Córdoba Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/06/2017 to 06/09/2017 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Cordoba, Spain

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

I learned a lot of Spanish. I lived on my own basically for the first time, so I now feel like I have practice in that. I experienced living in a foreign country and language, with all its challenges, surprises, highs and lows.

Personal Information

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.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	I made my own food, and it was great!
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I would choose this program but I think I got very lucky. I loved my experience not due to the program, per say, but because I happened to live with amazing flatmates, happened to find some good classes, and met good people. I loved the program's emphasis on language learning, as that was my first priority. I felt like the program and I both very much greed on language acquisition as being the most important goal of the study abroad experience, so that was very helpful.

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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Study in Spain, it's not as expensive!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Intermediate
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?	350+
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	the language pledge! live with spaniards.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	The emphasis on language learning
* What could be improved?	There could be more structure (i.e. set up places for students to live before they arrive)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I knew that the Cordobes have very difficult accent to understand, and that even at the end of the program, after maintaining the language pledge for four months, I still had trouble understanding certain individuals so much that it was impossible to have a flowing conversation. The accent turned out to be a large challenge that I didn't expect.

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Lenguajes Artísticos: Introducción al Lenguaje de la Musica y al Analisis de la Fotografia y el Cine
Course Department:	Historia de Arte
Instructor:	Maria Belen Calderon Roca, Maria Dolores Garcia Ramos, Maria Auxiliadora Ortiz Jurado
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	It was not challenging. There were not field trips. The professors were at times not well prepared and just read notes from their computer. I never participated in class- at my home institution, I practically always participate. We were assessed with a final exam as well as small papers throughout the semester. There was no homework.
Credit Transfer Issues:	We will have to see!

Course Name/Rating:	Hisotira de la España Actual
Course Department:	Historia
Instructor:	Enrique Aguilar Gavilan
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The course was challenging because it was taught by a senior professor who was difficult to understand (this is the course in which I most experienced a language barrier). The material was very interesting and taught thoroughly. However, it was not taught in a way where multiple perspectives were honored. Instead, one perspective was presented as the "truth" and analysis or other questions were not welcome. I never participated in class, a vast contrast from my home institution. We were assessed with 1 paper and 3 written exams.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Clase de idioma
Course Department:	Idioma
Instructor:	Maria Jesus Jurado Ortada
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	i participated a lot, the class was small (it was taught only for Middlebury students). The professor was wonderful- energetic, knowledgeable and very helpful. One thing I would want to change is that she had to rush through a lot of good material. Would advise more class time and more homework to make the class even more helpful for students to learn Spanish.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	El Legado Artistico de Al-Andalus
Course Department:	Hisotira del Arte
Instructor:	Alicia Carillo
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Amazing amazing course! Extraordinarily knowledgeable professor, extremely friendly and energetic, very helpful to exchange students and very easy to understand. We learned a lot about the city we were in and the region of Southern Spain, historically, artistically, and architecturally. I loved it! We went on field trips as well. We were assessed with a final exam, a response paper, and a small test.
Credit Transfer Issues: