It's what you make of it Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/01/2011 to 05/15/2012 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid
How to adapt to situations
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Carlos III (Getafe), Middlebury Sede Prim (Madrid) |
| 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. |
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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? |
I arrived a week late to my program, because my original flight had been cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. I did not receive much help in finding housing and was pretty much left on my own. |
| * Food: |
Food was not provided by my program or university. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Spanish students at UC3M are used to foreign students coming and leaving every year. There were two spheres on campus- one for the local students and one for the foreigners, and the two did not intermingle much. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 300-400 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Get a debit/credit card that doesn't charge foreign exchange fees. |
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? | 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? | A 300-level Spanish seminar |
| 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? | Just don't speak English. |
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? | How difficult it would be to install Internet in my apartment |
