IES Abroad Madrid - Language & Area Studies

I had the most amazing, culturally-enriching experience in Madrid this past Fall semester! Going into studying abroad, I was torn between Barcelona and Madrid, and am so incredibly grateful to say that I made the best choice by choosing to study abroad in Madrid with IES. I specifically chose a full-immersion, language intensive program so that I could strengthen and improve my Spanish speaking skills, and fully immerse myself into the Spanish culture and way of life. I absolutely LOVED living inside of a Colegio Mayor (Spanish dorm), as it served as a cultural hub, overflowing with so many different cultures, allowing me to meet new friends from literally all over the world ( that I still talk to). I was able to do "intercambios" with these new friends, where they helped me improve my Spanish, and I, their English, so it was a really great living-learning environment that I recommend everyone to choose! IES was amazing with their pre-departure information, and for helping me with every single step along the way before I left to Spain. Once I got to Madrid, the orientation was informative and the staff was so incredibly kind and caring, and truly want you to get the most out of your experience abroad. The study center put on different cultural events during the week and on the weekends, and IES did a really nice job with pre-planned trips to different cities in Spain (San Sebastían being my favorite). The study center was in a super safe location, right next to a beautiful park, and was actually located right next to one of the metro stops, allowing me to access the metro very easily and accessibly. As far as classes go, they were more academically challenging than the classes I was used to in my home institution, in that I have never taken a course taught in Spanish that was not about Spanish grammar or Spanish studies. I definitely wrote a lot for some of my classes, but the homework load wasn't too intensive that I didn't have a social life or couldn't travel. During my experience abroad, I only stayed in Spain; I visited 11 different Spanish cities, and truly had the opportunity to immerse myself into the Spanish culture. I was able to see the world through a more globalized and empathic lens, and be more understanding towards others who are different than me. Madrid gave me the chance to step out of my comfort zone, make amazing friends, explore beautiful sites, learn what my passions are, and helped me grow in more ways than I thought were possible. I hope you enjoy the vitality and heart of Madrid as much as I did. (:

My favorite part of this experience was participating in the many extracurricular activities that IES provides. I was able to join a language interchange group, participate in a flamenco dance class, and assistant teach English at a grade school in the city. I also loved taking a course about the Prado Museum. Despite having a semi-difficult experience with my host family situation, I felt that the program staff was always available to support me. If you go on this program, do not be afraid to ask for help.

I had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in a culture different from my own. Participating in a full immersion program helped me to step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself to try new things and continue strengthening my Spanish speaking. Living in Spain's capital, Madrid, I never ran out of things to do. My favorite part of living in Madrid was running from my homestay to see the magnificent sunset at Parque del Oeste and run by the Palacio Real. There are so many great food options, and for dessert, I definitely recommend San Gines for the best churros con chocolate. Overall, my experience studying abroad in Europe was better than I could ever imagine. I had the opportunity to travel to many different countries and experience even more cultures. I loved my experience and highly recommend that everyone studies abroad.

Madrid is a diverse city that has a way of making you feel at home. It's easy to navigate and has all of the resources of a big capital city without feeling overwhelming. IES ensures a positive, fulfilling experience by providing opportunities to interact with local students, live with a host family or Spanish compañero, and take courses that will improve your understanding of the city and culture. I had courses about the History of Madrid and an art course taught in the Prado museum. Be sure to take advantage of all of the IES sponsored trips, too; the guides are incredible. Come prepared to make friends for a lifetime and discover a newfound independence.

Living in Madrid for four months really opened up my eyes to the way in which the United States influences the rest of the world, as well as how Americans are perceived by others. It made me more understanding of cultural differences, and I came back to the U.S. feeling much more informed. It was a great way to take what I have been studying in Spanish classes for so many years out into the real world, and I was able to further develop my conversational speaking abilities to be more like a "native."

Studying in Madrid through IES was the best 4 months of my life. I was able to enjoy the awesomeness of the hospitality, academics, and culture of Madrid through the assistance of IES. The semester was sprinkled with explorative group trips that really allowed me to become close with my peers, and learn about the lesser known parts of the country. The academics were intensive enough to allow me to improve and practice my Spanish; however, they were not unnecessarily rigorous. IES really established a system where I felt that I was able to fully immerse myself to the Madrid lifestyle as much as I wanted. I met my current best friends, I meandered around Europe, and I fell in love with all things Spanish. I am hit with a wave of nostalgia every day that I am not able to sip on a cafe con leche paired with the ever so consistently delicious tortilla española. IES Madrid does it right.

While enrolled in this program I enjoyed my abroad experience a lot. I enjoyed this program specifically because it allowed me to get a feel for what it feels like to truly live in Spain because the program supervision was not overbearing, but there were enough activities that allowed me to feel a great sense of community. My only critique for the program was that students were rarely allowed to live outside of IES housing, which (in my opinion) did not provide the best option for cultural immersion. Overall, this is a great program for students to have low-academic rigor in order to fully enjoy their abroad experience.

IES Abroad Madrid was AMAZING! I learned so much while I was in Madrid and wouldn't trade that experience for anything. Because Madrid is so centralized, I was able to travel to a plethora of cities within Spain and experience other countries outside of Spain as well. There is a wide variety of classes offered and lots of activities to participate in with the university. Plus, my homestay experience was incredible - I still talk to my host mom a couple of times each month!

This program was the best 4 months of my life. The staff at IES was incredibly helpful and hands on in every capacity. From academics, to travel and safety, they had amazing resources and advice that was genuinely helpful. The courses were relatively easy (language barrier was tough at times) but the professors are helpful and want you to do well. Madrid is an incredible city that is filled with beautiful parks, wonderful museums and amazing food. You will never be bored while you are here. I made some of my best friends through this program and was able to travel to and explore more than 20 different cities throughout Europe on my own and with IES.

IES Madrid is a great program that I highly recommend! It is in an incredible location and I loved being in Madrid and getting to know the city. My host mom was incredible and the staff really wants each student to feel comfortable. My classes were challenging and ranged from analyzing Spanish film to going to the Prado museum twice a week to study paintings. I thoroughly enjoyed this program and all of the different academic options as well as the program trips. The staff is incredibly kind and patient and I made some great friends!

IES Madrid is a great program with many different options to personalize your experience. Academically, students are able to challenge themselves as much as they like with the option of enrolling in UCM. UCM courses are a great way to become immersed and learn in a foreign setting.
Also, it is great that there are other opportunities to become involved: including an internship program and being an English Teaching Assistant in a local secondary school. I enjoyed learning about the Spanish education system and helping adolescence learn English through the teaching assistant program.
Overall, this is a great program with a lot of options. Also, Angel and Yolanda do a great job supporting all of the students.

On this date one year ago, I made the best decision of my life: to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. I was filled with anticipation and excitement... I had seen friends' pictures and heard that studying abroad is "an experience of a lifetime" but still didn't know exactly what that meant.
Through IES Abroad, I was pushed to expand my horizons both in the classroom and out. I improved my Spanish, of course, but more importantly I learned about myself. Everyone, from the program directors and the professors, to my host family, and the friends I met along the way greeted me with kindness and made me feel loved. While I was in Madrid, no matter how bad of a day I had had, it was impossible not to smile. In fact, just reflecting on my experience makes me smile.
One year ago I had no idea that I would fall head over heels for the country, the culture, and the people of Madrid. One year ago today I could have never told you that I would feel just as much like I was leaving home when I was departing from the USA as I did on my return flight from Madrid. I am so thankful for all the opportunities I was given through IES Abroad and urge you to apply... who knows, maybe one year from today, you'll feel the same way I do!

There are three elements that contributed the most to my study abroad experience; the academics, housing, and cultural experience.

Academics: I was really impressed with the classes at IES. They offered a diverse selection and the topics were very interesting. I found the professors engaging and they clearly understood the needs of the students. It was slightly more work than I was expecting but worthwhile in the long run. I wasn't very happy with my UCM class in the end. It was more of a challenge than I anticipated and I didn't have the time or discipline to seek out the resources available. I was hoping it would be a good place to meet local Spanish students but because of the way the classes are structured in Spain it wasn't possible.

Housing: I highly recommend the homestay option. If you are serious about learning the language there is no better way than living with someone. Its a really well organized and thorough system so you will be happy with the experience. The other options require more independence and effort on your part if you want to really immerse yourself in Spanish culture, but they are still great options. I lived in the dorm rooms for a short period of time at the end of the trip and it was a great experience.

Cultural Experience: After my study abroad experience I can officially say that Madrid is one of my favorite cities in the world. There is so much culture there. The nightlife is by far the highlight. And I'm not even referring to the clubbing experience. The restaurants, bars and plazas come alive at night and being a part of that was my favorite aspect of studying abroad. Madrid is also an extremely convenient city if you're looking to travel a lot while studying abroad. There are many easy ways to get to the airport and the flights are relatively cheap.

I cannot say enough good things about this program. It made my semester abroad the great experience that it was!

Madrid is beautiful in so many different ways that it is difficult to decide what part of my study abroad experience is the one I loved most, but what I can say for sure is that the cultural exposure I received there is something that I will never forget and that will stay with me forever. When I first arrived I was no stranger to museums, concerts and other types of cultural events—ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved these type of activities—but none of this compares to the magnitude and quality of what I discovered in Spain. Besides spending hours inside every museum I could possibly get into, I loved to walk around the city because I felt I was constantly surrounded by history. The more I was exposed to culture, the more I wanted to learn about Spain. IES did a marvelous job of encouraging and guiding me through these discoveries; the Staff is incredibly helpful and friendly and they put a lot of effort in organizing trips and activities that allow students to fully immerse themselves into Spanish culture. Whenever we visited any sites outside Madrid we had knowledgeable and engaging guides that showed us all the neat parts of each city. These trips were always very well organized, and although the Staff members made sure to keep us safe, they were also flexible when we wanted to explore the city by ourselves. I also love that IES offers so many different classes about Spanish history and art—whenever we made one of these trips I couldn’t help feeling like I was actually experiencing what I had learned in class. I especially liked my Spanish literature courses; I took Civil War Literature and Performing Arts (after 1975) and García Lorca and his time. Before going to Madrid I knew very little about peninsular literature, but these two classes were really eye-opening for me because they allowed me to better understand a critical period in Spanish history. Indeed, if what you want is an incredible and fun opportunity to travel and get a unique glimpse of Spain through its culture, IES Madrid is definitely for you!

My semester in Madrid with IESAbroad was truly amazing. IES worked to organize field trips, cooking classes and flamenco classes, as well as set students up with language exchange buddies, all of which were amazing learning opportunities. My professors were all interesting and highly qualified, making my classes challenging yet enjoyable. I particularly loved my class at the Prado Museum, in which my professor was a curator at the museum. He was full of knowledge about the art, and eager to share his love of art with us! I also loved that we got to take a class at the local university, Universidad de Complutense. It made my experience much more immersive culturally, and I would recommend taking at least one local class to anyone who has a high enough level of Spanish. Another great aspect of the program was the administrative staff, who went out of their way to make the experience great for the students. One staff member walked me to site where I was volunteering so that she could help me find it and get started there. Overall, a great experience! I'm jealous of everyone who still has this experience ahead of them!