| Reviewers Male / Female |
Recommend Yes / No |
Number of Reviews | Classes & Instruction | School Facilities | Accomodation | Cost & Expense | Total Average Rating |
| 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 2 | 5.50 | 6.50 | 6.00 | 7.00 | 6.25 |
| Date Submitted: | May 4, 2010 |
| Language School: |  Academia BERCEO Instituto Español de Salamanca |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Salamanca, Spain |
| Classes & Instruction: | 8 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 5 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 5 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 6 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Salamanca summer 2000 I studied here during the summer of 2000. I found the whole experience of living in Europe (Spain) exciting and felt it was one of the best times in my life. I met some very cool students at this school, from all over the world: Germany, China, Japan, Israel, Palestine, UK, US, Portugal, Italy, and more. Most of the international students spoke some English, but for the most part outside of the classroom, everyone in Spain speaks spanish and has limited Enlish speaking skills which is great for practice and immersion. There were some ups and downs during my stay in Salamanca, but overall it was great and life changing. If you are coming from the US, and not from a bigger city like NY or Chicago (or any urban/cosmopolitan area) you will soon see how most things are smaller in Europe (space) and some amenities do not exist. As far as the school is concerned, it had a small staff which was fairly friendly, but there were also some little skirmishes, but nothing severe. This should be expected at least a little, when your profession revolves around a formulated method of teaching "extranjeros" a new culture, history, and language. As far as "Anti-American" sentiment, you probably don't want to be THAT guy who hangs out with 10-20 other loud Americans and excludes himself from the other students. I traveled to spain alone so I did not have this problem. Most students also traveled alone, so this made getting to know people a lot easier. There might be a better school in the area, but I'm sure there will be advantages or disadvantages depending on the reviewer. Overall, the age of the avg student was early to mid 20's when I was there. There were some exceptions like couples and singles who were late 30-50's. The strong quality that I will say this school contains is that the instructors and staff are fairly "real." They do not pamper or put on appearances/facades of any sort, which can make for some interesting stories. They were always polite, friendly, and for the most part inviting. So, its not the "marriot" but a real taste of spain. If you treat people well, they usually reciprocate. One shouldn't go to this school or country expecting a "Disneyland" experience. Everything isn't always nice and tidy, people don't always smile and acquiesce to your whims, and mickey mouse doesn't come out to give you a hug and photo. Spain will be beautiful, it will also stink, the nightlife is energetic, almost everything closes for "siesta," there's tuna pizza and no peanut butter, etc. The school was only a part of my larger experience, but the language acquisition was fast and practiced seriously and daily. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Brian 34 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Texas and/or Chicago, IL; United States |
| Date Submitted: | March 21, 2007 |
| Language School: | Academia BERCEO Instituto Español de Salamanca |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Salamanca, Spain |
| Classes & Instruction: | 3 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 8 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 7 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 8 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | Eminently Anti-American This very small school does not provide much flexibility. There are only three teachers - two of which are clearly Anti-American, and often very disrespectful and insulting. The third teacher is wonderful and I loved her classes since they were very informative, respectful, personal and involved. I have written this review as a caution: If you are American, be ready to be stomped on repeatedly, even after you have made it clear multiple times that your politics are not the same as Bush's. Be ready to not be allowed to have an opinion. Be ready to be treated as a second-class citizen. Overall, I was very disappointed and insulted on a regular basis at this school. If I ever return to Spain, I would now be willing to pay more money to a larger school with mature, self-controlled teachers, where there is sufficient structure set up for handling complaints. I think that teachers who feel their opinions on international politics give them the "right" to insult international students do not deserve my money. If given the choice again, I would choose a school like Don Quijote over the risk of sitting through such adolescent insults on an almost daily basis. A few (of many)specifics: 1. I think that it is generally unacceptable to label a student “stupid” in a class. 2. I think that yelling at a student about how evil America is by referencing an American Movie (Blood Diamond) as fact is unacceptable. 3. I think that a teacher who tells a student to shut up and listen to them rant (yelling) about America’s evil politics for over 20 minutes is not teaching. 4. I think that a teacher who asks for my opinion and then yells at me, employing childish insults for an extended amount of time does not deserve my money. 5. I think that a teacher who chooses to personally insult students over answering questions is not a teacher. 6. I think a teacher who specifically uses the words to say "You are not allowed to have that opinion" is not providing an environment supportive of communication. I think that employing insults as a way to get students to talk is juvenile, does not help them learn quicker, and puts up walls instead of bridges. Americans are not the only students who will have problems at this school – German, Dutch, Italian, English and French citizens of various ages who have also been students here with me have all (yes, ALL) complained particularly of one teacher who seems to find self-worth only through insulting all others around her. The things that have been done in her classes are absolutely unacceptable in more ways than one. I came to Spain wanting to speak. I truly came here to learn the language. I didn’t come here to pick a fight. I am a person with an open mind wanting to learn, but was appalled at what was considered acceptable at this school. I wish you luck with your language school search - I felt that my experience is a good one to share, as I feel my expectations have been completely reasonable. Have fun in Spain - there are so many wonderful things to enjoy in the country. :-) Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Language Learner 25 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: USA |
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