USAC ALICANTE

I just finished my semester abroad in Alicante using the USAC study abroad program. This program is supportive of you from day one when you decide you want to do study abroad. Your advisors in Nevada are fantastic and go the extra mile to make sure you are ready and prepared for going to study across seas. Once you get to Alicante or wherever you are going the support continues on. In Alicante, the staff there are very nice people, and want you to succeed and have a great time. I had a fantastic professor named Lordes. She really cares about her students and has a passion about them learning Spanish. If you are ever struggling she is more than happy to spend time with you outside of class to help you improve. The program offers so many fun field trips and events so you can get to know other USAC students. The housing I was provided was perfect for me. I asked to not live with USACs students. I wanted that arrangement so that I could have both friends from USAC and friends from other places in the world. I lived with 2 British , 1 Malaysian, 1 Polish, and 1 Spanish roommate(s). This opened me up to new cultures and amazing new friendships. I was living with Erasmus students. Having Erasmus roommates allowed me to make friends from all over Europe and learn about different cultures and ideas. I recommend you bond with USAC students, but also make time for making friends with locals and people who are not American. I strongly recommend doing the Intercambio program. This allowed me to be paired up with a Spanish local that wants to learns English just as much as I want to learn Spanish. We helped each other improve in our language skills. My intercambio became a good friend of mine. Lastly, I know many of you will want to explore the other surrounding countries which is great, however do take time to get to know the beautiful city of Alicante or wherever you go, and also explore many cities of your host country as well. My time in Madrid was so magical. Toledo is also a very interesting city to see. If you are studying in Spain during the fall semester you may want to visit Zaragoza in October and observe and participate in the Fiesta del Pillar. I was lucky to have a Spanish friend from Zaragoza who took me to her home in Zaragoza and introduce to me this annual week long party and celebration there. Enjoy your time abroad and savor each moment. The time goes fast because the experience is amazing.