International Education for Transformation: U.S Student Mobility- Studying Abroad in Spain

Spain: General Information

Spain is a country located in the Iberian Peninsula and it’s made up of 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities. Spain’s neighboring countries are France (north), Portugal (east), and Morroco (south). The official language is Spanish and their currency is the Euro, as the country is also part of the European Union. Spain’s capital and largest city is Madrid and there is a total population of 46,423,064 habitants. Spain is a country that is rich in history, culture, gastronomy, etc.

Studying abroad programs in the United States

It is a very frequent practice for U.S. students to decide to study abroad for a semester or a year. As it can be seen in the statistics below, 289, 408 U.S students, in the years 2012/13, decided to study abroad. From those, 60% percent preferred a short-term duration, 37% mid-length, and only 3% long-term. The three most preferred destinations are Europe with 53%, South America with 16%, and Asia with 12%. Most of the American universities offer different programs for studying abroad, as many of them have relationships with other universities in other countries. For example, in many cases, if a person studies science related subject, it is possible he/she to take art classes in another university (suggested by the primary university). The programs for studying abroad vary according to the age and time interval that the student prefers. There are high school programs, which offer the students to switch school in another city, country, or continent. For the university students, there are certain programs for internship, volunteer, teach, intensive or normal learning, and full degree for studying abroad. According to a research from 2016, 96% of students feel that the experience helped them mature, increased their self-confidence and 82% reported that it helped them develop a more sophisticated look of the world. (Kinloch, 2016) The cost of this experience is strictly dependent on the program that the student is attending and the university he/she is currently studying in. Based on that, the cost can vary, but for the years 2012/13, the approximate cost was 17,785$. This expense might or might not include the housing because some programs require the students to find their own apartments in the city that they are going to live in. If the cost is too high for some people, there are scholarships sorted into several categories. The first one is merit-based. This means that financial aid is only going to be based on the student's academic, athletic, artistic, or other abilities, in addition, extracurricular activities are also taken into consideration. The second category is student-specific scholarship meaning that it is defined based on the student's gender, race, religion, family and medical history. The next one is destination-specific. Here the sponsor of the scholarship is the government and so it is given to the student who plans to study in a particular country. The final two are the program-based and the subject-based, which depend on the program and the subject that the student plans to choose.

Spanish students study abroad vs. U.S students study abroad

Many Spanish students decide to study abroad for the whole undergraduate and graduate course. Their application does not differ from the standard one. It includes the diploma with the proper GPA and based on the university and the country: SAT, TOEFL, IELTS, etc. On the other hand, studying abroad for a semester or a whole year is not that popular among the Spanish students as it is in the U.S. Most often, only certain subjects and courses have the opportunity for studying abroad. If the university has the program, then the other problem is the limited number of countries, which offer the course. Another issue that can stop some of the students is that sometimes in order to go studying abroad, they should have something like a gap year, and thus from studying 3 years undergraduate, it becomes 4 years total. For the students who need extra help with this process, there are special organizations and institutions that provide more details. Some of the more famous ones are API, CEA, ISA, etc. The cost of studying abroad will again depend on the university the students is currently in and on the program that he/she has chosen. Scholarships are not so widely given and usually based on the financial state of the parents and on the academic abilities of the student.

Studying in Spain

According to the website iie, in 2014/2015 about 28, 325 U.S students participated of a study abroad program in Spain, leaving Spain as the 3^rd most popular country to study abroad (after U.K and Italy). In Spain there are five types of study abroad programs offered by Spanish Universities in terms of duration, (1) year, (2) semester/trimester, (3) summer, (4) intensive month, and (5) J-Term, and the main cities that provide these programs are Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada, Madrid, Malaga, Salamanca, Santander, Sevilla, and Valencia, with the top universities to study abroad being the Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. For American students to study abroad in Spain, they need to obtain a Visa that will certify the longevity of their program and their American passport. As explained earlier, some programs might include the student’s housing in the tuition, but some might not, therefore, students should arrange their housing before traveling to the country.

Spanish universities provide three different types of degrees: Grado, Másters, y Doctorados. In addition, Spanish universities are very flexible when it comes to recognizing degrees and courses from other countries. Finally, Spanish universities offer various scholarships and financial aid for non-Spanish students to study abroad. In terms of tuition, these might vary from university to university and each program might include different aspects such as housing, meals, trips, etc.

Syracuse University’s study abroad programs

For the purpose of this blog post we will analyze the different programs in Spain that the office of Study Abroad in Syracuse University offers. The university offers both summer (6 weeks) and semester long programs in Syracuse University Center in Madrid, but it also provides the opportunity to attend the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and complete a program that is recognized within Syracuse university. Some of the courses available are history, Spanish, middle eastern studies, latin American studies Mass communications, Business, Economics, etc., in addition to the opportunity to complete an internship for credit hours (depending on the major). The tuition cost varies depending on the duration of the program, where semester long programs cost the normal Syracuse University Tuition and summer programs cost between $5,528-8,996 depending on the amount of courses being taken. This costs includes housing, meals, and educational trips; some courses might take an extra fee depending of the nature of such class.

Experience Studying abroad in Spain

As a U.S student who studied abroad in Spain, I can say that being in Spain has been the most rewarding experience of my life. Every aspect from my host mom, the food, my Spanish professors, and just the Spanish culture in general made me feel welcome in a culture where I already have a historical connection. Although I studied in the Syracuse University Madrid Center, my professors were Spanish and the classes were given in Spanish. As part of the program, I participated of various educational trips where we would explore a city with some professors.

Since I participated of the summer program, which is only six weeks, I decided that I wanted to explore the Spanish culture to it’s fullest and that I would only travel within the country. By doing this, I acquired a good understanding and appreciation for the Hispanic culture. I was able to travel to Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Barcelona, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada, and Valencia, and understand how different every city is from each other despite it’s closeness and their shared main culture.

The courses that I decided to take were not related to my major, but still filled my requirements to graduate. These two courses were: Pop Culture in Spain and Art, Architecture, and Cities in Spain. These classes and my weekend adventures were the perfect combination to make my study abroad experience memorable. I was able to integrate into the Spanish culture and learn about things such as it’s history, food, and customs.