IES Abroad Salamanca

1) Housing: If you choose to live in the dorm, you will have quick access to the faculties for Ciencias Sociales and Derecho: it is a five minute walk from your room to half of the department classes (it's a 15 minute walk to the IES center, where the mandatory IES Lengua class takes place). Also, you will have your lunch paid for on a once-per-day meal swipe (a worth of 6 euros) at one of three dining halls. The food is good, but absolutely forget eating there is you have food restrictions (like being gluten-free or vegetarian/vegan). Also, if you like healthy food like fruits and veggies, be prepared to eat lots of potatoes, plain iceberg lettuce, canned vegetables (or vegetables cooked with mystery meat) and other non-healthy food that they will claim is healthy! The dessert of any given day is your choice of a piece of fresh fruit or yogurt. As a dorm resident, you will have to pay for your breakfast, dinner and snacks. There is a small supermarket (El Dia) about 5 minutes away, and a larger all-purpose one (Marcadona) about 15 minutes away. There is also a small gym, study rooms on every floor, inexpensive wash/dry (4 euros per load), and a gaming room (billiards, tv, ext). If you are in a home stay: know that your food schedule is completely decided by your host family. The food is not always varied, but they are able to accommodate food allergies/restrictions. There is even a family that is great with providing food for those with Celiac-- the moral of the story is don't pick your housing based on food restrictions! As a student staying in a home stay, you also will have more of the money you saved/brought to spend on what you want (instead of what you need) because your host family will provide three meals a day and snacks. Be ware that host families can be a little overbearing and/or may not want you in their space-- they do not always consider you part of their families. Some students who lived in home stays were not allowed to be anywhere in the house except their rooms and the dining room (and especially not allowed in the family room where the tv was).

2) Internet: You need a connecter for the ethernet. Some laptops ave it built in, others you will need to buy a convertor for the thunderbolt (for Mac, not sure about PCs). The dorms do not have wifi in the rooms, but fast and reliable internet on the ethernet. You can also set it up so your computer emits wifi (just look it up) so you have it on your phone in your room. In the home stays it is hit-or-miss: some houses are great, others have spotty internet.

3) Walking: be prepared to walk everywhere. Two weeks after your arrival here in Salamanca, you will think a 20 minute walk is short. On average, I walked 6 miles a day in Salamanca without even trying. From the dorm to the IES building, it's about a 15 minute direct-route, downhill walk (nearby there is a dining hall). It is about 5 minutes to the Ciencias Sociales/Derecho faculties, about a 5 minute walk to the nearest dining hall, about 20 minutes to the Plaza Mayor, about 15 minutes to calle Van Dyck (a well-known, tapa bar street), and about 25 minutes to the Cathedral (and the plaza that has the Filologia/Language faculty). If you live in a home stay, it can be hit-or-miss. I suggest that you put location as one of your top priorities for housing because it will make your life much, much easier! No home stay was more than 25 minutes away from the IES center (which is about 5-6 minutes away from the Plaza Mayor).

4) Communication while in Salamanca: you are required to have a phone where you can be reached while in Salamanca with IES. Some students used their US phone and cell number. Others bought the Spanish SIM card (usually from a store named Orange) and added euros to it as necessary. Still others had two phones: their home one and a cheap (about 40 euro) flip-phone with a Spanish SIM card. Do what is best for you, but know that it is IES policy to have a working phone with you at all times!

5) Registering for classes: GOOD LUCK. The IES staff here are the least organized people. They also don't seem to care to help you, yet have all these obligatory/mandatory titles on everything. It was BS.

Overall, I loved my time, made great friends and got to travel plenty while still getting to know Salamanca but if I could do it all over again, I would do Madrid if I was studying in Spain.

My favorite memory includes Spanish, French, Italian and American students cooking traditional dishes to celebrate "la noche vieja universitaria"! Salamanca will give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the beautiful cultures of the world we live in while perfecting the castellano language and learning about Spain's captivating past and present.

Typical Day:
8:15 am: wake up, eat breakfast (cereal)
8:45: Walk to class (10-15 minutes)
9-11: Class at the Universidad de Salamanca
12:45-1:45pm: Required grammar class with IES
2-3: Lunch @ home, prepared by host mom.
4-6: Spanish Cinema class with IES
7-8: Art History class at Universidad de Salamanca
9-9:30- Dinner, cooked by host mom
10 onward- relax/homework

Though my schedule changed from day to day, this is pretty typical during Monday through Thursday. Highlights for my time included the most wonderful host mom, a great roommate, fun classes with IES, fieldtrips with IES, and the ability to travel during the 3 day weekends most students had (if they didn't schedule Friday classes at the University).

Difficulties included: being very, VERY frustrated with the lack of work with my university classes and the fact that Spanish students rarely participated in class and instead spent the times on their phones or talking with each other. It was difficult to have about 70-80% of my final grade based on the final because we never had any homework (reading/writing) during the semester and no midterm to see how you were comprehending the material. I often had to look to outside sources to understand my classes better. Some students chose to take more classes with IES, whereas I only took the grammar class and one other. You have to decide whether you want a more challenging semester with credits that will transfer to your major/minor at your home university or whether you want to try direct and roll and understand the culture better.

My social life in Salamanca was great--the city is beautiful and there is TONS to do during the day (museums, shops, parks, cafes, etc) as well as at night (bars, clubs etc.) Be prepared to be forced to be social. It was difficult for me at first but I eventually got used to it. Spanish students are sometimes uninterested in foreigners because there are so many, but I was good friends with the two Spanish student assistants who worked for IES and I made some other European friends in my university classes.

All in all, loved my experience in Salamanca even though I was supremely disappointed by the level of local academics.

What at first I thought was extremely cumbersome eventually became one of my favorite things. I am talking about my daily 25 minute walk to and from classes. At the beginning of the program I would hate it but by the programs end I became to love and enjoy strolling the streets flooded with people and excitement.

I am very glad I chose IES Abroad for my study abroad experience this past spring. The staff was all very knowledgeable and helpful, and I ended up assimilating into the culture very well through their help. My host mother was wonderful, and cooked wonderful meals all semester. I chose to take both program classes and university classes, and I'm really glad I chose to do it that way. I wasn't overwhelmed with taking classes with Spanish students, but I was able to still experience the Spanish university system. Salamanca is a wonderful city that's not too big and not too small, so it was relatively easy to become familiar with the city itself, which was great. The history surrounding Salamanca is almost unreal, with famous people living there such as Christopher Columbus, Cervantes, Miguel Unamuno, and other very famous Spaniards. Another wonderful thing is that the food was absolutely delicious. Salamanca is known to have some of the best and cheapest food in the country, so I was able to try a bunch of different kinds of Spanish foods, which is one of my favorite parts. Now that I'm back in the US, I can't stop thinking about the next time I will be able to go back.

I lived in a home stay in a fantastic location in the historic area of the city. My courses were interesting and I was able to study at the local university as well as within the program. Independent travel was definitely a highlight of my experience, and course registration was surprisingly onerous. Overall I thought this was a good experience.

If you're looking to immerse yourself fully in a different culture, then Salamanca is the place for you. Very minimal English is spoken amongst the locals, comprised mostly of university students. This gives you the greatest opportunity to learn a second-language!
Additionally, everything is within walking distance, so you don't have to worry about public transportation in the town. If you're looking for a challenge, sign up for a home stay and test your language skills with a family.

One of the best decisions I have made. The incredibly supportive staff was there when needed and still allowed for independence when desired. Having the option of living in the student dorms was also a great decision. I had the freedom to come and go as I pleased as well as an opportunity to explore further the daily life of a citizen of Salamanca. From buying groceries to going for tapas with friends, I could not have been more fortunate in terms of friendliness and safety of the city. The crime rate is impressively low and people are more than willing to go out of their way to help you if you are lost or searching for something. If I could do it again, I would not choose anywhere else!