Spain: A Wonderful Country, a mixed experience at university Past Review

By (The University of Texas at Austin) for

Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid: Madrid - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
While I enjoyed the being in the country experience, I was really dissatisfied with the schooling.

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.

it was very unclear what some of the professor wanted

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

It was difficult to explain difficulties with professors when they weren't clear to the administrators - as well as it was vague on when we had to take our finals early

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

use grocery stores, but not El Corte Ingles! There may be a more limited selection at Dia, but it will be cheaper

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

nothing was really arranged by the program in particular - I just traveled on my own

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

It was hard to figure out a place where I could arrange to get allergy shots

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I would suggest using public transportation. The other difficulty was the program ended a few days before Christmas which made flying home incredibly expensive.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? upper division Spanish
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I needed to use the host country language in everyday interactions. English was hit or miss with people.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • It was in Spain, able to do it in the fall
* What could be improved?
  • warn students about limited course selection