Life changing experience in Granada Past Review
By Molly Gipson (University of North Texas) - abroad from 01/23/2016 to 05/20/2016 with
Spain Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
I gained an understanding of how people of another culture live. I learned how to adjust to speaking Spanish all day everyday because my host family spoke zero English. Through traveling so much, I learned how to compromise and stay calm during stressful situations.
Review Photos
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 classes were overall satisfactory. Most of the teachers seemed happy to be there and the courses were not too hard or too easy. |
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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 had the best host family and roommate imaginable! Sol does a wonder ful job of matching hosts as well as roommates. |
| * Food: |
There were some meals I wasn't crazy about, but I just let my host mom know and she was very understanding. We were fed three meals a day, every day and given packed lunches on day trips. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It felt difficult to meet locals and learn more about the culture. I wish the program had done more to facilitate that. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any health issues, but had friends that had to go to the doctor or the pharmacy and it went smoothly. |
| * Safety: |
Granada made me feel very safe, however, walking home in the early morning isn't super safe. There were a few incidents while I was there, but we just stuck together and tried not to walk alone when it was very late. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I love Sol. The people that work for the company are passionate both at the home location in Austin as well as the onsite directors. They were there for me every step of the application and predeparture preparations. It is the best bang for your buck for the quality of the program. They had great cultural excursions and the program attracts an amazing group of students. |
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) |
With eating meals at home and the cheap prices in Granada, it was easy to spend less than 15 a week, buying you at least five cups of coffee, gelato, and other treats. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 15-20 without travel, 150 with travel |
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? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 1020 |
| 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? | 0 |
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 to pack more clothes. I feel like I underpacked a bit. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
