IES Abroad Madrid

Madrid was an amazing city to explore as a student. It had a variety of activities, from world-famous museums and parks, to a lively nightlife and food scene. I had access to cultural activities, a great group of fellow students, and easy access to travel Europe. I always felt safe in the city and really felt like I got to know it well. Classes were great and easily transferrable to my home university, although we did have a daily commute to class. IES provided support where needed. My housing was amazing as well. No complaints!

I had an overall fantastic experience with IES abroad Madrid with the exception of the Internship course. The actual internship that I had was fantastic, the company was great and I benefitted greatly- however the weekly class, or "seminar" as they called it, might have been one of the biggest wastes of my classmates and I's time. The professor was outright rude to his students, and the actual content on the class was not useful or novel. For example, one of the assignments we had to complete was to create and submit a CV and cover letter in spanish. This sounds like a great idea in theory, except that all the students had to submit a CV and cover letter in english and spanish to even be admitted into the internship program- essentially wasting all of our time. It was also ridiculous that we spent 8-15 hours a week at our internships yet that only accounted for 15% of the grade, while the one hour of class where nothing new/not common sense was taught accounted for the other 85%.I also want to highlight that the seminar was on friday mornings, while no other IES classes were held on Fridays. While I truly believe that IES should be able to schedule classes on fridays if they would like, I also feel that if that is the case, the class needs to be a worthwhile expenditure of time. By having a professor that treated the students as if they had zero common sense or critical thinking skills, many students felt as if their time was completely wasted and the friday morning class was not only inconvenient, but pointless. I heard similar feedback from my peers who also were enrolled in the internship course, so I know my sentiments were shared among others in the program. So while I did have a great experience, this one aspect put a damper on the overall rating I would give the program.

IES Abroad Madrid was by far the best experience I've ever had. I have not a single complaint. I met people that I'm confident I'll be close with for the rest of my life, learned more in a handful of months about other countries that I haven't throughout all my years of education at home, visited sights I never knew existed, and just had an overall unbelievable time. I have no regrets and strongly encourage everyone who is able to take the leap on the opportunity this is. It will change you and your perspectives on life in the most rewarding ways possible

This was a great program! Throughout my semester abroad I got to experience so many cool things and meet a ton of great people! IES organizes field trips to different cities around Madrid where you get to learn about the history of Spain and its culture. There were activities organized pretty much every weekend that gave me opportunities to get to know local students and experience life in Madrid. My housing was in a very convenient location close to a bus stop, metro stop, and lots of stores and restaurants. I definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to immerse themselves in the Spanish culture and experience life in Madrid!

I studied through IES Abroad in Madrid, and I had a wonderful time, learning a lot along the way! As it was a short term, I took two classes - both of which gave me extra insight on the city and were taught by fantastic profes. In addition to mini "field trips" to notable museums or locations in the city via my history class, the larger program offered day trip excursions and events in the community, such as attending a Flamenco show, learning how to make paella and torte de Santiago, and regular meetings with Spanish students for conversation and fun. I experienced a great balance of coursework/guided activities and time to explore Madrid on my own. I got to tour castles, swim in the mountains, and learn a Spanish card game. I also got to shop local markets, see outdoor concerts, and even play pickup soccer in the park. By the end of the program, I felt that I knew Madrid's city center and a few outskirts extremely well. I'm grateful for my time studying abroad...and I look forward to an opportunity to go back!

I studied abroad in Madrid during the spring semester of 2022 and it was the experience of a life time. Actually getting abroad was a little rocky, but from talking with other friends who went abroad, this seems to be a universal experience. I ended up accidentally arriving a week early for my program, so I spent some time in Spain by myself. This accident was great for my transition from home to abroad life because it gave me the chance to explore and come out of my comfort zone without the frenzy of the start of school and orientation activities. IES had a lot of resources set aside for students that I used frequently throughout the year. I had weekly tutoring for both of my biology classes, when I became sick during my time abroad, a physician came to my room to treat me, and the organized field trips throughout the semester really helped keep all of the abroad students close and connected. Over some weekends, I would travel with my friends to other countries. From this independence, I learned so much about myself and the way I fit into the world. I came to learn what empowers me and what I value/lean on in the midst of change. Going abroad was a huge period of consistent adjustment and readjustment. As stressful as this sometimes was at first, I am so much more flexible in the way I live my life, and my life is easier. As I was initially adjusting to the new stresses of life abroad, it was really important for me to have a safe space. I needed to create my own home. Having a really safe and homey bedroom was important for my relaxation and decompression from daily life. My apartment provided by IES was perfect. It was called “Mi Casa Inn,” and it was basically a hotel that only students lived in. There were other abroad students, and Spanish locals who lived there. This was amazing for integration and quick connections with other students. This was also really safe when going out at night because I always had friends who were going back with me. I am one hundred percent sure that IES was the best choice for my abroad program.

I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain in the semester of Spring 2022. It was quite literally one of the best periods of my life so far, both personally and also academically! I made some incredible friends, got to learn about a new culture, practice and improve my Spanish skills enormously during my time there. Madrid itself is also an incredibly city to live and study in. It's full of culture, life and things to do. It also has amazing transportation systems, healthcare and the people are super friendly and welcoming too.

The IES staff were also so helpful and easy to reach out to during my time abroad. They were there to help with any issues I had, which was greatly appreciated. The classes were also fun and interesting, even though they were pretty different in comparison to how US classes work. Expect more lecture based classes, as well as the classes being entirely in Spanish!
My housing was great too, I had my own dorm with plenty of space and an en-suite bathroom. It was about a 3 min walk away from my classes and a 10-15 min walk from the metro station, shops, etc. I couldn't have lived in a more central location.

Overall, I would recommend this program to ANYONE interested in studying abroad, even if you feel your language skills are not that strong - this is a great chance to improve them whilst having fun doing it! It truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you should do it.

From the moment I stepped off the airplane to the moment I boarded, I felt the support of the IES staff. It was a peculiar time when I was abroad; Spain had just begun to experience a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases before we were asked to repatriate. Nevertheless, the short time that I was in Madrid was a special and memorable one. I was placed with a warm and caring host-family that taught me a lot about the Spanish culture and with whom I built a relationship. Classes were from Monday to Thursday, so I always felt as if I had enough time to explore the city and its surroundings. To mention: my art history class took place in The Prado Museum; instead of spending the class hours inside a classroom we learned about art in the museum. I saw paintings from El Greco to Goya to Picasso. Additionally, IES often organized activities and excursions to expose students to more aspects of the Spanish culture. For example, IES organized a weekend trip to Extremadura; a place where we were able to learn about history, food, and the regional culture. All in all, it was a culture enriching experience—even if it was for a short amount of time.