Decipher the Cordobés accent and memorize a lot of facts Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/05/2017 to 06/03/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Cordoba, Spain
My listening and writing skills definitely improved, as did my fluency when speaking. I appreciated the opportunity to live independently in a second language, but I just didn't feel the urge to integrate more with my peers. I didn't fall in love with Spain, and that's okay. I still love Spanish.
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. |
I am a Middlebury Spanish major, and I was pretty unaccustomed to the Spanish educational system. While I value the new experience, it's the first time in my life I hated going to school. Solid support system though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very friendly, intelligent, capable team. I didn't see them much, but I enjoyed connecting with them when I did. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I liked that we lived in flats apart from other Middlebury students, but mine turned out to be a difficult living situation (not the fault of the program). |
| * Food: |
It's hard to be vegetarian in Spain, so I cooked for myself a lot. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I don't think I tried hard enough to connect with people my age, because I didn't feel like I had much in common. That being said, I made a few friends at the gym. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have a health issue, but it seems that staff were supportive. |
| * Safety: |
Very safe! Small, kind of sleepy town. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I definitely wouldn't go to Spain - I'd look into Guatemala or Mexico. |
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) |
Córdoba was comparatively inexpensive, especially if you cook a lot at home and don't go out very much. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably about $50, $100 if I was traveling on the weekend. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Book flights/trains/buses in advance and make most of 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 |
Definitely the highlight of the Middlebury program was their emphasis on immersing ourselves in Spanish. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Multiple 300-level language classes. |
| 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? | Make friends! Put yourself out there! If you're shy, get help organizing a language exchange. |
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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* 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? | 0 |
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? | More details about the nature of the Spanish education system, specifically the caliber/teaching style at the Universidad de Córdoba. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
El Legado Artístico de Al-Ándalus |
| Course Department: | Historia del Arte |
| Instructor: | Alicia Carrillo Calderero |
| Instruction Language: | español |
| Comments: | Definitely the course I enjoyed most by a non-Middlebury professor. Alicia was an expert in her field and dynamic during class, bringing in relevant historical/social details about Córdoba, as well as taking us on field trips to Sevilla, Granada and la mezquita-catedral. Our final exam was heavily weighted, but we also did a group paper/presentation and commentaries on images and texts. I participated less because art history was a new subject for me. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Who knows! Middlebury won't let us transfer the credit until we fill out this evaluation. Probably will transfer if you are an art history or Spanish major. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Elementos para el Análisis del Texto Poético |
| Course Department: | Filología |
| Instructor: | Eva María Flores Ruíz y María de la Paz Cepedello Moreno |
| Instruction Language: | español |
| Comments: | Wow, this was a tough one for me. I was expecting to get to read a lot of poetry and analyze the texts in an organic and discussion-based style, but instead the professors read essays that we copied word-for-word. I didn't understand what was going on most of the time, but neither did the Spanish-speaking students (who were very smart and engaged). Probably my fault for choosing a class on something I like to do in my free time. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I don't think I will - it would work for a literature or Spanish degree. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
La Historia de España Actual |
| Course Department: | Historia |
| Instructor: | Enrique Aguilar Gavilan |
| Instruction Language: | español |
| Comments: | Enrique is a gem, but I had a really hard time in his class. He reads his well-written essays to the class for two hours, who are expected to memorize every bit of information for the exams. I do feel like I gained a good grasp on the Civil War and franquismo, but we only got through about half the material. The course was not a great fit for me, but other students with better memories might like it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Still don't know if I'll be able to transfer the credit, but it shouldn't be an issue. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Clase de Idioma |
| Course Department: | Gramática |
| Instructor: | María Jesús |
| Instruction Language: | español |
| Comments: | A fast-paced, high-level grammar class taught by a professor accustomed to working with foreign-language students. We wrote essays, had in-class discussions and exercise, and a final exam. The only thing I wonder is if the grammar we heard was in part specific to Spain, because I haven't heard a lot of what we learned outside the country. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | There shouldn't be any. |
