The Best Time of My Life! Studying Abroad in Santander, Spain. Past Review

By Jennifer J (Speech Communication, Oregon State University) for

Universidad de Cantabria: Santander - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

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

Yes, it was completely worthwhile. Not only did I learn a ton about Spain and the Spanish Language, but I learned heaps about myself too. I had to pull myself together in tight situations and saw what I would do in fun ones too. It was a great experience.

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.	This was an amazing experience. I got to explore a different part of the world while learning about the culture and language in a classroom. This really is the best of both worlds-experience and academic learning. We had two of the best professors I have ever had, and their teaching methods seemed to be effective for the majority of the students.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Madeline was great as our on-site program leader. She organized us and lead us on many excursions which were fun. She was always there when we needed her, and she was at the university when we were in class just in case we needed to see and talk to her.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived very close to downtown where all of the students would meet up. However, I was about a 45 minute walk from the University. The neighborhood was very safe (there was another student a couple buildings down from me). The only thing I decided to buy for my living was some medicine just because I didn't understand what my host mother had.
* Food:	My host mother was a very good cook. There are quite a few dishes that now that I am home, I still try to make.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	The students had a lot of time to travel around. With three day weekends every week, and two four day weekends, we got to see a fair amount of Spain and surrounding countries. We also went on a few excursions around Spain with our program. Those were very fun. My favorite was exploring the old caves with all of the cave paintings.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I felt safe at all times, and I never had to use the student health services.
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?	We practiced language skills with the professors and students, at home with our host parents, with random people while traveling and with our language partners. For the most part, we spoke Spanish all of the time.