Spain: San Sebastián - Spanish Language, Basque, Psychology, and European Studies

I would highly recommend this program! San Sebastián is the absolute best place to spend the summer and the USAC staff worked exceptionally hard to ensure the summer was educational, enlightening, and comfortable. They were helpful with every problem I came to them with and planned fun and exciting field trips. I learned so much in just two months and I could see the obvious growth in my Spanish abilities. The city is absolutely beautiful with picturesque beaches, exceptional restaurants, and so many fun activities to do. In addition, San Sebastián was in a good location to travel to other places and explore more of Europe. Learning about Basque culture was one of my favorite parts about this program and the staff and instructors made sure this was possible. I made incredible friends in this program and had the most memorable summer of my life.

I had an amazing experience studying in San Sebastián, Spain with USAC. The placement system for classes once we arrived was really helpful, and I loved my professors. The staff in the office always had the answers to my questions, translated at the doctor's when I was sick, and were friendly as can be. As an introvert and a homebody who had never left US and Canada, I was so nervous about everything that could go wrong. However, the support I received made it an unforgettable experience. I stayed with a host family, and would highly recommend that.

I absolutely fell in love with my time abroad in Donostia, Basque Country. I had an incredible Spanish professor, a beautiful host family and a wonderful support system within the community. Every day I'd walk to school along the ocean, looking out at the three lush peaks of San Sebastian. I made friends with Spanish locals who taught me how to make Spanish Tortilla and who took my around to local known spots. My host family will always have a piece of my heart and I can't wait to see them again.

This program was the highlight of my life's academic experiences. San Sebastián is an incredible city with great surfing, food, hiking, clubs, bars, and culture. It is without a doubt my favorite city on earth, and the program facilitated my exploration of it. The program staff and faculty were excellent, both in terms of traditional academic learning and experiential learning through excursions and recommendations. My host family was incredible and the program staff has carefully vetted all host families and knows the specifics of their situations. I could not recommend this program more!

This was the best city ever and another home of mine now. San Sebastian as a city has everything you could need and is accessible to do all. With being a smaller city, you are able to experience more and learn more about the Basque culture. USAC provides great classes and makes sure you are comfortable in the class you are taking. One of the best add ones for me was doing the Madrid field study which allowed me to experience another part of the country and see 3 other cities that I would not have gone to without this field study! USAC made it able for me to stay with a family so I only spoke Spanish allowing my skills to significantly improve and have help if I was struggling on a homework assignment. USAC also had excursions that brought me to places I would not have traveled as well.

San Sebastian was a beautiful city, I'm still amazed at the amount of beauty and culture that I was able to enjoy. It was the perfect size; everyone knows each other and I always had a sense of security. I was able to enjoy it in the fall which was a perfect time to do so, I had a few weeks of summer left to enjoy the beach, the winter was hardly cold, and the changing of seasons was unforgettable. There is something for everyone to enjoy, whether that something is hiking, surfing, eating, a nice walk by the beach or traveling, it's an incredibly convenient location. I loved exploring the smaller near-by cities and would recommend everyone to visit as many as they can. I'd also like to mention the staff, and the fact that they were incredibly helpful and attentive to all of my concerns. They gave me great advise on everything from the bus system, to airport concerns, to recommended hikes and I left more connected to my college professors than I'd ever been.

I absolutely loved my time abroad in San Sebastián! My apartment (assigned by the program) had a beach view, delicious food was everywhere, and I learned so much about the Basque culture, which I never imagined happening before coming to Spain! If you join this program, be sure to sign up for a language partner. Not only did this help me improve my Spanish, but I now have a friend for life (I've been back to visit him twice since my program ended).

The best part about San Sebastián is that there is beauty everywhere you look. It's surrounded by lush greenery and there are plenty of outdoor activities such as hiking or surfing.

The USAC employees are also super helpful. I had no issue getting the classes I wanted, there were tons of recommendations for things to do in town, and I could tell that everyone there was really passionate about what they do.

I've been back to visit San Sebastián twice now and I can't imagine going to Europe without making a trip to my home away from home.

San Seb was such a gorgeous city to live in while learning spanish. I couldn't gush about this city or this program more. My host parents were extremely kind and so patient while I was in the early stages of my learning. The teachers spoke mainly in spanish with students but also knew english if things became too much of a struggle. Being from Iowa, I never thought I would surf but taking the surfing class gave me a new confidence (plus the teachers were so cute).

I highly recommend living in San Sebastian during your study abroad experience. I still miss pintxo pote and kalimotxos <3