Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A Wild Ride June 29, 2022

By (Mathematics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/12/2022 to 05/23/2022 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained a lot of independence and experience adapting to a new environment, as well as a much higher level of proficiency in Spanish. It was definitely worthwhile.

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.

Expectations were not very clear and I felt very much on my own with the spanish university at times.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

the administrators were for the most part very kind, if strict

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

my host family was very welcoming but I didn’t really have my own space and the dynamic was at times strange.

* Food:

* 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

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? depending on the week, about $300-$450

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? 300
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • 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?
  • Learning Spanish
  • eating food!
  • meeting new people
* What could be improved?
  • communication, especially at the start
  • clear expectations on living with a host family
  • a greater level of sympathy for student’s difficulties throughout the semester
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How the registration process would work, the difficulties of living with a host family, and that travel should be planned much farther in advance

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

gender in spain
Course Department: GSFS
Instructor: Ester Mayoko Ortega
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

nación y narración

Course Department:
Instructor: Patricia Rodríguez
Instruction Language: spanish
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

sintaxis avanzada

Course Department: spanish
Instructor: Carmen
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

psicología del pensamiento

Course Department: psychology
Instructor: M. Carretero
Instruction Language: spanish
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: