Program Reviews

Being abroad for a semester is great; you live in another country, you travel the world, you meet new people. Studying abroad also, however, has a down side. At least for me, I had a lot of alone time to do nothing. Study abroad is not nonstop traveling. There were days that I sat in my room, watched tv, and got on facebook. It is a give and take thing: you sacrifice some friends and family back home for a semester, as well as the activities your home university offered, for the chance to travel the world and try new things. It is a great way to step out of your shell, and learn about who you are away from the people you've always been around. In Bangor, I took part in a course called Outdoor Pursuits, where I took advantage of the landscape and participated in activities such as rock climbing, mountain climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and surfing. It was a great experience to be active and learn for college credit. Overall, Wales was a great experience. I missed home, but I used the time I had to learn about myself, and who I wanted to be.

I was ecstatic to finally meet the other 15 students at the Houston airport to begin our 5 months together in Merida, Mexico! Everyone was wired, exhausted, and eager to bond with one another within seconds of meeting one another. We were all happy go lucky, excited to be in a new place with all new faces, when I realized I was actually holding back the tears with every ounce of energy I had. I was as homesick as they come within 24 hours of arriving in Mexico. I knew I wanted to experience this, and I knew I would love it if I did, but it was the hardest thing I have ever done. All I could think about was the closest familiar face was thousands of miles away and I wouldn't be seeing anyone I knew for 108 days. Within 10 days, I was completely over being homesick and ready to take on any and every adventure with full energy. I absolutely flourished and never wanted to leave.

Granada: Small, but urban walking city. Beautiful Sierra Nevadas visible from the city. Beautiful views from walking up into neighborhoods near the amazing Alhambra. Fun tapas and big night life. Lots of pollution and poor air quality. Lack of good public transport, but walkable. Constantly changing climate, but when nice it is an incredibly lovely city.

Academics: The classes I take at the CLM have been very disappointing. I know they are aimed at students who are still learning the language, but they lack intellectual stimulation. For example, I am in one class during which the professor plays videos and we try to listen for the answers to basic questions. The course material is very basic, simple facts about many different places and cultures. It is less profound than any class I have taken since elementary school. It seems the professor has not put much effort into the course curriculum as she continues to show us video clips of poor quality and in some cases give misinformation. I have discussed these qualities of the course with other students who feel the same way. While some other courses are better, in general, the classes at the CLM lack depth. I also think the exam that places students at different levels doesn't provide accurate results, because it is simply a tedious multiple choice exam with a few essay questions, but no oral component. My grammar and written/oral practice classes are both very good. The seminars about specific themes are generally the ones lacking substance.
There is a lot of class time and very little homework which would be great if the classes were more engaging.

Program staff: Veronica is a great director with a great team. They organize great cultural events for us including the trip to Morocco, flamenco show, trip to Madrid, etc. Each are very approachable and Veronica is very reliable and easy to contact. She looks out for us and wants us to make the most of our experience here.

Exchange: It is great that the program sets us up with a local Spaniard to meet periodically and practice. However, the ratio of Americans to Spanish is poor and when there are about 5 of us and 1 of them, there isn't much opportunity to speak and the meetings are infrequent. It would be nice to organize smaller groups or even a 1 on 1 situation with more frequent meetings to really facilitate Spanish practice.

Though the program staff is great, the academics at the CLM are not theirs to design and have been a huge let down. Going to class is a frustrating experience.

Granada was the perfect choice for my study abroad experience. I was immersed in the culture from day 1 and had to interact with spaniards either in the classroom or on the streets everyday. The town is a little difficult to get around at first but becomes easier the longer you stay there. Getting lost is the only way to learn and is definitely a small adventure every time. I loved exploring new parts of the city and because the natives there speak fast, learning spanish in Granada made it easier to speak with people from other cities in Spain. The people of Granada were by far and away the most difficult to understand. Especially if they had no English experience. Overall the experience was incredible and in Granada you will not only see Spanish culture, but also some Arabic culture as there is plenty of Arabic culture and architecture in this city as well.

Let me just say that Granada is a beautiful place with a lot of experiences to be had, but it should be known that Andalucia is known for speaking some of the most terrible Spanish and for being unfriendly.
Granada has a lot of people from outside and you will make friends from all over, experience great things, and learn more than you ever have from things outside of a classroom.

The Bangor, Wales Program offers a variety of opportunities to tailor to any individual personality. A comfortable environment that immerses you into the Welsh culture is easy to adjust to because of the program's established set up and Program Director, Tecwyn Vaughan Jones. Whether you enjoy outdoor activites, history, or an active social life, you can find it all in Bangor.

Day to day is still exciting even though I´ve been here for over 4 months. I´ve met some great friends here through the program, the school, and even some Spaniards! Thanks to the classes which focus on Spanish cultural things, grammar, and Spanish slang I´ve found that I can more easily and definitely more confidently communicate my thoughts, ideas, and needs. I love the fact that I´m learning culturally and linguistically.

It´s been a great experience overall. I LOVE the excursions that have been provided by the program: Morocco, Nerja, Plays, Bull Fights, Madrid, Toledo, and more!

During the program you wil incur many costs that were not previously brought to your attention, such as meals for excursions that are advertised as covered, a 600 euro visa, a 50 euro housing deposit, and books that the program should offer but requires each new batch of students to pay for. In addition to money issues, the internship opportunities available only offer minimal clerical work at local universities and offer no subsistance. Courses offered are few and the program disregards the schedule of affiliate universities that is also advertises students can add a course. Finally, the courses provided by the program itself are insignificant in their nature, lack professional teaching styles, the grading systems are arbitrary at best and the professors are typically unprofessional, sexist, and grade students more on likability and personality than aptitude.

Granada is beautiful. The Sierra Nevada mountains form a gorgeous backdrop for views such as the Alhambra, or the Albayzin neighborhood. The nightlife is alive because the city is made up of mostly students who frequent bars, nightclubs, pubs, the botellón park, etc. Every day I wake up, drink coffee with my host mom, walk 15 minutes to school, learn seriously interesting things in my classes, pop in to the director's office (who is the nicest, most caring, best director of any program I have ever been a part of) have an intercambio meeting with Spanish students, and all the while continue learning and speaking Spanish. There are sport teams and musical groups, internships and volunteering opportunities on offer- it seriously is the whole enchilada. Included is a trip to Morocco, which, for us sheltered American students is a fundamental experience to understanding the world better, especially the Islamic world. Staying three nights with a host family in Rabat, and later touring the majestic countryside of such a historic nation was an invaluable cultural exchange. In summation, it is a great program in a safe city learning a beautiful and useful language learning about a rich culture and being educated at a fine university.

This program was very good because the staff was very informative, they gave us plenty of time to travel, and took us on fun trips. The only way that this program could be improved is to house the students somewhere that allows them to interact with fellow students more. Overall, I thought the program was a great experience.