PRESHCO: The perfect program for Spanish students Past Review
By Rebecca K (Spanish and International Relations, Wellesley College) for
PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain
YES. I learned so much about myself, Spain, and the world. It helped me see the similarities we share with people in a completely different continent, and the differences between being in the sheltered US versus a place with easy access to the rest of the world.
Personal Information
| 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. |
Before I went to Spain, I had heard that the classes were big lectures with no class participation. That was true for some of my programmates, but in my 3 Spanish university classes there was ample participation. The professors were engaging, asked questions, demanded answers, and challenged the class. I honestly felt like I learned a lot. Although not as challenging as Wellesley and with a lot less work, the classes there were more about how much you put into it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The directors of PRESHCO are amazing. They are so nice, friendly, and willing to help with anything. They were extremely informed about everything to do with Cordoba and are fun to be around. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved living with a host family. My mom and dad were amazing, and I had a little brother which was very exciting. I got to practice my Spanish, had excellent meals, and got to meet their friends. I also lived in a great location. |
| * Food: |
I have no dietary restrictions. There are tons of great cafes and hole-in-the-wall restuarants in Cordoba--I suggest somewhere not near the mezquita to get away from the touristy places. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had an amazing trip to Morocco that I LOVED, and also trips to Sevilla and Granada which were incredible. We had dinners and parties too, which were great. The Thanksgiving celebration was fun and the end of the semeter event too. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Cordoba is a very safe city and I didn't notice anything bad. I would recommend taking taxis late at night if you have to walk far. My friend's house got robbed, which was the worst thing I heard happen. |
| 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? | PRESHCO has a reembolso program, where they give you the equivelent of 500 US dollars in euros. So I used all of that and about 300 dollars of my own money. But I did not travel a lot...most people used a lot more than that. Europe is very expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Traveleing is expensive, so if you're worried about money staying in Cordoba on the weekends is a great option and can help you build friendships. Also be careful of the coffees and ice creams--they add up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 272 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice with my host famiy, my Spanish friends, the program directors. The hard part was keeping in Spanish with my programmates from America, because it was much easier to slip back into English. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | Any student with a background in Spanish would love PRESHCO. Especially hard-working students who want to do well academically but also enjoy having fun and breaking out of their comfort zone. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
From Text to Film: Spanish and Latin American Cinema |
| Course Department: | Literature and Film, 1614 |
| Instructor: | Joquim |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was my favorite course. The professor is amazing, and the books we read and films we watched were great. There was a fair bit of work, but completely manageable and not extremely challenging. My Spanish improved a lot from reading and watching the films in Spansih, and we had lots of discussion in class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
