Viva España Past Review
By Sabrina K (International Political Economy and Spanish Language and Literature, Fordham University) for
Syracuse University: Madrid - Syracuse University in Madrid
Yes. I had an amazing experience and learned a lot.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload and grading system was very fair for students and allowed a lot of flexibility for travel and experiencing the country. The teachers were different because they addressed you as they're peers and had a profound respect and interest in your opinions about everything from class structure to field trip agendas. The teachers were much less authoritative than those in the US school systems. They were amazing at bringing current events of Spain into their classrooms and really making us understand the history, culture, and struggles of Spain. I was amazed and so happy with every teacher I had there. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were in their offices everyday and very accessible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I personally did not like living with a host family. I felt uncomfortable in another persons house and never felt like I had my own space. My host mother was not a very nice person and there were often conflicts between us. Also, the students I was with and I felt like we always had to go out to see one another because we all felt uncomfortable asking to have a friend over so it was frustrating to not be able to just sit with one another on a couch and watch a movie on some week nights. |
| * Food: |
I was a vegetarian and my host mother cooked me pork and other meats most nights despite my complaints. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We participated in a 2 week seminar called Eurovision where we traveled from Amsterdam down to Madrid and had the opportunity to meet with amazing organizations like the UN and the ECB. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Madrid was a very safe city I never encountered anything unsafe or harmful. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Expect to overspend. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Span 2601 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
All the classes I took were taught in Spanish by Spanish professors so I was exposed to the language all the time. I also lived with an only Spanish speaking Señora and her daughter. Most of the students in my program did not speak Spanish and were not enrolled in the same classes as me but I did meet Spanish friends that I was able to practice with as well. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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