IES Abroad Madrid

So the day would always come when I would have to formally relate my experience in Spain with IES, where I would have to put into words the significance of this adventure. Unfortunately, this is not that moment, as a written review is not befitting of the experience. I cannot say that it was a life-changing one—four months simply wasn't enough time. I will not say that it was the most fun that I have ever had. I can, and will say without reservation, that my semester abroad was the most important experience of my short life. Others may have fortunately had the opportunity to undertake a similar adventure, either domestically or internationally. Me, on the other hand, never. So the immensity of the situation cannot be understated, and IES was on hand to make sure that I got the most out of it. What I will always appreciate is just how much the staff was willing to help me take advantage of the opportunities Spain had to offer. And that often meant letting us explore on our own, and not be terribly forceful and hands on in their approach to programming. It all really helped me foster an invaluable sense of independence. I need to go back.

The Spanish have a saying "vivir para trabajar, no trabajar para vivir." Loosely translated this phrase means "live to work, don't work to live." In other words, enjoy what you do with your life and make sure it makes you happy; don't do something just because you have to. During my visit to Spain in the summer of 2014, I found that this statement embodies the Spanish culture, and the IES Abroad Madrid Summer program truly gave me the opportunity to live it.

Having lived in the United States all my life, I did not have too many international experiences under my belt before this trip to Madrid. I chose to study abroad so that I could be immersed in the Spanish language and culture, and it was definitely one of the best decisions of my entire life.

IES Abroad Madrid Summer is a 6-week-long program centered in Madrid, Spain. The program allowed for complete language immersion, as all my classes were in Spanish and, since I was with a host family, I could only communicate with them in their native language. Everyone took two classes: a grammar class and an elective. My elective was Madrid the City, which basically just gave the class an excuse to travel around Madrid and learn the history. By the end of the program, I really felt like I knew the city well.

The program offered many activities throughout the week within the city. We had museum visits and walking tours, flamenco dancing lessons and cooking demonstrations, debate sessions and excursions with native students.

Over the course of the program, we also got to travel around Spain. With IES Abroad, we went to Segovia, Valencia, Cordoba, and the Madrid mountains. We had enough downtime as well so that I took a trip o fmy own to Barcelona with friends I'd made in the program.

As much as I enjoyed experiencing the city, the country, the culture, and the language, some of my favorite memories are a result of the people I met. All of the IES Abroad staff and teachers were incredible and helpful. My host family was so nice and made delicious food. I made many friends who were fellow students in the program. Overall, I always felt very comfortable and happy during my stay.

I learned and experienced so much and gained so much confidence from my time in Madrid. IES Abroad truly has an amazing program, and I would highly recommend the program to any prospective Spanish study abroad student.

For the IES Madrid Summer program, you are required to take one grammar and conversation course, and one elective. The grammar class is great for brushing up on how Spaniards speak vs. what you may have learned in previous classes. For my elective class I took an Art History course that met in the Prado three days a week. How often do you get to learn about famous paintings while standing right in front of them?! All of the staff was so warm and welcoming, too. My professors and the directors of the IES Center were funny and outgoing, and made a point of getting to know every student to help them improve their Spanish, which I hope to use in the professional world when I graduate.
Deciding to study over the summer was a great idea because the academics were relaxed and the Spanish students were not busy with schoolwork and were more available to show us the city. Be sure to bring clothes for all weather, though! The temperature fluctuates a lot between May and June. The program is short, only about 2 months, but that means that all of the students on the program are really trying to make the most of everything. Everyone tries to go on every trip (there are two organized by IES) and takes advantage of every opportunity (free additional cooking/flamenco classes, guided tours of the Palacio Real etc.). IES also organizes tons of activities with Spanish students at the university so that you really get to immerse yourself in the Madrid culture.
One of my favorite parts of this program was my homestay experience. My host mom -- or señora -- was an incredible woman who cooked me amazing meals and made laugh every day. IES does a great job matching you up with a señora whose English abilities match your Spanish abilities. My Spanish skills were already high, and my señora didn't speak a word of English! I did some of my best learning over long dinner conversations with her, and we still keep in touch via email. That's not to say that it wasn't an awkward or even scary transition to living with someone else in a foreign country. It can be hard to get used to following your señora's rules or customs, but once you do, it becomes routine and you just enjoy the immersive experience and learn to laugh at the times you can't understand one another.

IES abroad was one of the most formative experiences I have had as a young adult. The program itself is well organized and reputable. The staff has been with the program for many years and nothing comes to them as a surprise. They know how to make the program worthwhile and they are very sweet and helpful. Additionally, IES is very well connected within Madrid. For example, one of my classes was held at the Prado museum two days a week and taught by the coordinator of the Goya wing at the museum. Not only was he an amazing teacher, he was very well intentioned and cared about his students.

I was hesitant to choose homestay before I left for Madrid, but I am SO happy I did. I lived with a wonderful older woman and a roommate (we had separate rooms) and she ended up being like family to me. She had been in the program for many years and she was well acquainted with the social and travel life of study abroad students. Additionally, she lived in a very great part of Madrid that was residential, close to the school, and highly accessible to the rest of the city.

Just to give a day to day perspective of my experience, I would begin with my mandatory Spanish intensive course at 9am, which was surprisingly a blast and very helpful. I would have a break between classes and either go home or to the gym. I would go back to IES take my other courses and then return back to my homestay for comida. After comida, depending on my schedule I would either go to class at the Prado Museum or do odds and ends around the city. I would return home fairly late at about 7-8, and make myself a small dinner. (The midday meal is HUGE). Then I would either do homework or meet friends for food and drinks.

Another aspect I loved about IES was that it made travel very easy. I visited 22 towns and cities while I was abroad and I never felt overwhelmed. Additionally, the staff makes school fun. They are very Spanish in the way they approach schoolwork and social life and I wish Americans would be the same way.

I truly loved IES and my only complaint is that I wish I did it for a year. Finally! I think it's important to mention that IES was not the sponsored program at my college. I willingly declined the other program and had to petition in order to go on IES. I couldn't have been happier with my decision.

Madrid is truly an amazing city with fantastic nightlife, culture, parks and more! There is always something to do. And it is so easy to get anywhere else in Spain or to the rest of Europe from Madrid. IES was great with planning activities, such as visits to local sites, cooking classes and flamenco classes. They also have great field trips...the orientation trips are AMAZING. Academics are okay, but there is no Friday class which allowed for travel time on the weekends. Did not hear much negative feedback about living situations, everyone seemed to be happy where they were, whether it was a home stay, apartment, or dorm. I absolutely loved my home stay. Made life long friends and had the best semester of my life.

The IES Abroad program definitely tried to immerse us into the culture of Spain and I really felt as if I was a student there, as opposed to just studying abroad. For the 5+ months that I was in Spain, I felt like I got a handle of what it was to live in Madrid and really understood the culture that surrounded it. IES Abroad did an excellent job in providing different activities and field trips in Spain that taught us more about the culture and really gave us some great memories to take back home. In addition, the classes that they provided were a great tool to learn about the history and culture of Spain and it was awesome to actually see it be lived as we traveled and learned more about Madrid.

IES Abroad was wonderful. The program staff was so helpful and was there every step of the way and made sure that I enjoyed my stay there. I had a wonderful host family and did a neuropsychology internship. It was a great experience and I learned a lot.

They also provide the opportunity to take classes at Complutense and that's a great opportunity to meet other locals and practice your Spanish while also experiencing actually being a part of the Spanish culture.

Madrid is such a great city because it is central so it is easy to get to other places in Spain and to other countries quickly. I definitely recommend this program.

I studied abroad in Madrid through IES during the winter semester of my sophomore year. Before this, I had never been to Europe and I had never flown by myself. I was nervous and almost backed out at the last minute, but looking back I am so happy I went through with it. IES Madrid did a great job securing housing for me and helping its students get acclimated to the local culture. At times, I would complain that the staff refused to speak English, but now realize that immersion is the best way to learn a foreign language. The University of Michigan required me to take 2 classes at la Universidad de Complutense. Those were very difficult and boring, but the classes through IES were moderately easy and interactive. The classes were small and each professor was eager to learn about our weekend plans and happy to help us choose between attractions / places to visit. The campus is very easy to get to from the Metro and the Metro is very easy to use in Madrid. I still keep in touch with some of the people I met abroad. I'm only 24, but I consider this one of the best experiences of my life. I've never heard anybody say they regretted studying abroad. If you're considering it, do it. If you're thinking about studying abroad in Madrid, I'd highly recommend IES.