Program Reviews

Arcos has a very distinctive and helpful program that includes both language instruction in Santiago de Compostela (with a family stay) and a two week trek-pilgrimage on the Camino. We were a group with faculty and 18 university students and had a wonderful time on this Arcos-hosted adventure. The organization of Arcos is incredible and began before we arrived in Spain. The range of cultural experiences for students, substantive site visits, transportation, meals, and hostels arranged while in Spain was also impressive. Arcos has professional, knowledgeable, and helpful guides who assist faculty and students navigating difficulties also (as *life* happens on such journeying). This was a wonderful educational and experiential learning opportunity made possible by Arcos.

Our study abroad program with Arcos was great! We packed a lot of experiences into a 4-week stay. We visited Madrid, took an intensive Spanish class in Santiago de Compostela (3 credit hours), and walked for 10 days on the Camino de Santiago. The students were challenged and engaged the whole time. Interesting and fun excursions and cultural events gave us all an opportunity to experience Spanish and Galician cultures - a trip to Toledo, the Prado, a seafood lunch at the Mercado in Santiago de Compostela, welcoming host families, a boat trip to O Grove to tour the bateas, a visit to the Leon and Burgos cathedrals, magical dawns along the Camino, evening group meals recounting the day's walk, arriving into Santiago for the 12:00 Mass after our 200k/120 mile pilgrimage...those are just some of the highlights of this trip! The balance of personal time and group activities over the 4 week period was well-organized for a group of 18 students, giving everyone the opportunity to explore the cities within a flexible structure. We lived a wide variety of experiences on this trip and had a blast!

I am a dual credit student at Austin Community College, and this was my first time leaving the country in years, let alone studying abroad. Naturally, I was very nervous. But the moment the plane landed, I was welcomed to Argentina by the tour guide and bus driver. We chatted in my slow Spanish as the bus wove through the Buenos Aires late-night traffic.

This experience was not a fluke. Everyone on the program, from the other students to the homestay parents to the guides and directors, was incredibly friendly and helpful. I felt as happy and comfortable as I possibly could in a strange new country. Through Arcos, I saw the sights, ate the foods, heard the music, and experienced the culture of Buenos Aires. It's not a trip I will soon forget.

Hello. Studying abroad in Oaxaca through ARCOS was a fun, easy, and smooth experience. The excursions and activities that were selected felt authentic and educational. For example, visiting the Tlacululokos Studio felt like a peek into real Oaxaca’s societal problems and activism. The ARCOS team, prior to arrival, made sure to reminds us to fill in the forms on time. Additionally, our guides made it easy for us to travel from one activity to the next. Additionally, they were very helpful and knowledgeable about Oaxaca.

I thoroughly enjoyed the one-month trip organized by Arcos Learning Abroad that included Madrid, Santiago de Compostela, Cambados, Burgos, Leon, and several smaller towns along the Camino frances pilgrimage route. Everything was well-organized and executed, and the organizers were outgoing and fun! Since I am a professor accompanying the students, I especially appreciated the warm welcome from the University of Santiago de Compostela and the host families they provided for our 18 students. I got to see the progress they made in Spanish and delight in the ways in which they opened up to cultural experiences in Spain. Fantastic trip!

Arcos was an amazing experience, they made exploring a foreign city and a different culture an amazing experience! The directors were amazing, they knew the city very well and were able to give us guided tours that were very informative. Arcos was very helpful in the program fee all of our accommodations booked and an entire itinerary and our program leader kept in constant communication with us keep us updated daily. The excursions by Arcos were amazing as well as the academic side. Learning a different language is not easy but by being immersed in the language it makes it significantly easier.

This program was my first experience outside of the United States, and I’m super grateful for that!
The itineraries were well-structured and kept everyone engaged, with still a reasonable amount of free time. Our guides were both well-versed with the areas, and the home-stays were very immersive.
I think my favorite part of the trip was the amount of sights we were able to see in such a short amount of time. Being able to see the preserved architecture in so many cities definitely made the trip that much more memorable.

Granada is one of the best cities I've ever visited and the Arcos program did an amazing job at ensuring that I experienced many things unique to Granada. I learned so much about Spanish culture and experienced people and places I never thought I'd have the chance to. I felt so safe and had the best host family ever. Everyone I encountered was so kind and my Spanish skills improved so much! There aren't many words to express how great of an experience this study abroad was, it was life-changing.

I enjoyed every second of this trip - the food, the culture, the people, and the environment was the best. The beaches in Costa Rica were super pretty. We got to visit Universidad Latina in San Jose and we seen how beautiful the campus was. The people who worked for the program who organizing our day to day schedules were very nice. Everything was organized and there was a special dinner the last day with all our host families. It was a very special moment because we got to serve them just like they were doing to us.

Overall, a wonderful experience... Great experience with the staff and the host family I stayed with. The activities were all fun and interesting, and I loved the city of Granada. In my opinion it is the perfect size, it's affordable, there are great people, and it has both the beach and mountains close. It is also filled with college students which makes a lot easier to meet other students.

Granada is also a tremendous to learn spanish. The people are patient and happy to help you learn. The accent is slightly difficult at first, but you can quickly get used to it. The combination of staying with a host family, taking spanish courses, and speaking spanish in my everyday life for 4 months was really able to take my spanish to the next level.