EVERYONE SHOULD STUDY ABROAD IN SEVILLA Past Review
By Cassandra Johnson (Xavier University of Louisiana) - abroad from 09/01/2016 to 12/10/2016 with
SSA Education Abroad: Seville - Semester, Year or Summer in Seville
I gained confidence in myself. It is such an eye opening experience and you really learn how to be an adult when you're away from American life. I would 110% say it was definitely worthwhile.
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. |
This program is meant for those who have multiple years in Spanish. I went in to the program with less than 1 year and survived. But I worked my butt of to do so. |
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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 to switch homes because our first home was also an airbnb. But then the second home made me feel a little unwelcome and my madre did not abide by the dietary rules. She fed me foods that I was not able to eat (because of allergy, religious reasons, etc.) without telling me. |
| * Food: |
Spanish food is very healthy and delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Sevilla is the perfect place for social and cultural integration. I felt right at home and, for the most part, the locals were very friendly and welcoming. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare in Spain is terrible. I was feverish and dizzy and the doctor only looked in my nose and throat. And the people in the program don't do much either. If you are a woman and you have a feminine issue, the doctors make you feel very uncomfortable. The same with the people in the program. I would recommend you stock up on UTI, yeast infection, etc. medications before going. Same with pain killers and Neosporin. |
| * Safety: |
Sevilla is very safe. I felt very comfortable in the city. That being said, you should still NEVER walk home alone at night. We had an incident while I was there because a girl walked home (intoxicated) alone late at night and she was mugged and ended up in the hospital. She was ok but the program never once talked about nighttime safety and how you should NEVER walk home alone at night, whether you are a guy or girl. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
DEFINITELY |
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) |
I travelled a bunch. But if you don't travel too much, you don't have to spend any money on food because your host family provides for you. But the clubs are expensive (10 euros per night) and traveling adds up as well. Budgeting before you go and also while you are there is definitely recommended. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Depended on if I travelled or not. Without traveling: 20-30 euros. With traveling: 100-150 euros. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you have 2,500+ euros if you plan to travel. It adds up even though some plane and bus tickets are cheap. You still have to pay for airbnbs or hostels, food, taxis, and trinkets. I saw multiple people panic because they ran out of money. So for your mental health PLEASE budget and plan ahead and budget as if you were to spend the MOST possible just to be prepared. |
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? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 2020 Spanish (Intermediate Spanish) |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | It's really hard, but I wish I would have spoken more spanish with my american friends. When you go out with your friends from the program, meet new people. Clubs and bars are really good ways to meet Spaniards, even if you don't drink. Also, spend time with your host family if you stay with one. You benefit a lot from that. |
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 I knew that I would be fine. |
