Great experience! Past Review

By (Swarthmore College) - abroad from 08/28/2016 to 12/16/2016 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My Spanish skills improved a lot. and I loved learning about Spanish culture. Definitely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program was pretty rigorous, but the classes were really interesting and the professors were amazing.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were very helpful. It was easy to talk to all of them and they were willing to help you with anything.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a residence with Spanish students. It was clean and I enjoyed living there.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had to go to the dentists. Even thought that wasn't covered by my healthcare, the people in the program recommended a good dentist and were helpful overall.

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Middlebury was a really good program and they were helpful in every single possible way.

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? My program gave me about 12 euros a day to spend on food, and I stuck to that budget.

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

We had a language pledge, we could only speak Spanish. It was really helpful.

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? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Introduction to Latin-American literature (SPAN 023)
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? Don't speak English with the other students in the program. It will be hard to adjust to, and you may feel silly speaking Spanish with them, but within a few weeks it will feel natural and it will help you a lot.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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 language pledge
  • The classes
  • The activities
* What could be improved?
  • Maybe a larger selection of classes? They were really good, but it would have been nice to have more options, though I understand that is hard to do with the number of students.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Spaniards can be somewhat racist sometimes, but that is bound to happen everywhere.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Academic or Linguist
You 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!