Spain is great! Past Review
By Haleigh Anderson (Smith College) - abroad from 08/23/2017 to 12/17/2017 with
PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain
I learned that going to a completely different culture is difficult, but overall worth it at the end.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The UCO courses are difficult because of language barriers. But in my experience the material was not difficult to understand. PRESHCO courses had a different setup, and the material was more interesting. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The PRESHCO equipo is great! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host parents were always very friendly, and I had no issues with them. I did have trouble feeling comfortable in the house, just because it is not my own space. |
| * Food: |
Spanish food is delicious, but I did want some more variety. You can only eat salmorejo so much. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I met some really amazing friends in Córdoba! You just have to try really hard to branch out, because Spanish college students already have set friends groups. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Any problem I had was easily addressed, though I can't really speak on this topic too much. |
| * Safety: |
I generally felt pretty safe in Córdoba. Men will catcall you, which is honestly scary, but I would often be out after midnight and feel safe. |
| 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) |
Food is cheap in Spain. Drinks are a different story, but you can find lots of places to go out and have fun without spending lots of money. Because of the host stay, I did not have a large amount of weekly expenses. |
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 |
I tried really hard to talk in Spanish all the time, but that ended up not happening. |
| 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? | Advanced |
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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| 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 that I had known that Córdoba is a city that feels like a town, because it seems like everyone knows each other. |
