A great chapter in my life! February 18, 2023

By (Neuroscience, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/05/2022 to 01/20/2023 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Studying abroad has made me value alone time and trusting myself. A lot of time is still spent alone and you have to be okay with that. I did a lot of solo traveling which I am extremely grateful for. It strengthened my interpersonal skills as I went to many countries where I did not speak the language. Made me be less shy and more confident when meeting strangers and creating relationships during our short time together. I also learned that I loved working in the disability field and I will take that into consideration for my future career. My internship was one of my favorite parts. Overall, studying abroad taught me to be confident, out-spoken, self-assured, flexible and grateful.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

When looking at UAM, I feel the education could have been a bit better. Maybe it's because I'm coming from Middlebury where there is a lot of individual attention given to students from professors and there are multiple check ins of understanding material through many forms such as peer mentors, assigning quizzes, worksheets, practice problems, or chapter review/exams etc,. The UAM did not have any of those reinforcing assignments, one of my courses had not 1 single assignment the whole year, just lectures then show up to take your exam and submit your lab report. My other course did have a few more presentations/labs, but that was specifically the lab portion of the course that would line up with the unit. No study guide was provided and it was very "figure it out yourself". It could also be that the UAM was basically everything I did not want in a college such as it being a big campus, so my classes were bigger, I had to commute 45 minutes everyday, which also meant that if I wanted to study in the schools library I'd be far away from home. I think the UAM is good as an institution based on my peers, but personally, although I did not mind it too much, I think I'd try a different institution specifically because it does not match with my interests. In terms of Middlebury School in Spain, I LOVED Professor Layna Ranz's class! Such an amazing, passionate Professor. He understands students and is very very passionate about teaching, while having so many life experiences and is able to relate to what he is teaching as he lived through some parts. Really amazing experience and would recommend his class to anyone. (We liked him so much we attended his book showing)

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The on-site administration is AMAZING! Carolina es la maxima!! there to support any and all students with everything she possibly could and she's super charismatic and genuine. Teruca is so nice and understanding, makes sure you're keeping up with the program and any updates- she also helped me realize new interpersonal skills I was developing at my internship. Sophia is super super sweet! A great help when I was having financial aid issues. Lastly, Patricia does an amazing job in running the program alongside her team; Patricia is very transparent and firm about things, but also very caring and passionate about being with students that study abroad and wants to be a resource for us while ensuring that we get the most out of our experience! Absolutely loved the on-site administration, they are all so great and amazing, supportive and most importantly passionate. Their passion is why they run such a great program!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I adored my host mom! So happy with my living arrangement. Her and I became friends extremely fast! We would eat dinner together and have all kinds of conversations, we would watch all kinds of shows together, she would always make sure I had guacamole because she saw how much I loved it. She made the best tortilla de patata and croquetas! I loved my living arrangement; the location was perfect, I had my own space and it was nice to get home to my host mom who would like to hear about my day and how I was doing. Extremely grateful to have been paired with her.

* Food:

Mediterranean Diet is the best diet I've ever been on. There are some things that might require having a diverse enough palette, some picky eaters might not like the seafood or bunny which is a very common dish. Very clean way of eating yet super delicious and fulfilling! (Lots of delicious wine)

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt very integrated with the local culture. When I first got there I did do the touristy things, but then I became a local. I stopped using my gps to get around because I had familiarized myself enough with the metro system, I had my favorite local bars/cafes to go to, certain areas for shopping where tourists don't go, went to many discotecas that were always local and not full of international students. I became such a local that the tourism started to frustrate me

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any health issues, but Middlebury does a good job in explaining the resources we have and we know we can count on them to help us when needed. No prevalent health issues besides COVID and influenza.

* Safety:

Madrid is super super safe! I am from LA so I was very cautious and nervous about being out late past a certain time, I quickly got over this and have done many walks alone to get home between 1-5am. Very very safe! Obviously, still practice caution, but there is no reason to believe that danger is going to come out of nowhere.

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? $50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Set aside money for clubbing/bars/cafes/travel/shopping. Create an excel sheet.

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? Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
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 is key, in all forms. Watching Tv in Spanish, music in spanish, texting, reading, talking, thinking, everything in Spanish

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
  • International Students
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?
  • Internship
  • Relationships made
  • Lifestyle
* What could be improved?
  • A little explanation on how their grading system works
  • Maybe a few more workshops
  • More encouragement to use our cultural money given to us
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That I was going to miss Europe very much and wish I could live there. Also, that I was going to need an unlocked phone to switch the SIM card to a Spanish one or have to had to buy a new phone while there.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Clinical Neuropsychology

Course Department: Psychology
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: The course consisted of showing up to class, taking notes and that was it. To some, no assigned homework sounds great, but it doesn't help if you do not know what you're learning and struggling with. No study guide was provided so you had to review all 8 units of slides that we went through and show up to take your exam. The content itself was very captivating, just the delivery could have been better. Maybe I am just spoiled at Middlebury, which is something I am thankful for.
Credit Transfer Issues: Still working this out
Course Name/Rating:

Perception and Attention

Course Department: Psychology
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This course is similar in that no work gets assigned, however, there were at least projects/presentations that hd to be done instead of just a continuum of lectures. I enjoyed the lab portion of this course. Still, no study guide was provided for this exam, and when studying, it was up to you to find the correct answers/solutions to the problems which is fine, but you won't know for sure if that was the correct answer.
Credit Transfer Issues: N/A
Course Name/Rating:

Contemporary Spain through Culture and Literature

Course Department: Spanish
Instructor: Paco Layna Ranz
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: AMAZING! Loved Paco's class. The work consisted mainly of writing papers, with one in class midterm exam in the style of short essay questions. He's extremely knowledgable with everything that he talks about and really cares about his students. Amazing person and professor, would take his course all over again. Definitely one of my favorite spanish courses I've taken during my college experience!
Credit Transfer Issues: N/A