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“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller Student Voyage believes in study abroad. Every year, we have seen the tremendous academic and personal growth in our students. We feel that a personal voyage abroad is one of the most effective ways for students to develop the life skills and broad perspective that will help them in college and beyond. Naturally, concerned parents have many questions before sending their children overseas and this section aims to answer some of the most common questions we receive from families considering the SV program. When is the program? Student Voyage will be offering two sessions for 2009: - The June session begins June 9 and ends on July 6. How much does the program cost? Tuition for the the 2009 program is $3850 and includes all transportation in Spain, all hotel stays with breakfast, lodging in host families with three meals a day in Sevilla, enrollment at the university, a personal cell phone, all weekend excursions, guided tours of various points of interest and entrances. What do the students gain by studying abroad?
What do the students study? SV students study at the fully accredited Universidad de Menéndez Pelayo, or UIMP. The curriculum focuses on all aspects of acquiring Spanish as a second language and is broken down into Grammar, Conversation and Culture. The university is located in downtown Sevilla and is easily accesed by walking or taking a public bus or bicycle. Four hours of class are held daily either in the morning or ealy afternoon. Attendance is mandatory and the students will have assignments and a final exam. Can the students earn college credit? Students can earn up to four college credits for successfully completing the courses at the UIMP. Upon finishing the program, the students will receive a diploma with their course grades and hours completed. This certificate can be used to petition American universities for credit hours. Please note that the each university maintains its own policy on accepting credits from outside institutions and may or may not accept the hours completed in Spain. How much independence do the students have? SV offers students guided independence. At SV we maintain an approximate 1:8 to 1:12 director to student ration. Our staff is comprised of bilingual men and women who are available 24 hours a day. We spend many Can the students drink alcohol? No. Our alcohol policy is very clear. SV students are not permitted to drink while in Spain. There are no exceptions for family parties or wine at meal times. All alcohol is forbidden and failure to adhere to the program rules may result in expulsion at the parents' expense. The experience we provide for students is an adventure into a lively and social culture that may prove to be the most unforgettable time of their lives. Alchohol, however, is not part of the equation. In a city where spending time with family and friends, singing and dancing are regular parts of daily life, Spain is entertaining enough without underage consumption of alcohol. We ask parents to consider this policy carefully. If a student has had issues with alcohol, perhaps he or she should wait before enrolling in Student Voyage. What do the students do in their free time? It is very difficult to be bored in Sevilla. Classes are most often scheduled in the morning and end right before How do we pick the host families? Student Voyage works in conjunction with the university housing director to handpick our host families. The vast majority of our families have hosted students for years, although occasionally we have new families. When a family expresses interest in working with our program we begin the interview process that includes a meeting with the family members and visits to the home. The family characteristics and house configuration are kept on file and used to match with the preferences of SV applicants. At the conclusion of each SV program our students fill out an evaluation of their host family to let us know about their experience. What can you expect from a host family? Spanish families, like everywhere in the world, are a colorful assortment of personalities. There truly is no typical family. SV host families range from doting widows to multi-generational families living together under What happens if the students do not like their host families? Providing a positive experience for our students is our priorty. We understand that sometimes personalities simply do not mesh well and students are never forced to live in an uncomfortable situation. If a problem cannot be resolved with the host family and a student has a justified reason for requesting a change, we have no problem moving them to a new family. In this case, the student's parents are immediately notified so they are aware of the new contact information. Does SV offer flights to Spain? Tuition does not include the the flight to Spain, but SV does offer a group flight as a service to our students. Students may choose to reserve a space on our group flight so they and their families have the peace of mind knowing that they are traveling with other participating students and a SV staff member who will assist them with check-in and other travel issues. The SV group flight is only the direct trans-atalantic leg of the itinerary. The group flight will depart from Miami, and fly directly to Madrid. Students will be responsible for arriving to Miami International Airport on their own and meeting the group at the predetermined location. The airlines only allow us to reserve a certain amount of seats so space is limited. We offer space on our group flight on a first come first serve basis. The price of the group flight depends on the fare we are granted by the airline's group travel department and varies from month to month. We cannot guarantee that the group fare will be the lowest fare on the market, but it is always very competitive. We understand that some students may not wish to travel with the group flight and will make their own travel arrangements. In that case they will simply meet their group at the Madrid Airport at the predetermined time and location. You can find updated information about the SV group flights under the Sevilla Programs tab on our main menu. Simply select the June or July program and follow the links to the group flight information. |
Our program is designed to meet our three principal goals. First and foremost, our students have the opportunity to become bilingual. Daily classes, lodging with host families and full immersion create the perfect conditions for learning or perfecting the Spanish language. Second, this experience also creates a new perspective on other cultures. Few young Americans have had the opportunity to not just observe another culture, but to live it on a daily basis. This experience creates an understanding of the world beyond their familiar environment. Lastly, the guided independence intrinsic to the SV experience helps students hone their life skills. Adjusting to life abroad forces students to be proactive and weigh the consequences of their actions. SV students learn to calmly solve problems and build social relationships with others. 
hours each day with the students and hold a daily meeting to go over news and announcements and address any issues the students may have. It is impossible, however, for the SV staff to be with each student 24 hours a day. In fact, we encourage students to take advantage of their free time to explore the city and spend time with their new friends. This guided independence allows students to develop their own perspective on the Spanish culture and forces them to use their Spanish on a regular basis. 
business closes and everyone heads home for the traditional mid-day meal. The students are free in the afternoon and we organize events and activities that they may or may not choose to attend. These activities include soccer matches, flamenco (dance) classes, cooking classes, outings to go have tapas or see a Spanish movie, watersports on the river, bowling or just meeting up with Spanish students to practice the language. Perhaps the best way to explain the daily schedule is to walk through a typical day in Sevilla.
one roof. What you can expect is that each family is different and each student has a unique relationship with his or her host family. One family may be perfect for one student and less than ideal for another.