Class Abroad: Making of the Modern World

Although it is exciting to be in another country, it is important to keep in mind that we are there to learn. I was in Spain to take MMW 15 and HIEU 151. MMW is that class some Eleanor Roosevelt College students avoid due to its intensity on writing. It is a class I already struggle with during the 10-week quarter system, so I was a little intimidated about taking it during the summer at a faster pace. HIEU 151 is a classes about the history of Spain, but I did not know what to expect since I had never taken a history class in college. My favorite part about taking this class abroad was that everything we learned about Spain could be seen in the city with the excursions planned by our professor. This made me realize that taking classes abroad is nothing like taking them at school. It is a smaller class setting which makes it easier to feel comfortable in the classroom. Besides, you see everyone almost every day of the program which can be very fun, especially when we have our break between classes. The schedule of classes was also reasonable. We had class from Monday to Wednesday from 10 am to 2 pm. I appreciated the schedule because it gave me some time to sleep in. Also, this meant that I was right on time to get myself a menu del dia with my friends after class. The workload of the classes is not too difficult since we have the advantage that the same professor teaches both classes. My professor made sure that big assignments from both classes would not overlap to give us time to explore the city. Even though class can be a struggle, it was still an amazing experience to be able to take a class from UC San Diego in another country. It is an opportunity more people should try to take advantage of because you still get the education you need to graduate while interacting with a new culture. This trip helped me make the most out of my first year in college so I hope to study abroad again during the remainder of my college education.

By: Gisselle Santiago