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 3rd 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
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.
References
http://blogs.voanews.com/all-about-america/files/2014/11/Infographic-IIE-Open-Doors-2014-US-Study-Abroad.jpg
