Best Host Family in Spain Past Review
By Ana C (University of Central Florida) - abroad from 09/08/2014 to 12/18/2014 with
Instituto Franklin-UAH: Alcalá de Henares - Study Abroad in Spain
I made loads of international friends.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses were challenging, but not impossible. The best part of the program was their insistence on courses being taught only in Spanish - it really allowed students to grasp the language. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We were informed on our first day of orientation that we would be allowed to go to each other's houses (at the discretion of our host families) to study for classes and do homework. However, our host parents were told that we were not allowed to go to one another's houses under any circumstances. This proved difficult because a Spanish town isn't like a typical American town, where you can go to a coffee shop and study with wifi for exams and to do homework and projects with your friends. We also were not informed of the 24-hour library that was open on the university. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Rosa and Miguel were absolutely wonderful and accommodating. They are the most amazing host family that I could have asked for, and they truly became parents to me in my time in Spain. |
| * Food: |
Rosa is an excellent cook and provided a variety of meals to me, as well as additional snacks and meals that were not included in my housing agreement. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Alcala de Henares is one of the safest cities there is. I felt just as safe and comfortable navigating the streets alone at night as I did during the day. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Use skyscanner to plan your trips abroad. There's an option that allows you to pick the days you want to travel, the airport you are traveling from and you can put "Everywhere" as a destination. Then, it gives you a list in order of cheapest to most-expensive flights for all the countries that weekend. That's how we decided which countries tot ravel to and when, instead of trying to book flights for a particular city during a particular weekend. If anyone needs help with this, please contact me. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| 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? | Go out and meet locals. With Alcala's program, you really have to go out of your comfort zone and try to find places where locals are hanging out, not just the group of North American students you're traveling with. |
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 had known about the mandatory class field trips on the weekends, which really cut into my travel time. Had I known about them, I would have picked a different study abroad program which would have allowed me to visit more countries and do more traveling. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
