Life-changing January 26, 2024
By A student (Spanish Language, Literature, Amherst College) - abroad from 08/21/2023 to 01/08/2024 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid
Improved my Spanish, made new friends, learned more about Spanish culture, traveled to new places - absolutely worthwhile
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. |
I learned a lot about Spanish art and grammar, but overall the classes were very academically easy compared to what I'm used to at Amherst. |
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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 lived with a host family and loved it. They were really sweet, helped me practice my Spanish, and made me feel comfortable in Spain. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I only got a flu vaccine while I was there, but it was so easy to make an appointment for the same day and everything went smoothly. |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 105 euros |
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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 400 level |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | The majority of the people in the program are white. Furthermore, Spain is not a diverse country racially or religiously. |
