Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

PRESHCO Past Review

By (English/Spanish, Wellesley College) for

PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was almost non existent, the system in Spain is very different, professors don't give homework which was weird to us, but we didn't mind it.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Everyone there was great, the Spanish staff who work there all the time are amazing.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had a bad experience with my host family. They had never cooked for students before, we were not fed much even when we asked for more food. One student in her application said she was uncomfortable with dogs and not only did they have two dogs, they got another one a week into it. They did not accept us into their home, they closed the living room door all the time. We did not talk to them except at dinner. There was no sense of enthusiasm in this family. Also, they were unemployed and clearly using the money we gave them as profit.

* Food:

My family couldn't cook.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Feria was awesome.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

pretty safe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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? 200 dollars because I traveled a lot.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Travelling is super expensive.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Spanish 241
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

In class we spoke Spanish but we did not have very many Spanish friends so we spoke English everywhere else.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Any student would do well with this program.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Cinema
Course Department:
Instructor: Jaquine
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Fun.
Credit Transfer Issues: n/a
Course Name/Rating:

Islam
Course Department:
Instructor: Juan-Pedro
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Learned about the beginnings of Islam in Spain.
Credit Transfer Issues: n/a
Course Name/Rating:

Prehistory
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: was not described well.
Credit Transfer Issues: n/a
Course Name/Rating:

Constitutional Rights
Course Department:
Instructor: Ciro Millione
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Not right for an enhanced class.
Credit Transfer Issues: n/a