Suffolk University, Madrid Campus

There were no big suprises. Just set your-self on a weekly budget and stick with it if you don't have a lot of extra cash. We had an excellent exchange rate when we were there, so my money went quite a bit further in Spain than it does in the U.S. if anything I spent a little less than I thought I was going to.

I only took one semester of Spanish before going to the Madrid campus. The first few weeks were very difficult, but as I got out and about I had no choice but to learn the language. Also as I took classes I became more comfortable and learned a great deal about the language. If I had taken more classes prior to my stay in Madrid, I probably would have excellent reviews about my comminication experience.

Travel as much as possible in Spain, it is a beatiful country with a great history. Travel over night and sleep on the bus/train, and when you wake up you are at your destination in the morning and ready to start your day! Research hostels and read the reviews, (there are several books you can buy that have hostel guides) they are very inexpensive and if you do enough research you can find a hostel that is as nice a hotel and far cheaper.

Our favorite hang-out was an Irish Pub called Moores. There are also many great Night clubs...Palacio, Capital, and Pacha. We went to all of those clubs regularly. We also had a lot of fun going to some of the smaller bars that often played music, there are quite a few, so I would reccomend to just walk around and stop off at the different bars until you find one you like. As far as events...definitely go to a bull fight, it is a great cultural experience. Also check out the museums, and travel as much as you can to other cities, we would take a bus on thursday night, arrive at our destination on friday morning and spend the week-end in a different city.

The location was excellent, and they provided many services. For example they did your laundry once a week, had a full meal plan, and assisted in cleaning our rooms. However the only downside is that they were way to strict, and had too many rules and regulations. That is the case especially if you are coming from the U.S. and you are accustomed to having a lot more freedom in the dormitories.