A terrifying ride Past Review

By (The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 01/19/2012 to 05/20/2012 with

William and Mary: Seville - William and Mary in Seville

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot of spanish, so for me it was worthwhile.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: Universidad Pablo de Olavide
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were extremely easy and the professors were a mess. The library was difficult and we had no idea how to check out books,and if you returned one late you could not use the library for the remainder of the semester.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Centro MundoLengua was our intermediate program between my home and abroad universities, and they were a huge mess. Our orientation program was more about the city than anything else, and we had no support from them all semester.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We were placed in host families, and 4 partners of roommates had to get new families. Our family didn't feed us well, and she would snap at anything.

* Food:

We weren't fed well enough and had to buy our own food.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt somewhat integrated, but befriended more immigrants than Spaniards.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was stabbed during my experience, and had a lot of trouble with health care and insurance. Also, I got stomach flu while I was there and a lot of trouble because they don't have a lot of medications in Spain.

* Safety:

I was stabbed my first week and the police made it seem like it was no big deal. I later found out he was never put in jail for the incident.

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)

My biggest expense was paying for the metro because we had to commute and food that our mom wasn't giving us.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? If your host family isn't feeding you, switch families instead of buying food. Don't go shopping every weekend like some of the girls did.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

No one spoke English, so we had to use Spanish.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? HISP 305
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? You just have to get thrown into it. There's no studying for a study abroad experience.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • the trips to other cities
  • the support from Yaye
  • the internships
* What could be improved?
  • organization overall
  • the WM specific courses
  • medical/legal support
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That you are truly on your own, and that Spain is a tough country. They have no legal system and consequences for when some one is assaulted and truly no one cares. It's a tough and VERY racist society.