Fantastic Experience, Location, and People! June 13, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes in the LAS program were taught entirely in Spanish, which while sometimes difficult, was helpful to really learn and immerse myself in the language. Additionally, I would highly recommend participating in the internships that they offer.

On-site administration of your program

Very helpful and communicative. Always either had an answer for my questions or directed me to people that did.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed in the Mi Casa Inn apartment at the Plaza de España location. Staying in the apartment was very convenient location and metro wise, and I enjoyed having my own space. There were some technical difficulties throughout the semester (elevator would occasionally breakdown, wifi was entirely out throughout the week of midterms, no AC) but that was manageable. I would have liked to know about some things BEFORE I chose my housing, such as the fact that kitchens were communal and only on 2 of the 7 floors, the lack of a front desk, reception, or any mail room, and the fact that there were no doors to the bathroom. Overall I am very happy with my housing but there were some unexpected but minor (all things considered) hiccups throughout the semester.

I was responsible for all of my food for the semester. The people I know in the dorms and homestays who had food provided to them had varying opinions (depending on their food preferences, dietary restrictions, and place of residence) but I had no complaints cooking and preparing my own meals (and going out for meals).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The LAS language program offered SO MANY opportunities to integrate with the local students and cultural events. I could not go to as many as I wanted due to conflicting times with my internship, but everyone that went seemed to really enjoy them.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had any health issues, but my friends that did needed to get doctor or hospital notes to excuse them from class absences, even if it was food poisoning or a fever. Especially post-covid I would have thought that we would NOT be making sick people leave their homes to possibly infect others. But when my friends had to go to doctors or hospitals they always had good things to say and got in and out quickly.

If you take the precautions to not get pickpocketed (which they warn you about a whole lot during orientation), Madrid is super safe. As a woman I felt comfortable going on the metro and walking home at night alone. The main parts of the city (where everything is) is all well lit, and with people staying out all night there usually arent many empty streets. Just make sure to be smart, watch your bags and pockets, and go with groups or at least another person when you can.

Having traveled a bit more around Europe both during and after my program, I was super happy that I was in Madrid. It's a great city that you can't fully grasp the charm of in just a visit, it has so much to offer that you need the full semester to explore all of it.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Easy to budget, food was very cheap, I went in with a $5k budget and had enough for groceries, eating out MULTIPLE times a week, travel (mostly around Spain), shopping, and other activities. If you just keep an eye on your budget, it is very easy to do and get everything you want in Madrid

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

All of the classes were in Spanish, including the papers and written parts of all of the exams.

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