You’ve chosen to study abroad in Spain. You’re in for a great experience and to say the least, I wish I could go back with you in your suitcase.
I came into my own study abroad experience––I spent spring semester of 2009 at the University of Navarra in Pamplona––fairly new to the process and without a lot of background on some of the most basic musts of prepping for study abroad. I learned a lot very quickly and wanted to pass on my experiences in the hopes that someone else’s adjustment to Spain will be closer to stress-free.
Hopefully you have read David Wilkening’s Guide to Preparing for a Study Abroad Trip http://www.travelersanonymous.com/studying-abroad-before-you-pack, but since every country is different, here are the 10 issues I faced pretty early on in my experience. Buen viaje!
1. Decide what to do about housing.
In most case, your university abroad will have a website or other system to help you find housing, but every program is different. Many programs, especially those based in Madrid, where apartment living is rather expensive, offer the option of a homestay, where families or other local residents will rent a room to exchange students. There are a ton of advantages to a homestay, the obvious being the opportunity to live completely immersed in the culture. In Pamplona, we were discouraged from living with a host family, since many families there do it solely for the money and unscrupulous situations have arisen. Living in university housing (dorms) will be an option some places, but if you plan to do this, get to know the university first and The University of Navarra, for example, is run by the Opus Dei, and those who live on campus are subject to strict curfews (and let's be honest, no one comes to Spain to be in bed by 2 a.m.). In some cases, you may not be able to move into your Spanish housing right away, so set aside money and book a hostel online before you leave.
2. Make sure your university at home is on the ball.
We learned this very quickly in Pamplona. Check beforehand with your home university to see how international credits transfer and with your university in Spain to see if they work on a different system than ECTS (many in Spain do). Keep a paper (or e-mail) trail of any correspondence with your home university and be sure to follow up with them upon your return to ensure everything transferred properly.
3. Figure out your finances.
Having a budget planned out, or at least a rough idea of one, is pretty much essential. It's difficult to say what that budget should be, as it entirely depends on your host city and living situation. Typically, in terms of tuition, a semester exchange program will cost you whatever a semester at your home university would cost, as you are paying for a Spanish student's semester in the States. It will be significantly more expensive to live in a big city or a popular tourist destination than it would be to live in a smaller town, so be prepared to budget more if your program is in, say, Madrid or Barcelona, especially if you plan on traveling or going out a lot. Cost will also depend on your living situation. If you're living in a city, you'll have to factor in other expenses like a Metro or bus pass, but if you're living somewhere smaller, you may be making that up in bus or plane fares in order to travel. If you're living in an apartment, you'll probably have to pay more in rent and, unlike with a homestay, you'll have to pay utilities (but, thanks to the wonders of socialized civic services, utilities are generally inexpensive). Food will generally run you 20 Euro/week (if you're willing to go with the Eroski brand). And if you need help covering the costs, chances are if you are going for a summer or a semester, you will be unable to get a work visa with your student one. If you really want to work, you can get under-the-table jobs, usually in food service or at your university, but oftentimes, you need to have strong connections with someone in the business to get those. Another option that doesn't require a work visa is private English tutoring, which is quite popular, easy to publicize and can be lucrative (but, as with all things, know who you're working with). There are also a ton of scholarships and grants available for study abroad out there, so keep looking. And remember to factor in the exchange rate for the Euro when making your budget, but there are tons of websites, widgets and iPhone apps to help you stay updated on what the current rate is.
4. In slightly related news, figure out your banking.
Before you leave, call your bank/credit card company to let them know you will be going abroad and to expect some transactions overseas. If you plan to make transactions or withdrawals using your American credit or bank cards, ask how much their service charge is for foreign ATMs so you can factor that into your budget and ask if they have any partner banks in Europe for whom they drop the service charge or charge less. If you're planning on staying a semester or longer, an option to consider may be opening a Spanish bank account. Two of the most popular options are the student-friendly Grupo Santander (www.santander.com) and Banco Bilbao y Vizcaya (BBVA, www.bbva.com) due to their widespread availability––you can find ATMs from both banks in just about every city.
5. Figure out your travel options.
Traveling is a huge part of any study abroad experience, but it can be an ordeal to plan. Although train travel (RENFE) is still popular on the majority of the continent, train travel in Spain is not only more expensive, but not as well connected to the rest of Europe as compared to rail systems in, say, France or Italy. So although Eurail and other youth rail passes are accepted on RENFE trains, they aren't a wise investment unless you plan on taking a large trip at the end. Typically, you'll be traveling via bus and budget airline. The bus system (www.alsa.es) is popular, generally well-run and offers student discounts, but we did encounter customer service problems (print out order confirmations and hang on to receipts!) and one of their booking websites, movelia.es, does not accept American credit cards, so either use the official Alsa site or book in person. Iberia sometimes has good deals too and flies to more cities within Spain, so keep an eye out for opportunities there.
6. Brush up on the language.
Practice speaking wherever you can. Immerse yourself in the language by reading Spanish newspapers and magazines and absorbing it through TV, film or radio. Go through old class notes to recall grammar rules. Any little thing you can do helps.
7. Safety check.
To be on the safe side, sign up for the Secretary of State's e-mail update list for Spain. This will keep you posted on security issues within the country.
8. Learn local cultures and customs.
There is no uniformly Spanish way of life and each of the autonomous provinces and regions has its own mannerisms, cultural identities, customs and underlying political issues. Get to know the region in which you are staying beforehand with a little background research (per usual, be wary of the wikis).
9. Start getting your news.
Although it’s typically not a good idea to discuss politics with individuals from your host country, it’s wise to start getting information well before you leave so you can stay informed and know where those around you are coming from. Start subscribing via web or browser bookmarks to some Spanish media outlets––El Mundo, ABC and El País are some of the larger daily newspapers. In addition to these, look for media outlets in the city or region in which you are staying to keep tabs on local news.
10. Sign up for a free audio/video chat service.
This is sort of a given, but you will be away from home and will need a way to contact everyone, and since postage is expensive, a free audio/video chat program will work wonders. We recommend Skype (www.skype.com) or Google Voice. And once you come back, you can use these programs to keep in touch with the new friends you will have made abroad.
Five Web Sites to Bookmark Before You Go:
1. www.alsa.es
5. the CIA’s World Factbook page on Spain
Five to Follow on Twitter:
1. GoSpain (Damian Corrigan from gospain.about.com)
2. ExPatsSpain (Info by/for expats going to Spain, in English)
3. ElPaís (one of the largest daily Spanish newspapers)
4. LonelyPlanet
5. RickSteves
by Lindsday Eanet
