Study Abroad in Spain Broadened My Perception of Europe and Its Business Environment Past Review
By Matthew F (Economics., Tufts University) for
Syracuse University: Madrid - Syracuse University in Madrid
The experience gave me a taste of the people and lifestyle in Spain. Due to its conservative culture, I appreciate the freedoms we have in the U.S. even more.
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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 was manageable and was up to each individual student how much s/he wanted to take on. I got out of it what I put in, which was a serious, concerted effort to learn the course material. This helped broaden my view of topics such as religion, economics, politics, and language to give me a unique perspective that was not available at my home college. For this, I highly recommend the courses. However, a word of caution is that many of the Syracuse students did not take the courses seriously and were more concerned with non-academic socializing. While this is good, I observed that many students took this socializing to an extreme. Overall, the courses were highly informative and broadened my world view on a number of subjects. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrative staff was responsible and responded to inquiries in a timely and friendly manner. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family provided only limited food and the host mother was easily agitated. However, each student had a different experience with host families, many of whom had more positive experiences. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Syracuse abroad program was excellent in arranging trips around the country. One memorable trip was to Valle de los Caidos, which was a large tomb at the summit of a mountain that was dedicated to former leader Francisco Franco. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Like anywhere, be alert and aware at all times, especially when going out at night. Pickpockets are very common. I did not experience any health-related issues. |
| 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? | Make sure you carry adequate local currency, traveler's checks, and credit/debit cards that can be used in Spain. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish III |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced daily with my host family every night at dinner and often with my Spanish-speaking apartment-mates. There was ample opportunity to practice by going through daily activities, seeking out intercambios, and practicing during Spanish language class. |
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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