Study Abroad: The experience of a lifetime Past Review
By A student (Spanish Secondary Education, Providence College) - abroad from 01/14/2013 to 05/09/2013 with
Sweet Briar College: JYS in Seville
It was the best decision I have made in my life. I don't know why everyone doesn't go abroad. I feel like I have learned so much about myself and grown as a person because of this experience and it amazes me how much I have changed as a result. It really was the experience of a lifetime.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Sweet Briar is a well known study abroad program and easily with the smartest students from around the country. That being said, the classes you will take at the university will be easier than the JYS seminars because other American students will also be in those classes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff is wonderful and gets to know you on a personal level unlike the study abroad corporations of CIEE and others. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My Spanish senora was a wonderful person who really got me speaking the language on a daily basis. At times it felt like she was doing it for the money, but I know this is an unusual case. |
| * Food: |
I liked much of the traditional Spanish food that I was given with my Spanish homestay. I had paella, and other Spanish delicacies such as "berenjenas con miel" (fried eggplant with honey) Yum! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were many opportunities to integrate with local Spaniards, such as with intercambios. However, it was easy to make friends with the other Americans on the program and speak English all the time when traveling. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues, and have no way of accurately rating this category. |
| * Safety: |
I only heard of one safety issue, which occurred with a student walking alone late at night. Overall I felt completely safe walking the streets of Sevilla. I walked home from class at 9 pm two nights a week and felt completely 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) |
It was easy to live cheaply, since all meals were provided by a homestay. If you have the money and choose to eat out, you will spend more money. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Maybe 30 euros, which include a weekly meal out and snacks for my room. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I spent around $5500 the whole semester. I wish someone had told me what they spent in a semester so I knew how much to save up. I went on trips to Morocco, Italy, Paris, Portugal, and all around Spain with this. I also had weekly meals out and bought snacks for my room. I didn't feel like I ran out of money towards the end of my time abroad either. Obviously if you want to do more traveling (like every weekend) or eat out all the time, bring more than I did. |
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 |
We were required to speak Spanish constantly during our orientation classes. Whenever we were in the JYS office, even just to hang out, we were required to speak in Spanish. |
| 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? | Spanish 322 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak as much as you can. Practicing is the key and I wish I had spoken more before going to Spain. |
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 more about how I would be perceived by Spaniards (in particular, men). They were very disrespectful to American women and I was not prepared for that. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
