Universidad de la Rioja (UR)

I wish I could have completely understood the 100 page Spanish legislation on wine, it was so confusing!

All the staff are extremely welcoming and helpful.

Try and meet the lecturers and ask them about the modules they will cover. In my case I chose courses in international/ European law because I thought they would be more useful, however it is also good to do at least two courses which will give you an insight into the laws of your host country.

No, the library/ research facilities are excellent in La Universidad de la Rioja.

Food is very cheap in Spain, even as a student you can afford to eat out! I think because Logrono is quite a small city there isn't a great demand for rented accomodation, and that's why it's so cheap. As for nightlife, I seldom paid into a nightclub, and because the Spanish government put very low taxes on alcohol, it is a lot cheaper to buy than here. I had a speak as you go phone in Spain, and this method is more expensive than in Ireland. I would get a contract phone if I were to go again

I had such a positive experience living in an apartment with other students that i I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. On campus accomodation is great if you want to have meals cooked and don't want the burden of having to pay bills etc, but i prefer to do my own shopping and cooking because that is a very important part of getting to know the host country- you are interacting with the locals, and trying to cook food with ingredients you are not used to!Furthermore, living off campus gives you more freedom, and it pushes you to do things that you might not do if you were living on campus, ie paying electricity bills, and dealing with your landlord. Doing all these normal day to day tasks not only enhance your conversational abilities in the foreign language, but also help you to adapt to living in the country.