Don't Ever Start a Sentence with "I Should Have..."

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.