Past Review

By Gabrielle G (International Relations/Spanish, Tufts University) for

Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Madrid

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My only regret about my semester abroad is that it's over. If I had realized how amazing my study abroad experience was going to be, I would've instead opted for either the spring semester (longer than fall) or the full-year.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place:	Fall 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Definitely allows for enough time to go traveling on weekends, but I still learned much more than I was anticipating.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The program directors in Alcala were absolutely amazing -- so kind, so helpful, so funny. I miss them more than almost anything else in Spain. I Skyped with them a couple weeks ago, in fact.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	A modest apartment. <br /><br /> Excellent location to classes and the main street.
* Food:	LOVE the Spanish food. I don't care how tired some people got of it by December.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I traveled throughout Spain as well as Marrakech and Paris. I loved exploring and I wish I could've stayed longer to explore more.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I never had any heath problems, and I always felt safe.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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?	We got a check for 73.5 euros weekly for food, but tapas each night would cost abut 3 euros. So all that extra unspent money went to traveling. The reimbursement system for activities within Spain helped balance out my trips outside of Spain. In the end, I came home with over 200 leftover euros.

Language

Language acquisition improvement?	I learned a lot more Spanish while I was abroad, but more importantly, I developed a better comfort level with the language. It is really important to make friends with the Spaniards if possible-- when I spent time with the other Americans, conversations always took place in English and I didn't like that.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	GO ON THIS PROGRAM. You will not find a better one out there.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Derechos Humanos
Course Department:
Instructor:	Bjorn Arp
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Great class, lots of international kids (especially from the Erasmus program). The professor is very organized and kind, but you need to make sure you attend as many classes as possible. If you're going to be there just for fall, TALK TO HIM IN ADVANCE about this.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Espana Actual
Course Department:
Instructor:	Paredes and Fornies
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The classic Spanish-style class. The only things that saved this class was the super-reduced assignments for foreigners, and our amazing tutor.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Iberoamerica, Siglo XIX
Course Department:
Instructor:	Pedro Perez Herrero
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The professor is very opinionated and makes a point to tell you that he exaggerates his arguments in order to stimulate discussion. It can be hard at times to follow, but he is really kind to foreigners, just talk to him early on in the semester.
Credit Transfer Issues: