A dream that finally came true Past Review
By A student (Economics., Berea College) - abroad from 07/01/2014 to 07/31/2014 with
KIIS: Sevogia - Experience Segovia Spring Semester Program
I have grown a lot and learned so much during the experience. It was eye-opening and I enjoyed it a lot. Spain is a beautiful country with rich history and great culture.
Review Photos
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. |
I learned a lot in this experience but I wish I had been able to spend more time exploring the culture and interacting with the people there. The workload was intense and did not leave much time for us to experience the culture in Segovia. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
It was good overall, but I think the program would have been more beneficial to our learning if we had more time to experience the culture in Segovia rather than spending the majority of our time studying doing homework. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host family was kind to us but certain parts were not very comfortable like the showers had to be no more than 5 minute long, and it wasn't comfortable doing homework in a dark room with only one small desk lamp. Also, the street where the house is located was very busy and noisy late at night, it was hard to fall asleep which was very stressful. |
| * Food: |
I like how the host family was accommodating to my diet, even though they were not told that I ate only vegetarian food. However, sometimes the food they served wasn't healthy or almost spoiled. It seemed like they were used to it but for me, it was hard to eat it, yet I couldn't reject it as it would be rude to do so. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I did not feel much of the local culture integration there as much as I wanted to because I spent the majority of the time either in class or at home doing homework. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I have not had nor witnessed any incidents related to safety in Segovia, but I would not say it is a 100% safe city. As long as there are many tourists there and they represent a target for pick-pocketers and robbers, one has to be careful all the time. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SPN310 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Listen to Spanish speakers a lot, have conversations with them as much as you can, and don't be afraid of making mistakes. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew about carpooling. It helps save a lot of transportation money while traveling in Europe. |
