Studying abroad in Granada was the best thing I have ever done. Past Review
By A student (Spanish Language, Literature, University of Connecticut) - abroad from 01/16/2015 to 05/17/2015 with
UConn: Granada - UConn in Granada, Spain
I learned to see things from a different perspective and I was able to see how other people in the world live. It was definitely worthwhile.
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. |
I enjoyed my classes, however some of the professors within the Centro de Lenguas Modernas in Granada were very offensive toward students, making comments such as "I am going to kill myself," or pretending to slit their wrists when students had trouble comprehending a Spanish grammar concept. Additionally, I loved that all of the classes were in Spanish, however I cannot understand why students from UConn were asked to declare intermediate or high level proficiency before starting the program because we were all placed into the same classes regardless of our answer. The UConn program should utilize the level-tests that all other students who study in the Centro de Lenguas Modernas take before signing up for classes. This way, students can be placed in their proficiency level, as well as meet and interact with other students from around the world. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Dina was always concerned for her students and did everything she could to help them out when they had problems. She really connected with students on the programmed trips around Spain. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was content most of the time, except for when my Señora claimed I had too many clothes and that was the cause of her 40 year old washing machine to break. She also did not do our laundry enough (there were three students living with Carmen Fernandez). As she has been hosting students for almost 30 years, perhaps she should take on one less student per semester so that she can perform her duty of laundry without getting frustrated with her students. |
| * Food: |
The food was great. She always cooked excellent food and introduced us to many typical Andalusian dishes. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt integrated and was glad I found a language exchange program online to meet other Spaniards. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The clinic nearby was great and always gave me the right medicines to cure me. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Granada. There are a lot of other students and young people, and thus there are always people out and about. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Granada is a great city because eating dinner out is very inexpensive and in most places tapas are served when you order a drink. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Varied week to week- maybe 100 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Look into different options for transportation such as trains, busses, and planes. |
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 |
It would have been much easier to always speak in Spanish if our classes were with the rest of the University. When all 23 UConn students take classes together all day long, it is very easy to speak in English to each other because we are extremely comfortable. This is also because there was such diversity in our range of proficiency-levels. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 3000 level |
| 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? | The best way is to meet with Spaniards. Speaking in Spanish to other Americans or non-native speakers is helpful, but not as helpful as speaking to people who know the language fluently and can catch any and all errors and help you learn to say things the proper way as well as teach the colloquial words and expressions. |
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 that I would be taking classes only with other students on my program. I would have liked to be immersed with Spaniards in my classes because I would have been able to meet more people and really challenge myself to understand and converse in Spanish. |
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! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Literature 2 |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Maria Carmen |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The only positive comment I can make about this professor is that she was very knowledgable. However, she was extremely inflexible in her learning style, which was talking at students for 2 hours and having them copy down everything she was saying into hand-written notes so that they could regurgitate the information word for word onto the exam. If a student spoke in English or did anything she was not content with, she would say to the class in English, "I am going to kill myself." A few weeks prior to the program, a girl from UConn committed suicide, and was a dear friend to a student on the program. Obviously Maria Carmen's inappropriate comment was disliked by all students, and when one student addressed the subject and privately asked her to stop making jokes or comments about suicide, the student was told to accept how people talk in Spain. Moreover, Maria Carmen went on most programmed trips with the UConn group. She was inflexible on trips as well and rushed students through things they were interested in. Other times, she would carry on for way too long about things that people had no interest in, or merely could not understand in Spanish due to the large group environment that surrounded her when she spoke. I hope that someone either discusses these issues with her and that she is willing to change some of her teaching styles, or that another professor from the University can accompany the UConn group on their trips because traveling with her is stressful and uncomfortable. |
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