One Hell of a Roller Coaster Ride Past Review
By emily.locke (Finance and Financial Management Services., Bentley University) - abroad from 09/10/2012 to 12/21/2012 with
Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
i learned a lot about myself along the way. it was extremely worth while because i definitely grew up and matured. i made so many new friends. i feel so accomplished that i did something that ended up being a little bit of a struggle for me but was an amazingly fun and learning experience
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
not as intense as Bentley, but since our GPA is affected you couldn't coast |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
not good or efficient what so ever. never answered emails and when they did it was two weeks later when i know longer needed assistnace |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
very satisfied. lynn wallace did a great job. i felt safe in my apartment |
| * Food: |
food was amazing in spain. very fresh |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
i felt integrated in everyday life but not at school |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
n/a but i now some friends who had to go to the doctors and the health care people were not helpful and not timely |
| * Safety: |
i felt safe but i was very on edge a lot of the time because i heard many stories. keep your things close. dont bring out your passport (just license). wear a bag that you can put across your shoulder and that has a lot of zippers |
| 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) |
it was easy for me to live on a budget. i saved enough money and was frugal while i was over there. i saved enough money that i had about 1000 left over |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50-100 a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | save enough money so you have some when you come home! |
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 had to take spanish while we were over there. my teacher was amazing and is one of my favorite teachers i ever had. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | spanish 101 at bentley (first spanish class ever) |
| 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? | use it whenever possible to anyone you come in counters with. also practice with your roommates around your apartment/dorm; it helps with vocab |
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? | 0 |
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? | that i was actually going to have a pretty good amount of school work |
