80 reviews
4.17 / 5 based on 80 reviews
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dirtyflamingo
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
on campus housing is rather restrictive. it's like having parents away from home. its not your typical univeristy regulations. when i was there, americans were not allowed to get their own apartments until their second year. other nationalities were.
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Personal comments
my first semester was at a 'girls dorm' which later closed down. the following semester i was at a university apartment, but the girls were not my type of crew...very 'fake'. my last year there i had my own apartment and it was great. 2 minutes from school. great neighborhood too. freedom.
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dirtyflamingo
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
soma was my favorite club. house music and techno are very popular in madrid. soma was the best underground techno club in madrid. Sol is a great place to go once the sun goes down. it has tons of pubs, discos and bars. plus it's swarming with young people. if you like techno madrid has lots of clubs (soma, coppelia,cream,cocoon...), if you like hip hop, or whatever is popular on the radio there is a place for you.
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dirtyflamingo
Academic
Course recommendations
if your goal is to learn spanish, take all the spanish courses you can. other great courses are those with 'mandatory trips' as a compliment to what you learn in class.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
for a school that size, they had as much as you could ask for.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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dirtyflamingo
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning Spanish a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Spanish
How much did you improve your Spanish?
My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
for those who went to SLU to actually learn spanish, i saw it as a challenge because of the large population of americans at the school. many friends of mine were there for two years and they left knowing just as much as when they arrived...not too much. you have to make an effort to learn spanish because americans are everywhere.
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dirtyflamingo
Overall
I wish I had known...
nope. i went there with out any expectations.
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In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
as far as academics go, they aren't the strongest. but they offer you something that doesn't have a price tag- international experience. it's a great place to go if you are an undecided freshman. they have enough variety in courses that you can find your niche and learn some spanish while you're at it. it's a great place for what it is.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Spain has definately made a huge impression on me. it's definately my destination for graduate study.
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3
dirtyflamingo
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits
if you have dollars, spain is incredibly cheap and affordable. now that i live in the states everything just seems to expensive to me.
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Housing, Overall, Nightlife, Travel, Telephone, Food:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
there are always ways to earn a few extra euros. teaching english or just doing intercambios is a good way. i did't really experience any financial surprises. if you budget, you'll survive. try to live with out american products, experience spain for their food as well. buying spanish alternatives to name brands saves $!
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