IES Study Abroad Program in Salamanca, Spain
Join IES and study abroad in one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, Salamanca! International students will take classes at the historic Universidad de Salamanca, which first opened its doors in 1218! Since then students from Spain and all parts of the world have come to call Salamanca home. The student body is currently made up of 30,000 students, 4,000 of which are international students.
Where is Salamanca, you ask? This wonderful city is located on the beautiful Castilian plain not far from the border of Portugal. From here study abroad students can easily visit Madrid, Lisbon, or venture north to visit San Sebastian. Study abroad students in Salamanca are rarely bored.
If this program sounds amazing! (and we certainly think it does) then visit the IES Abroad website to learn how you can spend your next semester studying abroad at the Universidad de Salamanca!
Reviews
100%Overall
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90%Overall
Rating
I met some amazing friends on this trip. Unfortunately the host family that was selected for me was not optimal due to some family issues they were having, but this poor home arrangement did not overshadow the unbelievable opportunity to experience the vibrance of Salamanca. Also, its close proximity to Madrid was definitely an asset. As for the academics, I do think we could have been pushed a little more to take more classes at the University. It is hard to fully embrace a culture when you are in a classroom of Americans.
100%Overall
Rating
I would recommend Salamanca 100 times over to any student looking to study abroad in Spain. A smaller, manageable, and less expensive alternative to living in Madrid, this city has a real Castellano feel. The academic program, run by IES and staffed by university professors, was as challenging as it should have been and no more, giving us time to explore the city and the rest of Spain on the weekends. IES also allowed us to take classes at the University (a great experience, but don't expect to make long-lasting friends with Spanish students - they couldn't care less about you).
Most of us lived with wonderful families who had longstanding relationships with IES, and some lived in student housing and did make local friends. My madre took great care of my roommate and me, made the best paella and tortilla I've tasted to this day, and didn't hesitate to correct our Spanish to help us improve. Our IES group went on a few trips to Segovia, Sevilla, Granada, and a bull fight.
Salamanca is full of treasures - the Plaza Mayor and its cafes selling leche helada, tapas on Cafe Van Dyck, the delicious cookies sold by the nuns at Convento de las Duenas, late night churros con chocolate, and the hundreds of bars (gringo and local) along Calle de la Gran Via. I highly recommend going during the school year, when the city is packed to its gills with Spanish students. We arrived in the last two weeks of Summer, and the town completely transformed when the official semester began.
Alumni Interviews
Meet Allison Brandt, IES Salamanca alumni
GO: Why did you decide to study abroad with IES in Salamanca?
Allison: I learned about the IES Abroad program in Salamanca because it is an affiliated program with my school, Gettysburg College. As a Spanish major, it was a requirement to study in a Spanish-speaking country for a semester, but I gladly abided by this rule. I chose Salamanca instead of other Spanish cities because I had heard that it is a smaller city with less tourists and is a city often geared towards college students with a large famous university located there. I had friends from my school who had done the same program and were always going on about how great of a program it was.
GO: What made this study abroad experience unique and special?
Allison: I lived with a host family and they really did treat me like family. I absolutely loved being fully immersed in the culture by speaking Spanish around the clock and experiencing their culture on a first-hand level. While the IES program helped us acclimate to the city and university, they set us up for so many opportunities to explore Spain and get to know Salamanca as a local. When I was in Salamanca, I taught Spanish to immigrants from various countries - very unique experience, for sure! I also went on many trips throughout Spain, some planned by the program and some on my own. My favorite trip was on El Camino de Santiago, a 5 day pilgrimage trip in northern Spain.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Allison: I've definitely been thinking more about what I want to do in the future and I know that I want to use my Spanish skills in some form. This summer I am using it on a daily basis as I am working with Hispanic immigrants at a labor resource center. Although I don't know what my future career may be, I know that Salamanca really influenced my passion for using Spanish and for immigration issues.
Meet Michael Caracciolo, IES-Salamanca Alum
GO: Why did you decide to study abroad with IES Abroad in Salamanca?
Michael Caracciolo: I wanted an immersion experience where I would speak, learn, and live like a Spaniard. I liked that I could take classes at La Universidad de Salamanca and live in the dorms with other Spanish students. Plus, the size of Salamanca is perfect, it's not too big and not too small. It's a student city, meaning low prices and tons of stuff to do, and it's located real close to Madrid, so traveling is easy.
GO: What made this study abroad experience unique and special?
Michael Caracciolo: As far as I know, IES Salamanca is the only program in Spain that allows for such an amazing student immersion experience. I had the time of my life living in the dorms (Cuenca) and my initiation into the dorm or "novatadas" was what made my experience extremely unique and special. I met tons of spanish students and other foreign students while doing silly "tareas" like singing to the Cuenca veteran Spanish girls, getting my face painted, running obstacle courses, running around cups of calimocho, drinking calimoco, and going out with the whole dorm. It was an amazing experience that allowed me to meet my friends for the rest of the semester, be ridiculous and be spanish. Lo pase genial :).
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Michael Caracciolo: I've realized that I love speaking Spanish and I've decided that I will become fluent. Also, I currently have an internship in Mexico City that I don't think I would have gotten had I not gone to Salamanca and learned Spanish.
Meet Allison Brandt, IES-Salamanca Alum
GO: Why did you decide to study abroad with IES Abroad in Salamanca?
Allison Brandt: I learned about the IES Abroad program in Salamanca because it is an affiliated program with my school, Gettysburg College. As a Spanish major, it was a requirement to study in a Spanish-speaking country for a semester, but I gladly abided by this rule. I chose Salamanca instead of other Spanish cities because I had heard that it is a smaller city with less tourists and is a city often geared towards college students with a large famous university located there. I had friends from my school who had done the same program and were always going on about how great of a program it was.
GO: What made this study abroad experience unique and special?
Allison Brandt: I lived with a host family and they really did treat me like family. I absolutely loved being fully immersed in the culture by speaking Spanish around the clock and experiencing their culture on a first-hand level. While the IES program helped us acclimate to the city and university, they set us up for so many opportunities to explore Spain and get to know Salamanca as a local. When I was in Salamanca, I taught Spanish to immigrants from various countries - very unique experience, for sure! I also went on many trips throughout Spain, some planned by the program and some on my own. My favorite trip was on El Camino de Santiago, a 5 day pilgrimage trip in northern Spain.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Allison Brandt: I've definitely been thinking more about what I want to do in the future and I know that I want to use my Spanish skills in some form. This summer I am using it on a daily basis as I am working with Hispanic immigrants at a labor resource center. Although I don't know what my future career may be, I know that Salamanca really influenced my passion for using Spanish and for immigration issues.
Further Info
About IES Abroad
Their Roots: IES Abroad was co-founded by Paul Koutny, an Austrian student who had moved to the US on a Fulbright scholarship in 1950. While there, he envisioned a future built on a peace that grew from the lessons learned while studying abroad. He rallied 21 other friends and the crew hopped on the SS Volendam headed for a year of studies in Vienna. Feeling inspired by their own experience in Austria, IES Abroad alums Clarence and Alberta Giese immediately began helping send future groups of students abroad. Before they knew it, 60 years had passed, and IES Abroad remains a longstanding and exemplary study abroad option for students today.
Their Quest: "IES Abroad strives to provide premier study abroad programs for U.S. students that deliver the highest quality education while simultaneously promoting development of intercultural competence."
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The program staff was extremely supportive and always willing to answer any questions that I had about anything from courses to customs for my host family to travel arrangements. My host family has been hosting American students for almost twenty years, so they knew how to make me feel very welcomed, including sharing delicious meals with me three times a day.
I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who wants to experience a culture first-hand. It was an incredible opportunity to learn!