Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

An epic way to do school and learn all at the same time. Past Review

By (Stephen F. Austin State University) - abroad from 07/08/2017 to 08/06/2017 with

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA): ​Madrid 2017

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
learned about the history of spain, worked on my grammatical knowledge in spanish. A hundred percent worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Great the professors were very outgoing and taught extremely well. Also they were understanding that we wanted to enjoy and explore so although it was a lot of material that we covered we covered it in such a way to be able to sightsee also.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Great location and people were kind

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was awesome they were so kind to me i felt as though i was actually apart of their family

* Food:

Food was great. couldnt have asked for a better host family for the food.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I went to the doctor and it helped alot i was having trouble sleeping and my allergies were acting up. but they took really good care of me.

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

If i could do it again i would most definitely do it. Submerging yourself in the culture and seeing how other people live was awesome, if people have this opportunity i would recommend take it.

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? 150-200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Eat with your host family as much as you can or if your on the go have them pack lunches because the food was some what expensive it really depends though. Highly recommend eating at home though.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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? None
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? Always use it at home that helped me out a lot, and also what most of us did was we went to a coffee shop all the time and became friends with some of the workers and practiced with them too.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • traveling
  • host family
  • being somewhere different
* What could be improved?
  • nothing that i could think of
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish i knew to not eat out as much and not spend al ot of money of clothes.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A 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.