Learned the most outside of the classroom Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/01/2018 to 06/14/2018 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Cordoba, Spain
Being in an apartment, I learned how to live on my own. It was worthwhile.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Arriving the second semester was much harder to find good living arrangements |
| * Food: |
Great food in restaurants, but impossible to eat well everyday on a student's budget |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was difficult to integrate with local culture, so it is something you have to take upon yourself if your really want to as I did. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe around the city, even at night. I would give safety five stars, but one should always be aware in a city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Despite not enjoying my classes in the university, I would recommend Cordoba for the Spanish learning in a smaller, historic city. I would do it again because based on Middlebury's schools in Spain, Córdoba is the only one in Andalucía |
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) |
It's tempting to eat well at restaurants most days, but to do that everyday is not realistic. Find an apartment with a good kitchen setup. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Prioritize finding an apartment with a clean kitchen with sufficient appliances so that you're able to save money and cook at home. |
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? | 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? | Level 3 Middlebury language school (there were levels 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4) |
| 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? | Practice Spanish in chunks. If you do choose to talk to family in english, do so for an allotted period of time via phone call, do not text english back and forth all day. As for Spanish, invite locals from class to hang out in the cafeteria or go out for a sandwich when there are breaks at the university |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Despite the apartment search being quick and rushed, it is very important to find an apartment that is good for you. Can make all the difference in how you enjoy your 5 months. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Historia de Al-Ándalus |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Margarita Cabrera Sanchez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | There were no field trips as the class solely consisted of the professor reading their notes on the subject. Participation was not made important. Course required heavy memorization with no room for analysis. It was difficult to memorize a 100 page single space word document and only be assessed on on section of it that for 80% of the final grade. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | This course was approved in the past for transfer credit so it should transfer again when I return to Middlebury in the fall. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Arte y Cultura Visual |
| Course Department: | History of Art |
| Instructor: | Maria del Carmen Molina Barea |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Professor engaged class pretty well. Nice professor and fair with students. Assessed mostly through papers. Four that were max five pages and one of 10 pages. Also considered participation and discussion sections. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | This course should transfer towards graduation credit |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Historia de los estados unidos |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Juan Luis Carrellan Ruiz |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Not an overly challenging course. We went through three professors for this course, which is not the norm. I loved learning aspects of US history through another perspective. Only downside was the new professor was the new to the university and struggled to engage the class, but I think next year when the professor is not thrown into a class mid-semester, this course could be a good one. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I got pre-approval for this course from my advisor and department and will finalize credit Fall 2018. |
