Summer 2023 Participant
For future program members I would encourage attending all the provided pre-sessions to get a general idea of what you need. Coming into a new environment prepared is the best thing to do. Future students should feel encouraged to try new things even if it brings them out of their comfort zone.
Summer 2022 Participant
Take advantage of the time with your host family as much as possible. They are wonderful resources, and they all chose to host students because they want to help you improve Spanish and learn about Spanish culture. Eat breakfast and dinner there as much as possible because not only are you paying for it, but it is also a great time to get better at Spanish and get to know them which will result in a better overall experience. It is normal to be nervous about talking to them, but push pass that fear because the reward is so much greater than the doubts!
Also, budgeting your time strategically is very important. There is so much to do in Barcelona, so much so that I didn't travel outside of Barcelona during the entire program. Writing down your priorities (museums, places, restaurants, etc) and figuring out how to accomplish all of them with schoolwork will be helpful to make sure you don't miss anything you want to do. I am really glad I did this because I accomplished my whole Barcelona bucket-list! For others, their goal was to travel on the weekends to different places, and I know they wouldn't have been able to accomplish this without planning ahead.
Summer 2024 Participant
I learned a lot about the differences between culture in Spain and the prevalent Latin and Hispanic cultures here in the US. I think future students should know that no matter how much they think they are prepared for traveling to another country, the experience will be different than they are expecting, but it is important to keep an open mind and not let their worries stop them from trying new things.
