Alcala de Henares, Spain: Where I Learned to Live Past Review

By (Electrical engineering, University of Wisconsin - Madison) for

Instituto Franklin-UAH: Alcalá de Henares - Study Abroad in Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My study abroad experience was one of the best experiences of my life so far. I'm hoping that in the rest of my life I'll be able to have experiences like it, but it was so awesome that it may be hard to top. I feel so much more aware of the world and all the cultures in it. My experience guaranteed my future of traveling everywhere.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was fair, though it occasionally seemed like too much since Spain was always waiting to be seen outside. Sitting inside making giant presentations is something I can do anywhere, so it was a little discouraging at times to be missing out on exploring. The grading was fair and the educational system was relatively similar to my home school. I'm not accustomed to taking any sort of liberal arts class, however, so it's tough for me to accurately compare the two.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The administration was full of friendly people who were always willing to help. By the end of the program, all of the students had some sort of bond with the administrators. That gave the program a very welcoming feel.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was extremely nice and I had an excellent time living with them. Their neighborhood was very clean and quaint. The only possible downside was the distance between my house and the university. Now that I look back on it the walk to school gives me a huge sense of nostalgia, though, so it was definitely worth walking every day. I got to see so much more of regular Spanish life just by doing that. My host family treated me as a member of their family, possibly more than I even expected. They were often busy so there were some days that I only saw them for an hour or two in total. I was also very busy traveling around Spain and doing homework, so that limited the amount of time I had to bond with them.

* Food:

My host mom made some of the best food I've ever eaten. Even at lunch when I just had to pop whatever she had made into the microwave, it was always delicious. I always considered myself a picky eater, but now I definitely don't. There were a few times that I ran out of cereal in the morning and had to pick through the cupboards to find random muffins or something. I finally decided that if that happened again I would just find a cafe on the way to school and that worked our very nicely. I highly recommend finding a cafe you could be a regular at. Then it would feel like you're a true Spaniard.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Every event organized through the program was excellent. Our trip to the Asturias was one of the highlights of my whole trip. Also, all the other students in the program were great and I'm still in contact with many of them. We plan on reuniting at some point to continue our adventures. Every weekend we would have a plan for where we wanted to go and every place we went was a new adventure where we learned all about different parts of Spain and experienced countless things. I highly encourage traveling with fellow students outside of the program.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

The city was very safe and there weren't any safety incidents at all.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I practiced my language very often with my host parents and occasionally with my peers. I didn't meet very many Spanish people, though there was an interesting session where we got to speak with Spanish students. Most of the Spanish practice came from classes and communication with host parents.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Hotel
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Location
  • Language
  • People
* What could be improved?
  • Nothing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Travel with the people in your program. That was the most rewarding part of my whole experience. When I look back at my time in Spain I see all the friends I made and all the places we went. Those are the things I wish I could do over and over again forever. The student that would most benefit from this program, or any program for that matter, is the one that loves to step outside of their comfort zone, do things that aren't expected, climb every mountain, and grab every opportunity that presents itself. The only things I regret from my trip are things I didn't do, so do everything you can.