Arcadia in Granada

Great study abroad/ research hybrid experience!
Allows time for independent exploration of culture but also group excursions were well planned, interesting, and worthwhile.

Spanish classes were rigorous and focused on conversational skills.

Research mentors were extremely helpful and kind. I learned a lot about the research process.

Studying abroad in Granada was one of the most enlightening experiences in my life. The city has such charm and history and there is always more to explore. You are in the heart of spanish culture, and although one of the main tourist attractions is in Granada, you would never know how touristy the city really is. The businesses and people do not accustom to the touristy, English lifestyle, but will speak English with you if you need. This allows you to fully immerse yourself in the spanish culture and learn all that you can. It is great that the city is smaller because you can walk anywhere in a short matter of time- anywhere in the city, to getting lost up in the mountains and hills behind the Alhambra. The staff of Arcadia and the CLM were fantastic. They are all so nice and will do anything to ensure you have the best experience. Overall this studying with this program in Granada was the best decision I have ever made and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a true spanish experience.

Studying abroad in Granada, Spain, last semester was one of the best experiences of my life. Getting to live in this beautiful city for five months with a host family, take classes, learn the language, and enjoy travel and time with the other students in my program was so rewarding.

As a Biology and Environmental Science double major, I loved the diversity of the area surrounding Granada, which is in the state of Andalucia. Because of its proximity to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, the region contains a vast array of different ecosystems. I was able to study these environments in a course called Ecosystems of Andalucia, which we explored on field trips.

My Spanish classes helped me to improve my Spanish skills and were a cool way to meet other students, especially because I was the only American in the class. It was crazy to meet people from all over the world just in this class and it was a great way to learn Spanish because that was the only language we had in common! I remember looking at people sitting on either side of me in class one day and one was taking notes of Spanish words with translation into German, while another was translating into Italian. Of course, many students were learning English as well as Spanish, so I wasn't at a complete loss. Although, I do wish I had learned more Spanish before I studied abroad so that I could easily communicate with more people.

I learned a majority of my Spanish, however, by simply being in this Spanish-speaking country. Not many people in Granada spoke English, so I was forced to learn the language very quickly just by taking the local bus, ordering food and drinks in restaurants, asking where something was located in a store, etc. It was frustrating at times but I still loved every minute of it. Our Arcadia program directors also set up intercambios for us, where we would sit down with a Spanish local who wanted to learn English and speak in both Spanish and English so that both parties would benefit from the exchange.

In addition to my classes, I was able to volunteer to teach local elderly people to speak English by conversing with them - it was nice to know I wasn't the only one struggling to learn another language! This was generously set up through the Arcadia program directors. We mostly talked about the differences between Spanish and American culture and the stereotypes of each, which was cool to hear from the local people. The two cultures are very different, but also strikingly the same, the main differences being the timing of everything (work, meals) and the emphasis on family life over work life.

I could go on and on about my life in Spain and Granada and all the different experiences that I had there, as every day brought something new. This experience was so great for my personal and professional development, as I learned how to deal with being thrown into a situation where I didn't know anyone and was able to make friends, learn the language, and make as much out of it as possible. Plus, I didn't only spend time in Granada. On weekends and breaks I was able to travel throughout Europe to visit eight other countries and more than two dozen cities, including lots of cities throughout southern Spain - but Granada will always be my favorite.

Granada is a beautiful city on its own and Arcadia made my experience the best it could be! They offer a large variety of trips and activities that enhance the experience, and they have an amazing staff that helps you along the way. It was so easy to make friends on this trip where there are fellow students all around you and so many opportunities to take advantage of. I lived in a home stay with a woman who took such good care of me and my roommate and was VERY enthusiastic about teaching us about Spanish culture. The classes were not extremely challenging, but I felt that I learned a lot, and still had time to enjoy my trip without feeling consumed by school work. I volunteered with senior spaniards to help them learn english and it was one of the best parts of my trip. I recommend taking advantage of opportunities like this to really get involved in your community abroad. I have no complaints with this program and would absolutely recommend it to a friend.

I really feel like Arcadia in Granada is an ideal study abroad program for someone who wants to go to Spain, develop or improve their Spanish language skills, and engage in a true Spanish cultural experience.

I found Granada so great and so fitting to what I was looking for. It's a small enough city that you can really walk anywhere (although public transportation is available), but it's also big enough that it has just about everything you would need. While at first I thought a 20 minute walk to school (my home-stay was a bit further away), I came to really enjoy the walks and fact that there was really no need to drive anywhere. The city also caters heavily to the large university there, and to the study abroad students, so there was also many events going on at night that were directed to the students. There's also great shopping in Granada and so many cool shops and restaurants to explore.

Speaking of restaurants, probably one of my favorite things about Granada was that they give free tapas with your drinks. While some places in Spain still do this, the norm most everywhere else is to charge for tapas or give very tiny portions of something with your drink. In Granada, some places would give almost a full meal. So you're basically paying for awesome wine that's super cheap compared to American bar standards, and you get a free meal with that. So great!

One of the main inconveniences of living in Granada was somewhat difficult travel to go outside the city. Granada's airport is quite small and most flights going out of there were more expensive. You would have to take a bus to the bus station, then from there you take a bus to Malaga, then a bus from the Malaga bus station to the Malaga airport, and then you leave on your flight. While it really wasn't terrible, it did make travel more difficult.

One other somewhat downside was that the school all the study abroad students were in was affiliated to the University of Granada, but operated totally separate from it. This meant that all our classes were with other study abroad students, so it made it a bit harder to meet Spaniards. It was good, however, in the sense that classes were much easier and the Spanish was at a slower pace for those not already fluent when they arrived.

Granada was such a great (and beautiful!!) city to study abroad in, and what made the experience even better was the program itself. The staff were just awesome!! The directors that help you while you are preparing to leave are very helpful and responsive, and even more the directors in Granada were some of the nicest people I've met! They also had quite a few really fun excursions planned for us throughout the semester, both inside the city and in other parts of Spain. My favorite was going to La Alpuharra (the collection of pueblos outside Granada) around Thanksgiving time and going on an incredible hike, touring a place where they make jamon iberico, and having a full Thanksgiving dinner American style. The whole area was so cool, and the hike epsecially was just incredibly scenic.

Overall, this program is fantastic and I would really recommend it to anyone trying to go to Spain to learn Spanish and be immersed in the culture!

I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in an immersive experience in Spain. To begin with, Granada is a wonderful city to study abroad in, its main advantage being its size. The larger cities in Spain, while perhaps being bigger centers for arts, culture, and partying, are so large that as a foreigner, you're unlikely to be able to experience the repetition and familiarity that constitutes a study abroad immersion experience. Granada was walkable, safe, and small enough that I was able to make friends with Granada natives, but large enough that I still never stopped exploring its corners. Its one of the most inexpensive cities in Spain, its close to Morocco, it has a North African influence...
You'll be able to practice your Spanish everyday. Granada is one of the most popular spots for European students to study abroad, so the entire city welcomes college students from all over the world, and a lot of the bars even have nights where your drinks are cheaper if you are there to practice languages with Europeans.
I chose to live in the international apartments, and ended up living with 4 Spanish girls my age and 1 Argentinean woman. They welcomed me like family and I still talk with them a year later. My Spanish improved an immense amount this way, and I was able to learn colloquial Spanish and go out the way that Spanish people my age do. The international apartments also host other Europeans... I became good friends with a few Italians this way as well. Spanish became the common language in the apartments, even when I was speaking with my American friends living there.
A typical day would consist of waking up pretty early, heading to class at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas for Spanish and Culture classes, and then coming back for siesta. I would hang out with my roommates in the kitchen during this time, cooking and talking. I'd often go for a run later, or out exploring the city in the afternoon, and then would often get tapas or a coffee with my Spanish friends at night.

All in all, after completing this program, I think I avoided a lot of the complaints people make about studying abroad... I was able to learn colloquial Spanish from natives through immersion, I was independent because I wasn't living with a family that cooked for me and had strict rules, I was actually immersed in the Granadian student way of life with my friends, rather then only hanging out with Americans and traveling all over Europe every weekend (which you still could do)... I also wasn't broke after the whole thing because Granada is incredibly cheap.

One of the highlights from my trip was renting a van with a few Spanish, American, and Italian friends, and driving out to Salamanca for their new years party, as well as cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my Spanish and Italian friends.

The program also provides you with amazing excursions throughout Spain... hiking in the Sierra Nevada, going to Toledo, seeing professional Flamenco dancers, eating expensive and delicious Spanish food.