These 6 Faculty College students Did a Examine Overseas Program in Spain

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Spain is a good looking nation dwelling to numerous cultures and landscapes—from beachside cities in Catalonia like Barcelona to Andalusian communities nestled among the many Sierra Nevada Mountains like Granada. Examine overseas applications in Spain supply one thing for everyone, no matter your private and tutorial preferences. Luckily, AIFS Overseas provides research overseas applications throughout Spain, together with Barcelona, Salamanca, Madrid, Valencia, Seville, and Granada, so you may select a metropolis and program that most closely fits your wants and revel in an unforgettable international training expertise. Need to be taught extra about what it’s actually like to review overseas in Spain?

Hear from six faculty college students who did a research overseas program in Spain with AIFS Overseas!

Gabe: Fall in Valencia

Meet Gabe, an training main from Colby-Sawyer Faculty who studied overseas in Valencia throughout the fall semester.

Beneath, Gabe explains why he selected Valencia:

“I stay in a tiny city in New Hampshire, and it’s chilly for lots of the yr, so the thought of dwelling in a massive metropolison the seaside seemed like a reasonably candy deal. I additionally wished to step out of my consolation zone, meet some new folks, and are available again with some enjoyable tales. Going to a lesser-known metropolis with a completely completely different language felt like an thrilling problem.”

Once you research overseas, you’ll seemingly come to understand the variations in tradition and the distinctive features of your host metropolis. For instance, many cities in Spain have an extended historical past, so that they usually have stunning structure and engaging historic websites. Hear Gabe describe his favourite issues about Valencia:

“There are big castles all around the metropolis, stays of varied partitions from the Center Ages and prior… So [my favorite thing about Valencia is] positively the castles or the historic soccer (soccer) park the place my roommate and I play pickup—nice method to apply Spanish and meet folks.”

Considered one of Gabe’s favourite issues about Spain as a complete is how reasonably priced dwelling and touring within the nation is in comparison with the U.S. (particularly the meals!):

“Spain is insanely reasonably priced; you may get superior meals for beneath 5 euros and journey throughout Spain at actually good costs. However if you happen to’re like me, it’s fairly simple to let the three-euro bocadillo (sandwich) purchases stack up, so lower your expenses earlier than you come so you will have cash to [eat] meals and likewise see as a lot of Spain as doable!”

Anna: Summer time in Salamanca

Meet Anna, a pre-med undergraduate scholar at Jap Illinois College who’s pursuing a twin diploma in organic sciences in addition to world languages and cultures, with a major concentrate on Spanish. Anna selected an 8-week summer season research overseas program in Salamanca. She’s proof that many STEM college students can research overseas[TH1] —and never solely did she research overseas with out interfering along with her rigorous tutorial observe, however she explains that it was extraordinarily useful to her pre-med research:

“Pre-med college students can completely research overseas, and it’s one thing that I extremely encourage. It comes with its distinctive challenges, however I felt that it was vital to review overseas along with my classroom research of biology and Spanish to be a greater doctor for my future sufferers—having the ability to perceive them on a language stage, but in addition join with them on a cultural stage as effectively. In case you are a scholar who continues to be in highschool however you already know that that is the route you wish to pursue, begin taking a look at applications which can be supportive of these wishes.”

For instance, AIFS Overseas provides many well being and medical programs world wide that may assist different college students like Anna advance their medical diploma overseas.

Hear Anna describe why she selected a homestay for her housing in Salamanca: 

“[A homestay] is a incredible method to enhance your language expertise. Most of the host households right here in Salamanca don’t converse any English, so Spanish is the one method to talk. Utilizing the language is one of the simplest ways to be taught, so whilst you construct a connection along with your host household, your language will enhance. A homestay can be a incredible method to strive conventional meals, be taught the routine and customs of the nation, and talk about cultural subjects along with your host household.”

With so many superb locations in Spain to select from with AIFS Overseas, how do making a decision? Hear Anna describe why she selected Salamanca:

“Salamanca is understood for its pure Castellano accent. I felt that it will be simpler to be taught and perceive the language construction with out the affect of different dialects. Being from the cornfields of the Midwest, I additionally wished to stay someplace quieter. Salamanca is a a lot calmer metropolis than the main hubs.”

Jhanvee: Spring in Seville

Jhanvee, a junior from West Virginia College finding out journalism, studied overseas in Seville throughout spring semester.

Hear Jhanvee describe what her expertise making buddies was like on her program in Seville:

“As quickly as I landed in Seville, we had an orientation occasion and a tour of the town. And through these occasions, I used to be in a position to meet everybody in this system and get to know them, and over the course of the semester, it’s been fairly simple to make buddies and get near folks. Particularly after we all determined to journey collectively—we [went] on weekend journeys along with this system, [including] a Morocco [and] a Portugal journey. And there was a visit to Cordoba and Granada… So, I might say it’s been a reasonably easy course of assembly folks. In addition to I’ve met some folks within the residence corridor who’re Spanish college students. That’s been good too.”

Along with AIFS Overseas journeys and excursions, Jhanvee made a number of journeys outdoors of her program with the buddies she made in Seville. She explains that “the practice system to get round Spain is superb! Home flights are reasonably priced and quick as effectively!” Making it simple to journey in Spain and all through Europe throughout her semester overseas.

Dietary restrictions could be a problem for college students who wish to research overseas, however you shouldn’t let issues about meals cease you—a little bit planning and analysis can go a great distance! Regardless of initially struggling to seek out vegetarian meals in Spain, Jhanvee stated:

“Typically, I’ve actually loved the meals in Spain. Every little thing may be very recent, and I truly eat a lot more healthy than I do within the U.S. Most cuisines could be present in massive cities like Madrid. Nonetheless, smaller cities have restricted choices, so you will need to concentrate on this if you’re vegan or vegetarian.”

Marisol: Summer time in Granada

Marisol, who’s finding out speech-language pathology on the College of Wyoming, went on a summer season research overseas program in Granada. Hear Marisol describe why she selected Granada as her program vacation spot:

“One of many most important causes I selected Granada is due to its location in Spain. It’s extra south, which suggests it’s about an hour and a half from the seaside, which may be very good on the weekends. Additionally, the dialect [in Spain] is completely different than [the Americas], so I wished to have the ability to choose up on that dialect and listen to that extra. Another excuse I selected Granada is due to how a lot freedom I had in my program; for instance, I’m in an condominium and I selected that [over] a homestay. This metropolis is extra native than different cities in Spain, and it’s simply stunning. I might suggest anybody touring to Spain to go to Granada! It has such stunning structure, and the vitality right here is unbelievable!”

For college students like Marisol who aren’t in a position to research overseas in the course of the spring or fall semesters, a summer season program may be very useful, as she explains:

“I’m solely right here in Granada for the month of June… I made a decision to solely do a month summer season program versus coming for a whole semester as a result of it labored higher with my diploma… One other factor was that it’s onerous typically to regulate to a brand new tradition and new language, so a month was good for me as a result of I could be homesick, so that you recover from it fairly shortly.”

Justin: Fall in Barcelona

Justin, a finance main from Bradley College, studied overseas in Barcelona in the course of the fall semester.

Considered one of Justin’s favourite issues about finding out overseas in Spain is how simple it’s to journey all through the nation and to neighboring nations, as he explains:

“Touring has been very easy and actually enjoyable all through Spain. I’ve gone to Girona with a day journey that the AIFS Overseas program supplied, and it was actually good. I’ve been to different locations, like Sitges… [and] Besalu, which was very nice, too. I’ve additionally gone on a couple of different day journeys all through Spain with the [AIFS Abroad] program—they provide many, many day journeys… I’ve additionally been on a couple of different journeys outdoors of AIFS Overseas, [such as] Good, France. Truthfully, I actually like how simple it’s to maneuver from Barcelona.”

Some faculty college students marvel about security whereas finding out overseas, particularly when in a giant metropolis like Barcelona. As Justin stated, the on-site AIFS Overseas workers and emergency quantity made him really feel so much safer throughout his program:

“Sometimes, I’m with my buddies, but when I’m on my own, I nonetheless really feel fairly snug. The metro is nice—nice transportation—so you may actually maneuver all through Barcelona. When it comes to what AIFS Overseas provides, they provide some nice contacts in case you’re ever in a scenario—they’ve an emergency quantity and an workplace situated in Barcelona. So truthfully, yeah, I might say I really feel secure.”

Raechel: Spring in Madrid

Raechel from Faculty of Charleston studied overseas in Madrid, Spain’s capital metropolis, throughout spring semester of her senior yr.

As a world enterprise and Spanish double main, she was in a position to take quite a lot of lessons that helped her meet her tutorial objectives. Beneath, she goes into extra element about her lessons in Madrid:

“I solely took 4 lessons. I did a Spanish panorama of the tradition and the completely different areas in Spain, I did a grammar class, a enterprise/entrepreneurship class, and I additionally did a panoramic of Spanish literature. All of my lessons transferred again earlier than I left for my college.”

As Raechel explains, for many who have proficient or fluent Spanish expertise, there are lessons obtainable which can be taught purely in Spanish:

“I made a decision to take solely Spanish lessons. I needed to take a proficiency examination via the college to gauge what stage I used to be at. They gave me a set of programs to select from that I might then get accepted via my college to then ship all of that paperwork to AIFS. You don’t have to talk Spanish… however so long as you may say, you already know, ‘whats up,’ ‘how are you?’ and tips on how to ask fundamental instructions, you’re golden. All people just about speaks English, primarily the youthful era, and it’s a touristy metropolis, so that they… use English as a standard floor.”

Whereas it’s not required to be taught or converse Spanish previous to finding out overseas in Spain, many faculty college students like Raechel reap the benefits of the chance to advance their language expertise and their diploma concurrently!

Immerse your self within the full of life Spanish tradition whilst you earn credit towards your diploma like these faculty college students did—research overseas in Spain with AIFS Overseas!

AIFS Overseas provides a variety of research overseas applications in Spain, every tailor-made to satisfy particular tutorial and private preferences. Whether or not you wish to benefit from the small-town allure of Salamanca, the large metropolis vitality of Madrid, or one thing in between, there’s a program in Spain for you! Examine overseas in Spain with AIFS Overseas and reap the benefits of our priceless program inclusions (which actually take the stress out of planning!), resembling housing, journeys and excursions, social and cultural actions, complete insurance coverage, 24/7 emergency help, and the help of our trusted on-site workers.