Spain: Madrid - Spanish Language, Art, and Spanish & European Studies

I had always wanted to study abroad and I am so glade I added a 6th year to get my minor in Spanish. The teachers at USAC reignited my passion for school and learning and showed me that it was fun. Staying 2 semesters in Madrid allowed me to get familiar with the people and the city. I worked after school as a nanny to 3 children to help then practice their English. I met tons of friends through out the city and since Madrid is a hub for flights, got to experience all of Europe for a fraction of the cost! I truly feel that had I not studied abroad it would have been the regret of a life time. Since then, I am more empowered to travel alone to new places and can easily navigate through any city's metro. Everyone should study abroad!

Madrid is an amazing city. There's so much to do and it has an incredible nightlife. It's in close proximity to a number of little towns like Toledo and Segovia which are great day trips. It's also super cheap to fly out of.

Studying abroad in Madrid was the best decision of my college career. I'm studying Spanish at Loyola University Chicago, and my Spanish experience rounded out my education in the best way. I felt truly immersed in such a beautiful culture; I think the biggest gift was my Spanish host family. Amelia, my host mom, felt like family by the end of my semester. It would recommend the program to anybody!

I had the most amazing time in Madrid! USAC has relatively responsible and caring staff members and programs for community engagement. When we arrived, they organized an orientations for students to become familiar with the city and our school. USAC really enforce us to get out our comfort zone and make friends of locals.

I really appreciated their effort to help us get involved in the Spain culture and the community. We had opportunities to pair up with Spanish students, called intercambios. I had the most amazing intercambio, and very quickly we became best friends! She introduced to me all her friends who grew up together, and with her connections we all became great friends, which tremendously helped me practice Spanish and learn their culture. Moreover, USAC provides student many volunteer and internship opportunities. One of my most unforgettable experiences in Madrid is my volunteer experience, where helped me go through some of my difficult time in Madrid and found my lifelong friends and supports.

My only concern with the program was the host family. I chose to live with a host family in order to learn Spanish quickly and experience the local family life. However, I had difficulties with my host family. I didn't feel comfortable in the place and neither had many interaction with the hostmom, who is the single mother. Meals provided in the house, which I paid for, were not well prepared at all. Overall, I didn't think the amount of money I paid for my host family every month worth for its value.

Any experience can't be perfect in all aspect. It is inevitable that you are going to face some kind of challenges, but I definitely encourage to get out of the country make new friends, learn a new language, and explore! Trust me it is going to be the most valuable memory in your life!

I had a once in a lifetime, amazing experience in Madrid! I have loved traveling since a young girl and to go on this journey on my own was refreshing and inspiring. I went on this trip not knowing anyone and met the most incredible unique people. Study abroad does something to you that you could never ever learn by sitting behind a desk at school. And Madrid was the right place for me to do it. My host family was so sweet and kind and I lived in the best apartment. The night life was so fun, the people welcoming! It's a beautiful city full of tradition, history, and delicious delicious food. I love how Madrid loves to socialize and eat out all the time, it was one of my favorite things to do. Overall, I highly recommend going to Madrid! And if not Madrid, go abroad in general! It changes you.

Studying abroad was the best 10 months of my life. I learned so much about myself, about the person who I strive to be, about others, about travel and about the world. I miss Madrid nearly every day. I can so easily recall the smells coming from the "pastelería" that I passed every day on my way to school. I remember how impacted I was by the sight of elderly women walking arm-in-arm around the neighborhood. It struck me as so unique to a culture: lifetime friends are hard to come by, yet the Spanish seem to prioritize their friendships. It taught me that family and friends truly are the source of all support and happiness. Although my time abroad was predominately incredible, there were some difficulties that I had to deal with. I struggled emotionally with some personal things going on during a few months while I was in Spain, and it was quite a struggle to get help. I approached the administration of my program expecting a list of psychologists who would help me, but they merely referred me to the program's physician. Desperate to feel better, I scheduled an appointment with the doctor. Assuming that I would receive help within a few days, it came as a complete shock when the physician made me jump through hoops to set up an appointment with a therapist (contacting my insurance, scanning and faxing documents, getting signatures and approvals, etc.). By the time I was nearly finished with the clerical work, I had already felt better without receiving help from by program or my doctor. Other than that experience, studying abroad was truly a dream. It helped me to discover that I need to actively experience life, rather than to just let life happen to me. I understand now that my time is limited and every moment really does count. Per this realization and the relationship I formed with a boy who I tutored, I now know that I aspire to be a child and adolescent therapist. The boy and I became very close throughout the 10 months that I tutored him in English, and eventually he began to open up to me about problems he was experiencing at school. For these reasons I am excited to begin my work with children and their psychological needs. I also know now that I want to volunteer for study abroad programs in order to increase knowledge of and desire to study abroad. I can only hope that other students have the opportunity to feel the passion for life and travel that I now feel thanks to studying abroad. All in all, USAC and Madrid shaped my incredible life in Spain and I could not be happier that I chose to spend 10 months creating a better sense of self, as well as a greater understanding for what the world has to offer.

I knew going into my study abroad experience I wanted to get the most out of it. I knew I wanted to travel a ton and speak spanish. But now I want to move back and live there. My life was changed because I studied abroad.

USAC is an absolute amazing program. They were so helpful from start to finish, here in Reno and abroad while I was in Spain. I could not have asked them to do a better job. They offer a great variety of places and are dedicated to making you experience abroad unforgettable.