CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Madrid, Spain

I had an amazing experience with CEA CAPA for my time in Madrid. I had never traveled to Europe before and had never even used public transportation before. That changed within my first day arriving in Madrid and I do not think there was a day that I did not get on the metro. Because the school where I was studying was so far away from the center of the city, where I lived, I had at least a 1.5-hour round-trip commute every day. I say this not to say that it was bad, for me, it was very fun. One of my all time favorite experiences abroad occurred because of this commute. I was getting on a train that I had to take only for one stop between the 2 campuses and at the platform I had helped someone find which train they were supposed to get on and we had been talking. When the train arrived and we got on, there were some performers busking in the car that we got into (as there are, more often than not). These performers were having a particularly great time and they were singing a bachata song and dancing with each other. They then invited the person I had been talking to to dance who then invited me to dance and for the very short ride, I got to dance bachata on a train with a stranger.

From the moment I landed I had a very welcoming experience with the CEA CAPA program and all the staff members of the organization. They were extremely helpful in the orientations and made it seem as if they already knew me. All the interns working int he organization and extra people helping that were from the city of Madrid were also extremely welcoming and made the experience so much more fun. The education was also very immersive and I loved the amount of field trips offered in the courses I was taking. It really helped immerse me into the Madrid culture.

This was the most fun summer of my life! It was the perfect balance of classes and adventure. The CEA CAPA staff were incredibly helpful and always quickly dealt with any snags that came up. My classes were super engaging and the professors were well prepared and easy to understand. I truly could not have picked a better place to study. Madrid is such a huge city, and has a metro system that makes getting anywhere accessible and easy. I always felt safe traveling around. You will also never run out of things to do. Madrid has everything from go-karting to concerts to amazing good. It is such a vibrant city, with such welcoming people. It's also central to Spain, which makes traveling around the Iberian Peninsula very accessible and cheap.

My time in Madrid with CEA CAPA was undoubtedly one for the books. It had been on my bucket list for years to study abroad in Madrid, and I am so grateful for this experience. CEA was extremely helpful and supportive from stateside all throughout my time in Madrid. On top of being an excellent resource for the logistics and academics, CEA CAPA hosted exciting excursions such as flamenco dinners, cooking classes, and trips to cities such as Segovia, Toledo, and Seville. I truly felt acclimated to the Spanish culture with CEA's guidance and I would jump at the opportunity to go back!

Going to Madrid through CEA CAPA was one of the best decisions of my life. CEA was super helpful in navigating this new country and making sure we were comfortable in our housing, navigating around, and making new friends. They held the most helpful orientation and plenty of optional events throughout the semester such as trips to nearby cities, a flamenco night, a cooking class, and a tapas night. These allowed us to be immersed in the culture as well as meet new people. I would go back in a heartbeat!

I spent the fall of my junior year abroad in Madrid, Spain, and it was the best decision I had made for myself. Through CEA CAPA Programming and Housing assignments, I met some of the best people I have ever met. My eight roommates and other friends supported me endlessly during my time abroad. My favorite memory is the 24-person Friendsgiving my roommates and I hosted; that was the moment we all knew how abroad had impacted us and our long-lasting friendships.

The most common questions regarding my experience from people interested in going abroad are about academics, social life, and traveling.

I studied at the Universidad de Carlos III in Spain, and only half of the classes I took during my time abroad were related to my major. The rest were considered general elective credit because I knew I wanted a more flexible schedule when I was abroad. I would say that they were at about the same difficulty level as my home university.

Another question I often get is about the commute to campus. In my opinion, Madrid has one of the best metro systems in Europe. It is incredibly convenient and easy to understand. My apartment was in Madrid, and the Carlos campus is in Getafe, a little out of Madrid. I took the Cercanias train straight to school from my apartment, and the commute took about 45 minutes. I wish it was shorter and at first, I thought commuting was crazy, but my roommates and I got used to it. It was also one of the first times I had ever experienced public transportation alone. I also structured my classes so that I only had to commute there and back once a day, and I spent time in the library between classes. One of my favorite memories is that my friends and I always got a cafe con leche and a pastry for 1.60 euros daily between classes.

The social life in Spain is very alive. There was always something new to do, and it felt like the city had never slept. Our favorite tapas place is called Malaspina in the city center. The staff laughed every time we walked in because of how often we would go. My friends and I also loved to explore new places in different neighborhoods. My favorite neighborhood was Malasaña because it felt young.

My favorite trip was to Sevilla, which CEA CAPA organized. It was a beautiful location, and the trip felt stress-free. Not only were all my friends on this trip, but we could take our time rather than feel like we had to be on the go compared to other trips I had been on. The program also organized different optional tours during this trip, making coordinating easier.

Spending a semester abroad in Madrid was one of the best decisions I ever made! The housing that CEA CAPA provided was just a few stops away from the center of Madrid -- it was super safe, easily accessible, and close to other students. There were a number of events within the first week with CEA program leaders to help familiarize us with the city and other students in the program, which was a nice way to ease into an unfamiliar environment. Orientation helped acquaint us with norms of the culture that are different from what we experience on a daily basis in the States. Even after orientation, program leaders were available to help out with anything (housing issues, questions about classes, etc). Throughout the semester, CEA organized a couple of day trips (and even 1 weekend trip) that was covered by the program costs. The school was an hour commute from where we lived, so ensuring that you planned out enough time to get to and from class (especially with public transportation) is important.

From the friendliness of locals, to the accessibility within the city (and outside the city), to the liveliness of Madrid, this was the perfect place to study abroad. I would 10/10 recommend going abroad to Madrid with CEA CAPA!

I had a great time in Madrid and made countless friends through my experience! I loved my apartment and most things about my school, especially the professors. I always felt super safe and cannot wait until I can go back again. I only had classes with other exchange students though, so it was a bit hard to make friends with locals and other people from Spain, but other than that I have no complaints from my semester abroad!
I really enjoyed all the new experiences I got to have, including trying new food and going to new places and it has given me such a different outlook on life.