A Cosmopolitan Way to Experience Spain

While some would discredit the architecture as less compelling as Barcelona or Sevilla, Madrid is in every way possible a sister city of the greatest in world - a New York, Paris, or London done Spanish style. Whether you love all-night, multiple-day parties in the fabulous club scene (Goa Fabrik boasts 24-hour, 5-room parties in their expansive pavilion complete with a gazebo and swan lake), casual tapas and beer or wine with friends for any price range or culinary taste, or simply strolling through the inexhaustible parks filled with ancient Egyptian tombs, Crystal Palaces, and rose gardens, you can always find an activity to match your tastes. Friends of Spanish, Italian, German, British, or any other possible ethnicity abound for you to find. The Prado and Reina Sofia are free several times a week, and they contain not only works by Spanish masters Dali, Goya, Braque, Picasso, and Velazquez but constantly rotating special collections of interactive modern art from every era and classics from Monet to Turner. Even if the art scene is not your taste, simply cross barrios to find fantastic local shows ranging from punk to traditional Spanish music. Nearly every performer, band, and DJ imaginable tours through Madrid. As long as you learn to watch your wallet for pickpockets, the city is quite safe as well. You can never expect to hear gunshots as you would in a city of its size anywhere else.

As far as the USAC program itself, the school was 45-minute ride from the center and quite small. However, dealing with the chaos of Madrid day-in and day-out make it a safe haven in many ways. The staff is friendly and helpful, but if you are at all enterprising, I would not encourage taking their student housing options. A quick turn through idealista.es can bring you less expensive options in the center of the city with Spanish roommates than the housing they accommodate. The professors ranged from mediocre to excellent, but even the worst of them had a lot to teach.

When speaking with people about to begin their study abroad with USAC Madrid, my advice is simple - travel light, live free, and, above all, savor every moment - you will find yourself at home in the end craving something as simple as plate of croquettes and beer as thought it was the greatest moment of your life.