¡Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé! Past Review
By A student (Williams College) - abroad from 02/01/2018 to 06/07/2018 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Logrono
I wanted to be immersed in Spanish culture and learn to speak some French! Most definitely mission accomplished and I had tons of fun along the way!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academically, the education at UR was incomparable to the education at Williams College. However, study abroad was more about cultural knowledge than in-class learning for me. |
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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? |
Excellent, Middlebury coordinated everything and was very helpful. The girls on my floor were all amazing and we became close friends. |
| * Food: |
I cooked for myself, so I had exactly what I wanted --and learned to cook along the way! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Coming from Guatemala, I felt like Spanish culture is very similar to my hometown. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Had no issues, but believe that they would have been addressed successfully in the event of an emergency. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Absolutely! It was a good experience for me and I got what I wanted to get from the program! |
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) |
I have no problem traveling from hostel to hostel -- it was very fortunate for me to have become fiends with some French students who owned cars (that made the road trip travels very inexpensive indeed). You can also find good flight deals in Europe -- but never overlook the opportunities to travel near you!! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Seriously, make friends with cars who want to travel. Look for what is interesting around you --chances are, you're already in an exotic new country you don't need to fly to another one to absorb some travel! |
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 |
I was already fluent in Spanish by the time I got to Spain, but I was able to significantly improve my French during this period. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None (native speaker) |
| 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? | Make friends who are local! |
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? | How hard it is to get from Logroño to bigger cities! |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
