Studying in Salamanca: The Perfect Mix of Learning, Fun, and Growth Past Review
By Meghan K (Political Science/International Relations, Carleton College) for
IES Abroad: Salamanca - Advanced Spanish Immersion
I had known for a while that I wanted to study abroad in Spain, and my experience lived up to my expectations. I learned so much and became much more confident and independent in new or challenging situations. I also met a group of wonderful students I shared my program with whom I am so lucky to know and think I will be in touch with for a long time.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Salamanca |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Professors were very nice but a little difficult to get ahold of to answer questions and iron out logistics like a time to take the early final, etc. There was much less written work than my home university but there was more of an expectation that I would participate in class and I had an average of probably one oral presentation in front of the whole class per week, so I feel that my spoken Spanish improved greatly. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The office staff were very friendly, supportive, and helpful. I also saw them a lot around the city because it is smallish and they were always warm and friendly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Everything was a 20-minute walk away from my house, which is not far at all and quite reasonable for Salamanca. There was also a bus nearby but I never needed to take it anywhere. I also felt safe walking home at night, though one of my good friends lived nearby and I almost always walked home with her. |
| * Food: |
I am a vegetarian (who eats some seafood) and my host family was very accommodating and made delicious meals for me! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The fiestas the first couple weeks of the program were festive, fun, and a great way to get out and meet people in the program and in the city. The Nochevieja Universitaria (the university's fake New Years Eve before Christmas) is also really fun near the end of the program and people come from all over Spain and Europe to celebrate it and have a big night of partying with friends in Salamanca. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city always felt very safe to me. I did not need to access any healthcare facilities. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | There's really no need to spend much money on food because my host family provided three good, filling meals a day. For going out, depending on if you bought cheap bottles of wine at the grocery store or bought all your drinks while you were out, you could spend between 2 and about 12 euro. There are no cover charges to get into clubs, which is great, and depending which nights you go out there are good drink deals at certain bars. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Transportation within Spain (on buses and trains) is more expensive than I would have guessed (about 140 euro roundtrip from Salamanca to Barcelona, for example) |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 200-level |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Salamanca is a big attraction for European students learning Spanish and for Spaniards learning languages as well, so there were ample opportunities to practice. I spoke Spanish with my host family, in my classes, and even with many of my American classmates on the program. There was also the opportunity to do intercambios with Spanish students where I could practice Spanish and help them practice English in order to get to know local students better. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Students who are academically curious, willing to put themselves out there, are suckers for beautiful architecture everywhere they turn, and determined to improve their Spanish language skills will really excel on the Salamanca program. |
