Incredible Past Review
By A student (History/Spanish, Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/03/2012 to 05/25/2012 with
PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain
I improved my Spanish, made wonderful friends, and got to know the Spanish culture in a way I could not have simply from vacationing. It was definitely worth it.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt like this program really encouraged the Americans to only hang out with each other (especially by offering and suggesting American-only classes) and this resulted in a lot of people not improving their Spanish or having much of a cultural experience. This would not have bothered me except that whenever I missed a PRESHCO event (which would have been exclusively held for American students) to spend time with Spanish people I had met, the directors made me feel very uncomfortable about it. I was constantly told I should be "participating" more when in reality I spent all my time with locals speaking Spanish. I think this is an ethos that the program should work on improving so that students who want an authentic immersion experience can be allowed to have it. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family and was very happy with my placement. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Very integrated but, as I stated above, it was of my own volition and the program was not very supportive of my spending more time with people from Cordoba and less time with the other American students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I did not spend any money on necessary expenses but probably about 50 dollars a week on shopping/going out. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Get a local student card early on so that you can collect on discounts for the entire semester. |
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 |
Most students took only one direct enrollment class and then three classes created especially for the American students. |
| 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? | 300-level |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Make friends with local people and spend time getting to know your host family. Even though it is tempting to spend time only with the other study abroad students it is really not the best way to improve your language. |
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? | I wish I had known how American-centric it was. |
