others, the people that you meet and the places you have the chance to see will make it worthwhile. |
