A worthwhile struggle Past Review
By Eliane Helitzer (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/12/2016 to 01/17/2017 with
University of Cordoba / UCO: Cordoba - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Incredibly worthwhile. I am self-sufficient, independent, and more self confident.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were extremely disorganized and most of the time I wasn't sure what I had to do to do well in the class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There's very little on-site administration in Cordoba. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I would've liked to have stayed with other people my age or even with a host family but under the circumstances (had to move out of my first apartment due to smoking roommates) it was fine. |
| * Food: |
Good but repetitive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt pretty integrated but would have more so if I had lived with students my age. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Program assisted me but it was really just good luck to have Kaitlin the masters student in Cordoba at the time. It was fairly accessible but frustrating that I had to wait so long because I could never get an appointment just to see a regular doctor. |
| * Safety: |
Had no issues here! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
It was REALLY hard being there alone and I think I wouldn't put myself through that again. |
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? | I really didn't keep track so I'm guessing around $80? |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Book RENFE early!! it's cheaper!! |
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? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Mid-300 spanish level |
| 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? | Live with students or with host families (if these become available in Cordoba) so you speak Spanish at home. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That being alone would be harder than it was made out to be and socially it would be difficult to make local Spanish friends. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Historia de las relaciones internacionales en el mundo contemporáneo |
| Course Department: | Historia |
| Instructor: | Fernando Lopez Mora |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | It was challenging because the professor went through a TON of material really quickly. There was no class participation but that was the same for all of my courses. I had 2 small papers, a large paper, one presentation, and a final exam. No regular course-reading but I had to do a lot of reading on my own to prepare for the papers and presentation. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure yet |
| Course Name/Rating: |
La lengua española y nuevas tecnologías |
| Course Department: | gestion de español |
| Instructor: | Mª Del Carmen García Manga Profesor: Salvador López Quero |
| Instruction Language: | espanol |
| Comments: | The content was challenging as I had never studied linguistics before but explained in a very accessible way. Carmen was incredibly accommodating for me being an exchange student. I participated in class less than I usually do because I wasn't confident in my answers. We had one paper and presentation (worth 60%) and a final exam (worth 40%). It was pretty interesting and I am glad I took it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Arte, Poder y Sociedad en la Espana Moderna |
| Course Department: | Historia del Arte |
| Instructor: | Manuel Perez Lozano |
| Instruction Language: | Espanol |
| Comments: | Not challenging (I say that now but I still haven't received grades so we'll see), quite dulling at times. There were some visits to art museums but the professor's various illnesses made it so we missed visits and a ton of classes. There was no class participation. We had several group projects, mini-papers, and a final paper. It was alright but I didn't learn all that much. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure yet |
