Type of housing: On campus

Arranged by: Independently - I had no other choice

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why? Halls of residence aer very expensive in comparison with sharing a flat. The cost was around 215 Euros per month (charges like electricity, phone and heating not included. Many people chose to get a flat and were paying half the rent!!

Personal comments:
The accomodation is just across the road from the university. Pretty close to shops. About 15 min walk from the city centre. The reason why I stayed at the residence was first because it was close to Uni (I'm a lazy bugger) and for the atmosphere in the residence. There is always someone around you, you're never alone, you just have to open our door. But you still have your own space. The mix of european students is such that you end up learning a different language than you are supposed to. I was sharing a flat with a spaniard and a dane, spent most of my time with italians and english speaking people from all over the world. To make the best of your stay, I advise to ask to share a flat with one or more spaniards. It just forces you to think in spanish and you'll learn an awfull lot more about everyday expressions, improve your confidence of speech, well trust me.. On the other hand, as mentionned before, the cost of staying at the residence is the double of what you would pay for shared accomodation in a private flat. So my other advice is to stay at the halls for a month, if you like it stay, otherwise look for a flat. The student union (junta de estudiantes) have got a department that will help you looking for flats (they usually have a list of flats and students that are looking for flatmates (both spaniards and foreign students))

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

Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment

Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment

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

Personal comments:
Barrio humedo (quarter of town where most of the tapas bars are) within barrion humedo, the plaza mayor, with a selection of bars, cafes, pubs and dance clubs. Insider info: The Don Quijote (otherwise known as he bucket bar because they serve "cachis" (small plastic buckets) of spirits and mix quite cheap for the quantity of alcohol you get. Usually the place where we start going out. After two of them, and within any budget, you continue to one of the dancings in the city centre like the SOHO club, or club XL. Lively music for every taste and good atmosphere to get the night really started. Because o new legislation, all the clubs shut at 5am whereby they used to be open until 8-9am. The big discos are: OH!LEÓN (close to the supermarket Carrefour outside the city centre and the newly opened PACHA. It would be pointless though giving you a list of all the pubs as there are so many of them. Also don't bother leaving the house before 11pm as people are still eating at that time (it's Spain afterall).

Course recommendations:
Course here tend to be annual courses. As I only stayed for a semester, I had little choice, but managed to arrange my timetable so that the earliest class started at 11am and that I had Friday off. When you arrive, you get a booklet with all the courses on offer. You are not expected to decide straight away what you're gonna take for good. You have one month after the course starts to select your classes. My advice: take your time, don't rush in the choice as ou will have to sit an exam in that particular subject!! Make a list of the courses you're interested or think that would be valuable to your education and pop in to see what they are like. Classes are held in seminars so you can pop in for a couple of weeks and if you don't like it, don't take it. Some tutors take quite a lot into consideration that you're foreign and have some problems with the language and they will offer help when you need it. Others just expect you to follow the class just like everyone else. When doing presentations, most tutors put you in a group with one or more spaniards, so you'll get a better opportunity to get to know them and they will help you with your assignment. Which means you're more likely to get a better mark!! They are usually more than happy to help with anything from notes to finding books about the course.

Personal comments:
More interaction with local students. As I stayed at the halls of residence, I had more contact with international students than with local spaniards. Most local students live in the city and most of them stay at their parents, so try to go out with them, get to know them. It's supposed to be an experience an exchange not only for you but also for them. Classes never start in time, usually the tutor turns up about 10-15 min after the supposed starting time, but that's normal over here.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Main source of funding:
Personal savings

Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
student loan

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
To telephone home can be quite expensive. Phone after 8pm, the rates are cheaper. Nightlife is cheaper, drinks can be expensive in clubs so get a couple of "buckets" before you go dancing.

Telephone: was more expensive than at home.

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

I wish I had known...
Yes, that it's quite cold over here in February!!!

In my opinion:
Most people loved it.