A great international experience in Spain Past Review
By Mishiah t (Business, Bethel University) - abroad from 01/16/2015 to 05/01/2015 with
UW-Platteville Education Abroad at the Spanish-American Institute of International Education (SAIIE)
I gained a new experience on life and the cultures of other people. It was well worth my time and I would love to do it again.
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. |
Great academic experience for a study abroad program. It was rigorous and intense for some parts. Other than that, the program offered classes that related to my major and I was able to earn credits. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Great administration because everything was in a central location where resources was abundant. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living situation was hard to begin with because I wasn't used to the small space but what made it great was the host family and that they took care of your meals. |
| * Food: |
There are so much good food to eat and places to go for food. I enjoyed emursing myself into the culture by trying the food |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was hard because I didn't know any Spanish, but was welcomed by the people. That made it easier to connect to the people and learn more about the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
It was very important, they took care of you if you needed to visit the hospital and took care of you. |
| * Safety: |
I never had any problem with safety because everything was provided for and taken care of in terms of how to better manage yourself to keep yourself safe |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $50 euros a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Work hard so that you can save up. Try to minimize your consumption and save it up for experiences in the future |
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 |
The Spanish course provided was taught in Spanish and the instructor only spoke Spanish. They wanted you to emurse yourself into the culture |
| 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 3 |
| 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? | Try to learn a new word a day and listen to your instructor |
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? | A little more Spanish. What the culture and people were like. How to better prepare myself. |
