Life-changing and incredible (EVERYONE SHOULD STUDY ABROAD) Past Review
By Megan B (Spanish; Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin - Madison) - abroad from 01/08/2014 to 04/30/2014 with
Instituto Franklin-UAH: Alcalá de Henares - Study Abroad in Spain
My study abroad experience was SO worthwhile! I LOVED the people I met, the classes I took, the food I ate, the travel I did, the laughter and memories and happiness is something that I can always look back on. I became more independent, I learned to go out of my comfort zone in speaking Spanish more, making new friends, and pushing myself to try new things. I opened my mind to learning about new cultures, people, traditions and social norms. I made incredible memories and even during stressful or unpleasant times (like getting sick or lost on the metro), I had new friends and support of my program director who cared about it and those bad memories don't stick with me as much as the good ones do.
Review Photos
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. |
Classes were interesting, a variety of history, grammar, culture, and I took a teaching and service course as well, and were not TOO hard where I couldn't take time to go out and experience my city or travel around, but challenging enough to keep my interest! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our program director was like a second mother (to be honest even better than my host mother) because she looked out for us, gave us advice, helped us plan trips, challenged us to speak better Spanish, provided support and really truly cared about it. She is one of the major factors that made my experience studying abroad the best it could be! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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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: |
I never had anything stolen from me on public transportation, however a friend of mine did. My advice is to always travel with at least one friend (a group is safest), to be paying attention to your surroundings and the people near you, to keep your hand on your purse/bag (wearing a backpack forward - almost like those baby wraps that mothers wear - is recommended on crowded metros), and I would even go as far as to put napkins/tissues/maps/random papers in my purse so if someone were to open my bag and reach in to grab something (camera/phone/wallet) they would firstly get a handful of random things that I didn't care about losing! |
| 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) |
I did a lot of traveling (nearly every weekend except two or three) so I spent a lot on the weekends. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Depending on where I was traveling too, cost for flights, hostel living, food, and museum/touristy things was maybe between 100 and 300 euros a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you live with a host family, always try to be home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pack a lunch if you will be gone. Eating out can be expensive. Buy a water bottle and fill it up when you can (if its safe water). Souvenirs can get expensive so a way to bring something come to commemorate your travels is keeping your tickets from your flight, metro, museum, even hostel receipts or restaurant receipts, this, together with pictures, can make for very cool scrapbook or wall decorations for you to remember your amazing study abroad experiences! |
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 |
We were encouraged to speak Spanish all the time. If you were speaking English you were asked to repeat yourself in Spanish. The professors and program director were encouraging us because they said it was the best way to become fluent! |
| 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? | I had taken 6 Spanish courses |
| 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? | Don't let yourself speak English with your friends. Don't do it!!! Practice your language with eveyrone - host fam, professors, friends, classmates, store people, everyone! The best way to become fluent is to just plow through the awkward beginning stages of not knowing all the grammar or vocab but to keep speaking anyways. All your friends are in the same place you are, everyone feels incompetent at some point, just keep speaking your language as best you can, and you WILL improve. You really will. Just do it! |
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? | Helpful things for you to pack for traveling! Bring sheets, a pillow case, a small blanket, a towel, good tennis shoes, a swim suit, containers for travel (conditioner, shampoo), zip lock bags, gloves, and a credit/debit card for abroad that doesn't charge you! |
