Study Abroad in Spain - Awesome experience! Past Review
By Sarah Williams (Fort Lewis College) - abroad from 07/10/2017 to 07/01/2018 with
Linguistic Horizons: Study Abroad and Intern in La Coruña
I gained a lot of clinical experience in my field of study and a lot of experience speaking Spanish. It was also very beneficial to be apart of another culture because I feel like it is very easy to get caught up in your own.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Both my internship and Spanish classes really pushed me to learn! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was someone available 24/7 if you needed help with something |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I enjoyed the apartment and the people that I lived with, but it was at least a 40 minute walk for me to get anywhere. |
| * Food: |
There were always good options, whether I was cooking for myself or going out |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I worked and lived with local people through this program and took Spanish at the local University so I was very well immersed. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any issues |
| * Safety: |
There were some times when I was walking home late at night by myself that I felt a little scared, but other than that I felt perfectly safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Everything in this program is very personalized and they take very good care of you while you are there. |
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) |
If you budget, it is easy not to spend money. It was sometimes difficult though because everyone would go out for food/drinks and it is hard to tell yourself no. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50-100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | COOK YOUR OWN FOOD |
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? | Intermediate Spanish 1 |
| 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? | Don't be afraid to sound stupid. The best way to learn is buy trying and messing up. |
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? | The Spanish in Spain is a lot more difficult to understand than South/Central America |
