28
Spain is a ravishing nation residence to numerous cultures and landscapes—from beachside cities in Catalonia like Barcelona to Andalusian communities nestled among the many Sierra Nevada Mountains like Granada. Research overseas applications in Spain provide one thing for everyone, no matter your private and tutorial preferences. Happily, AIFS Overseas presents 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 luxuriate in an unforgettable international training expertise. Wish to be taught extra about what it’s actually like to check 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 School 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 12 months, so the thought of residing 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 individuals, 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.”
Whenever you research overseas, you’ll doubtless come to understand the variations in tradition and the distinctive facets of your host metropolis. For instance, many cities in Spain have an extended historical past, in order that they typically have lovely structure and interesting historic websites. Hear Gabe describe his favourite issues about Valencia:
“There are large castles everywhere in 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 technique to apply Spanish and meet individuals.”
Certainly one of Gabe’s favourite issues about Spain as a complete is how reasonably priced residing 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 below 5 euros and journey throughout Spain at actually good costs. However in case you’re like me, it’s fairly simple to let the three-euro bocadillo (sandwich) purchases stack up, so get monetary savings earlier than you come so you’ve cash to [eat] meals and in addition see as a lot of Spain as attainable!”
Anna: Summer time in Salamanca
Meet Anna, a pre-med undergraduate pupil at Jap Illinois College who’s pursuing a twin diploma in organic sciences in addition to world languages and cultures, with a main give attention to Spanish. Anna selected an 8-week summer time 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 necessary to check 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 additionally join with them on a cultural stage as properly. In case you are a pupil who continues to be in highschool however you recognize that that is the route you need to pursue, begin applications which are supportive of these wishes.”
For instance, AIFS Overseas presents many well being and medical programs around the globe 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 implausible means to enhance your language abilities. Lots of the host households right here in Salamanca don’t communicate any English, so Spanish is the one technique to talk. Utilizing the language is one of the simplest ways to be taught, so when you construct a connection together with your host household, your language will enhance. A homestay can be a implausible technique to strive conventional meals, be taught the routine and customs of the nation, and talk about cultural subjects together with your host household.”
With so many wonderful locations in Spain to select from with AIFS Overseas, how do making a decision? Hear Anna describe why she selected Salamanca:
“Salamanca is thought 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 associates was like on her program in Seville:
“As quickly as I landed in Seville, we had an orientation occasion and a tour of town. And through these instances, 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 associates and get near individuals. 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 clean course of assembly individuals. In addition to I’ve met some individuals 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 exterior of her program with the chums she made in Seville. She explains that “the practice system to get round Spain is wonderful! Home flights are reasonably priced and quick as properly!” Making it simple to journey in Spain and all through Europe throughout her semester overseas.
Dietary restrictions generally is a problem for college kids who need to research overseas, however you shouldn’t let issues about meals cease you—a bit planning and analysis can go a great distance! Regardless of initially struggling to seek out vegetarian meals in Spain, Jhanvee stated:
“Generally, I’ve actually loved the meals in Spain. Every little thing may be very recent, and I really eat a lot more healthy than I do within the U.S. Most cuisines may be present in massive cities like Madrid. Nonetheless, smaller cities have restricted choices, so it is very important concentrate on this in case you are 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 time research overseas program in Granada. Hear Marisol describe why she selected Granada as her program vacation spot:
“One of many predominant causes I selected Granada is due to its location in Spain. It’s extra south, which implies 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 decide up on that dialect and listen to that extra. One more reason I selected Granada is due to how a lot freedom I had in my program; for instance, I’m in an residence and I selected that [over] a homestay. This metropolis is extra native than different cities in Spain, and it’s simply lovely. I might suggest anybody touring to Spain to go to Granada! It has such lovely structure, and the vitality right here is unbelievable!”
For college kids like Marisol who aren’t in a position to research overseas in the course of the spring or fall semesters, a summer time 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 time program versus coming for a whole semester as a result of it labored higher with my diploma… One other factor was that it’s exhausting generally to regulate to a brand new tradition and new language, so a month was excellent for me as a result of I may be homesick, so that you recover from it fairly rapidly.”
Justin: Fall in Barcelona
Justin, a finance main from Bradley College, studied overseas in Barcelona in the course of the fall semester.
Certainly 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 provided, 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 exterior of AIFS Overseas, [such as] Good, France. Actually, I actually like how simple it’s to maneuver from Barcelona.”
Some faculty college students surprise about security whereas finding out overseas, particularly when in an enormous metropolis like Barcelona. As Justin stated, the on-site AIFS Overseas workers and emergency quantity made him really feel quite a bit safer throughout his program:
“Usually, I’m with my associates, 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 presents, they provide some nice contacts in case you’re ever in a scenario—they’ve an emergency quantity and an workplace positioned in Barcelona. So actually, yeah, I might say I really feel secure.”
Raechel: Spring in Madrid
Raechel from School of Charleston studied overseas in Madrid, Spain’s capital metropolis, throughout spring semester of her senior 12 months.
As a world enterprise and Spanish double main, she was in a position to take a wide range of courses that helped her meet her tutorial targets. Beneath, she goes into extra element about her courses in Madrid:
“I solely took 4 courses. 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 courses transferred again earlier than I left for my college.”
As Raechel explains, for many who have proficient or fluent Spanish abilities, there are courses out there which are taught purely in Spanish:
“I made a decision to take solely Spanish courses. I needed to take a proficiency examination by 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 by 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 recognize, ‘good day,’ ‘how are you?’ and methods to ask primary instructions, you’re golden. Everyone just about speaks English, primarily the youthful technology, and it’s a touristy metropolis, in order that they… use English as a standard floor.”
Whereas it’s not required to be taught or communicate Spanish previous to finding out overseas in Spain, many faculty college students like Raechel reap the benefits of the chance to advance their language abilities and their diploma concurrently!
Immerse your self within the energetic Spanish tradition when you earn credit towards your diploma like these faculty college students did—research overseas in Spain with AIFS Overseas!
AIFS Overseas presents a variety of research overseas applications in Spain, every tailor-made to satisfy particular tutorial and private preferences. Whether or not you need to benefit from the small-town attraction of Salamanca, the large metropolis vitality of Madrid, or one thing in between, there’s a program in Spain for you! Research 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.
