976 reviews
4.17 / 5 based on 976 reviews
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Helen W
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel, Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
I really enjoyed the Lavapies area, it was always bustling and the nightlife was really refreshing, not too 'trendy'.
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Helen W
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - I had no other choice
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
There was a more mature environment than in student accommodation.
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Personal comments
Good housing in Madrid was slightly difficult to find independently. I was unaware of any housing opportunities made available by the university for independent students.
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Helen W
Academic
Course recommendations
Take subjects that you enjoy back home, regardless of whether thay may seem more difficult to follow. Your enthusiasm will make you want to understand.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
None. By not having exams I was able to choose enjoyable rather than easy courses and also had plenty of time to focus on my dissertation research.
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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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Helen W
Languages
Language of instruction: Spanish
Was learning Spanish a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Spanish
How much did you improve your Spanish?
My level before:
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
I found my language proficiency greatly improved. Spending a year abroad was a great confidence boost. Most problems I encountered were with young people, the girls spoke really quickly while the boys ate their words and mumbled!
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Helen W
Overall
I wish I had known...
On no account compare your host country to your native one, it just makes any problems you come accross worse.
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In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
I personally did not enjoy as great an experience as my friends. I found being the only foreigner in most of my classes difficult compared to my friends who had fellow foreign students with which to share their experiences. I found specific information difficult to get hold of at first and there was no helpful advice for non-erasmus students which made me feel superfluous. However most of my teachers were friendly and some of the students made an effort to get to know me. Overall I think I would recommend one of the other universities in Madrid or to come as an Erasmus student.
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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
Living in central Madrid was great. There were always things to do especially on the cultural front. It was possible to get the coach to almost anywhere in Spain fairly cheaply which allowed us to travel on a tight budget.
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Helen W
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Government assistance
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
I sepnt more on nightlife because I felt that I had to make the most of my time in Spain. Also we didn't have a television which meant we went out more.
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Nightlife:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone, Overall, Travel:
was the same price as at home.
Housing, Food:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Since I wasn't living in London I didn't receive my added London living allowance which made a big difference. This was the first year I went seriously into my overdraft. To save money I tended to walk everwhere, a great benefit to living centrally.
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