Sol Education Abroad: Study in Granada, Spain

My experience in Granada, Spain with Sol Education Abroad greatly surpassed my expectations. In every possible way, this program and trip have completely changed my perceptions about what a study abroad experience could be. I stayed with the most friendly and helpful host mother, and the accommodations were generous to say the least. The people I have met have been from all over the US, augmenting my knowledge of those from other states and cementing long-lasting friendships. There is simply no city like Granada. It is safe, clean, and the city is overflowing with unmatched culture and history. I have never been to a city with so much to do at all times of the day and night, and I am from New York. The people are also exceedingly friendly and honest; I lost my very valuable camera in the park, and a stranger returned the camera to city hall. I have never seen such generosity and kindness from a complete stranger. Sol itself offered the most as a program compared to other programs I have seen. It offers limitless cultural trips, friendly and sincere advisors and directors, and a relatively affordable cost. I would recommend this program to anyone.

I was extremely nervous going on this trip all alone, but as soon as I met the Sol program coordinators I felt at ease. They were friendly, helpful, and fun. I had issues with getting placed in the classes I needed for my credits to transfer to my university. German and the other coordinators worked with me everyday until the issues were solved.
Granada is a beautiful city, and Sol Education Abroad offers many weekly activities that allow you to explore all that the city has to offer. I enjoyed everything from city tours, to food tasting, and horseback riding; and the best part of all is that all of these activities are included in the program cost.
Sol offers a home-stay living situation. This is a wonderful way to experience the Spanish culture to its fullest. It is reassuring that all Sol participants are placed in a home with a roommate. This gives you some comfort, knowing that you will have someone by your side that is going through the same adjustments. The home-stay experience also helped to greatly improved my Spanish skills.
Overall, I was very pleased with my experience, and I would recommend Sol to anyone planning on studying abroad.

After a while I felt comfortable walking around the city. It didn't take very long because I push myself to explore this beautiful city. I had a roommate and at first I was not so sure about he situation, but who better to talk to than someone show as going through the exact same living situation you were? German was very supportive and responsive to my emails whenever I had a question or need clarification. I learned so much in class and will keep my notes forever. there is something to do every night in Granada, but Tuesdays are the best days. Take advantage and explore other cities and countries close by because let's be real..when's the next time you're going to have that opportunity!? Thank you so much SOL for the opportunity, so affordable and excursions for days!

I always knew that Study Abroad was a must for me. I'm so grateful that my school uses Sol as their Spanish abroad program because I truly believe it is one of the best out there. Whenever we talked to students from other programs it made me feel a little luckier. The program is cheaper than most, so maybe you don't get to travel to Rome for a weekend, but you do get to do so many important cultural activities right there in Spain, like food tasting, flamenco, Arabic baths, horseback riding, bike riding...you even get to go the movies.

My host family was amazing, especially my mom. She was a wonderful cook but really so much more. Helpful, loving, supportive, understanding. I don't know what I would've done without her.

In terms of the social life, it is harder to immerse yourself outside of the group of Americans, but not impossible. Intercambios can help a lot with this. I got lucky because my host brother took my roommate and I out so he showed us popular bars and clubs. If you want to be immersed and really meet/be surrounded by Spaniards, break away from that big group of Americans and go somewhere other than Paddy's and Chupiteria. You won't regret it.

I loved my time in Granada! Walking to school and seeing all the beautiful buildings, flowers, and even the graffiti was something I will never forget. I was timid at first staying with a host family, especially since my host mom didn't speak English and my Spanish was awful but Carmen was very patient and incredibly kind and I loved it! The cultural and excursions were amazing since they allowed me to learn a vast amount about Spanish history and culture as well as see and experience things I may not have known to do on my own. Our directors were very knowledgable, helpful, and personable and I love them! My classes were amazing as well; they seemed easy at first but I realized that I really was learning a lot and able to apply my studies in my daily life there. I also adored my teachers, they made learning fun and were very patient and good at explaining things. The nightlife was amazing also and I had do much fun going to discotecas and watching street shows. My only regret is that I didn't take advantage of the exchange programs to meet a student from Spain; I didn't make many Spanish friends. My biggest regret though is that I was only therefor one month! I miss it so much and can't wait to go back!