CIEE College Study Abroad in Madrid, Spain

This was one of the best decisions I made over the course of my college career. If you are even on the fence about doing a semester abroad do it. I promise you, it's worth the time, money, and experience. You will not miss anything while you're gone. Make the right decision. Go Abroad.
Some of my favorite memories of my 22 years of life have come from this experience. I get asked about it all the time and love talking about it. It is great for your resume believe it or not. Telling people that you were able to communicate in a society that doesn't speak the same language as you is a big eye-opener for people. The food, clubs, travel, and friendships that were made will be part of my life forever and this is something that I can recommend enough. I just traveled to Seattle to meet friends that I met abroad.

Madrid was an amazing experience. However, UC3M was a very long compute from where we lived in the city center. I think finding a university that is closer to the city center would be preferable, as I didn't like the atmosphere at UC3M.
Madrid is really cool though because there's so much to do in the city and just out of the city. Manzanares el Real was a personal favorite hiking spot and you can get there with the monthly metro card as it lets you get on busses, the metro and Cercanías trains.

really loved the study abroad program in madrid. once you're there the CIEE staff is incredibly supportive and communicative, and they plan lots of fun events that are included in your tuition -- i.e. a day trip to segovia ciee took us on is one of my highlights to look back on. madrid is an amazing place to be and the housing ciee provided was pretty good, i.e. one bathroom per two people which is good for dorms. academics were doable with the exception of one pretty rigorous class bc the teacher was new - that's something that could have been improved upon as there were a lot of complaints with that, but other than that it was solid.

Well run program, run by nice people great professors I felt so comfortable acclimated quickly! Only complaint would be they cancelled my class on my first day of orientation and I did the program because of that class. But I loved the program! Professors are so nice always willing to help wanting to get to know the students make them comfortable. Loved that they had interesting activities for students including cooking classes and flamingo! Loved this program and would definately reccomend again!

Hi everyone!

As you may have assumed based on the title of the review, this past summer I traveled to Madrid, Spain! I remember first being hesitant about fully committing to the program since there were so many things going on in the world at the time, but I decided to get out of my comfort zone and go for it. I’m extremely glad I went that route because the memories created there were unforgettable.

First comes the people. Going alone was one of the factors that contributed to my hesitation on going abroad. I decided to just stick it out and go. Who would’ve thought that the people I met there would be so fun to hangout with in another country. Conversation came easy and making plans while in Madrid came smoothly. The staff at the CIEE center were really cool and easy to talk to too! If my friends or I ever had any questions, comments, or just wanted insight on where to get the best Paella from, the staff at the CIEE center never failed to provide. As for the people in Madrid, for the most part, they were all pretty friendly and helpful if we ever had directions questions or anything similar to that matter. Of course, being a woman, you’ll receive your fair share of catcalling and long stares, but truth be told, it’ll be like that wherever you go in the world.

Next, comes the sightseeing and scenery. Madrid was honestly such a beautiful place. It definitely had its more traditional parts and old architecture but also provided more urban and modern areas as well. The public transportation - in reference to the metros - was SO convenient. I could literally go from one end of Madrid to the other in a short amount of time, and I honestly liked how normalized taking public transport over there is. However, something to be cautious about is pick-pocketing. Pick-pocketing is extremely common in Europe, including Madrid. In fact, my friend briefly put her cross-body bag behind her, and when she turned it back in front of her, she had her phone stolen from her bag. This was only the second day of being abroad too. On a lighter note, I’m also big when it comes to cafes, so cafe hopping is a MUST here, and I promise you will not be disappointed. Of course, while in Madrid, you have to visit well-known spots such as El Parque de Retiro, Plaza Mayor, The Royal Palace, Sol, and much more.

Now the most important part, is the program itself. The class I took and was getting credit for was called Arts and Activism. Classes were Monday through Thursday, from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. My class days mainly looked like: 1) waking up at the dorm and getting ready 2) having breakfast then taking the metro down to sol 3) have class 4) then having the evening to do homework, dinner, and spend time with friends. The dorms we stayed at were really nice and acquiring transportation cards was fairly easy. One thing I wished CIEE could've done better is to reach out in regards to what to pack and bring. I had to ask previous alumni who did the same program I did what to and not to bring, as well as do my own research. I could go on about how cool this program is, but do feel free to check out: https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/programs/spain/madrid/summer-madrid for more info as well as reach out directly to me!
And remember: bring your Euro-plug and/or voltage converter, a small hand-held fan, and be prepared to walk!!

CIEE's Open Campus program is a brilliant way to experience a variety of cities all within a semester. I chose Madrid, Rome, and Copenhagen as my 3 locations, and I could not be more grateful for the experiences I had in each of these unique cities. I was introduced to so many new foods that I'm still obsessed with today, new scenery, and frankly, a new way of living. CIEE also provided a bunch of cool extracurricular activities that were included in the program's price such as a paella-cooking day in Madrid and a trip to the Tivoli gardens outside of Rome. Seriously, I'd recommend anyone who's thinking about a semester abroad to consider CIEE's Open Campus program -- no regrets, and I'd do it all over again if I could.

My summer studying abroad in Alcalá de Henares outside of Madrid was the most memorable experience of my life, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to attend the CIEE program. I felt incredibly supported by the program staff as they were very encouraging during my studies and always available for advice. I gained a better understanding of Spanish culture and became independent through navigating public transportation which allowed me to explore Madrid, as well as take advantage of the ease of travel to visit places including Granada, Valencia, and San Sebastián. I also improved my Spanish speaking and writing abilities, and gained so much confidence through interacting with CIEE staff and locals in the language; I now feel comfortable using Spanish with anybody and left with new vocabulary. I made many friendships that I will cherish forever, and have developed a strong love for travel. I hope to return to Europe one day, and am so glad to have spent the summer in Alcalá de Henares which is filled with such amazing history, beautiful sights, and easy access to Madrid!

I absolutely loved my time abroad with CIEE. I was ecstatic to find a study abroad program with my STEM courses, even computer science courses. It was so hard to find programs for Engineering and I am so glad I found CIEE. They made it so easy for us pre-departure with a lot of info and handled our Visas and housing for us. Orientation events were really impactful and I got to learn so much on the tours they provided for us. I made lifelong friends with my roommates and got to travel and learn so much!