No me ha dejado- you haven't left me Sevilla!!! Past Review
By Sophia C (The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 01/18/2012 to 05/18/2012 with
William and Mary: Seville - William and Mary in Seville
ABSOLUTELY. LOVE LOVE LOVED IT. best experience of my life. i have so much more of an appreciation for learning, history, language. I could talk about it for hours if you asked me to..I know so many random facts, have talked to so many great people, had so many great travel adventures.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were interesting and dynamic. It was cool that you also got to apply the things we learned in class to our daily lives. I liked all of my teachers, and that the kids in our program were enthusiastic about speaking spanish. I didn't expect the school to be as far as a commute as it was, and was jealous of the kids who got to study in the beautiful buildings of the university of Sevilla..but I'm sure W&M had valid reasons academically for choosing the far away school. Was disappointed that the internships that W&M advertised through the Sevilla & the Community class were actually alot less engaging and easy to get involved with. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were all very nice people. I thought alot of people in the group criticized the program too harshly for things slightly out of their control. They were disorganized compared to our standards, but not necessarily for being in Spain. Could've handled homestay changes in a more tactful way. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I absolutely loved my host family- they were one of the best parts of my stay. I was always comfortable, always had enough to eat (too much sometimes though). Had clean sheets and clothes the right amount, and they were caring and flexible. I've been talking to my host brother online all week! They taught me so much, will never forget them. |
| * Food: |
Heavier than I expected. Didn't know what I was getting myself into- world of soups, tapas, meats, fishes, and monchego! Although Spanish food isn't my favorite in Europe, I never tried anything I didn't like. mm mm paella..and miss my host mom's tortilla espanola already! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I think I'll keep in touch with 3 spaniards! Not bad... you have to be more outgoing, but there were def organized activities where you could mix with Spanish students etc if you were more shy. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Didn't really come up. I had a cold at one point, host mom helped me out with some medicines, and I got better. Non-issue. |
| * Safety: |
Didn't feel unsafe at all in the city of Sevilla!! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
you didn't really NEED to spend money outside of the programs cost- EXCEPT remember you'll need to pay for the metro to get to school! but, traveling in Europe is very tempting. I spent money traveling, but not really when I was home during the week in Sevilla. You could budget as needed. |
| * 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? | 20 |
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 |
encouragement! its hard not to speak english with the other kids in the program, but overall spoke a decent amount of 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? | Advanced Grammar and Composition |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | more about the country itself- the differences that exist in Spain in food, language etc that are different from in Latin America (although it was fun to figure out while there too.) be warned that if you want to be fluent in spanish you'd have to go to a place with less american students. |
