Type of housing: Apartment/House

Arranged by: Host university

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why? I have participated in 2 other abroad experiences where I lived with families from the host country. I found that living in an apartment gave me the freedom to eat what I want, come and go as I please, and really have to provide for myself, which got me out in the community more.

Personal comments:
My roommates and I LOVED our apt. We could not have gotten luckier. Amy is the director of housing at the university and she is beyond sweet! Our apartment was SO nice. I definitly recommend this type of living for someone who is used to being independent. For those not so independent living with a family is a better option because you don't have to worry about filling your basic needs in a foreign country i.e: the family does you laundry and cooks for you, if you are in an apt you are responsible for all of that. My other 2 trips I stayed with families and I will say it was nice to not think about cleaning, cooking, or washing clothes!

Describe host city: Students equally interact with the local and student community

Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal comments:
The nightlife in Madrid is AMAZING! There are so many hot spots I can't even remember. There is a place called Bora Bora, be careful the drinks are much stronger than they taste. The Buen Retiro park cannot be missed, I used to run there all the time, amazing!! Club Pacha was a favorite of many of my friends. Just be open minded and check out everything. I know it sounds overwhelming, but if you don't you will regret is when you get back

Course recommendations:
Make sure that you plan you schedule according to how active you plan on being once in Spain i.e. how much you are going to travel and go out. It may sound silly and I was someone who said "I can do it all" but traveling to different coutntries for 3 day weekends and partying into the morning hours in Madrid made things more stressful than necessary. just be realistic, you are not going to be home and there are SO many things to do

Personal comments:
The attendance policy was really strict and while I was there they would not let you get up to use the restroom if you were in class, not reasonable.

Language of instruction: English

Main source of funding:
Personal savings

Other sources of funding:
Personal savings

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
The euro exchange rate!!! Cell phones are outrageous, even if you are calling someone on the same block! Housing in the city was expensive about $1000/month/student. Travel- really a lot more, I don't travel to other coutries on the weekends when I am in the US :) Nightlife- there are way more hours in the night that they party in Madrid which = more hours to spend $$ and the drinks are pretty expensive. The nightlife scene can really drain your bank account. I went out a lot when I first got there, would get home at 9/10am from the night before with empty pockets, sleep until 6pm that night, and do it all over. This was a great time, but after awhile i realized how much $$ it was costing. So I changed it up, instead of going out at night I went to bed early and hopped on a random city bus early (get unlimited metro pass) in the morning and went to explore the city alone. I ran into the coolest places and bought the greatest stuff. The money I spent on drinks now went to buy clothes and other souveniers.

Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone, Housing: was more expensive than at home.

I wish I had known...
The school is VERY small and there are a lot of americans there, that had its good and bad sides. It gets VERY cold in the winter time (I am from FL:) Bring an IPOD. Watch your weight, Spanish food and all the drinking really adds up!! Exercise!! Embrace everything every minute!!

In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!