ISA Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain

Growing up, my family and I never got the chance to travel other than the occasional trip to Kansas City for a softball tournament and Wisconsin Dells when I was 12. Being from South Dakota, a very rural state lacking in excitement and diversity, I wanted to explore the world while improving my Spanish language skills. ISA granted me the perfect opportunity to do so. The size of Salamanca was perfect. Not nearly as chaotic and overwhelming as Madrid, but far from being as dry as my college town. For starters, the staff at ISA are excellent at communicating and responding to every concern and question you may have about your trip abroad. Their website presents hundreds of programs in over 69 different countries so you will definitely be able to find one that works for you! My trip abroad included excursions to Portugal, Sevilla, Segovia, Madrid, and Toledo, along with an optional trip to Morocco, which I endured of course. I rode camels and ATVs through the Sahara desert, took a tram up the Swiss Alps, and ate one too many tapas, all while growing my Spanish speaking abilities! I also made lifelong friends who I still stay in contact with to this day! Thank you ISA :)

Salamanca is a small, unique, historic, lively, young city, perfect for students looking for a richly cultured experience abroad. Salamanca is so gorgeous and historic, yet it has such a large student population that it is incredibly young and vibrant, especially at night! The food, atmosphere, nightlife, and even daytime activities kept me busy and entertained all day everyday. I made some very dear friends in my program, and made friends with locals! The people of Salamanca-especially students--are just as eager to meet new people and make friends as you are. Unlike the larger cities of Spain, Salamanca is very small and walkable and CHEAP!!! This made coming back from traveling to bustling, more expensive cities so comforting because life in Salamanca is more relaxed. I can count on one hand how many times I used a taxi and/or public transportation there. My professors were all wonderful. They were passionate about the subjects they taught and engaged in our learning process. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this city and this program. I miss it everyday and will definitely return to the Golden City.

This was my first time studying abroad. I was beyond nervous, but this was the best experience of my life. ISA had so many opportunities and activities that kept us busy but we still had the opportunity to hangout and explore with our friends. The staff was beyond exceptional, and supported me with all my fears and complications. My first problem was missing luggage and the staff called the airport and had my luggage sent to my hotel room. I had the best time. I have no complaints at all. There were many opportunities after ISA.

I originally signed up to do a program in Spain with one of my college friends. She backed out a few months before we were supposed to go. I thought about backing out too, but decided to just go through with it. I was nervous, to say the least. I didn't know anyone and my Spanish wasn't that great. Thanks to ISA, I had the experience of a lifetime.

The ISA program put me in positions to meet other people. I made friends that I still talk to today. They helped me review areas of Spanish that were weak so I could keep up with my classes. More importantly, they helped my build the confidence to enjoy living in another country.

Salamanca is a very under-rated city in Spain and should seriously be considered more often by prospective students.
ISA staff was ALWAYS available for us, no matter the situation and they are all just so down to earth, friendly, warm and welcoming people.
Salamanca was by far my favorite city in Europe. Not only is it absolutely beautiful, but it is also rich in history and culture. Walking into the Plaza Mayor for the first time was breath-taking, and each time I passed through, I could help but admire its beauty. The classes were very interesting, the professors were amazing, and the location of the city was very strategic. It was only a (2hr) bus ride away from the Madrid airport. My host parents were very accommodating and loved to cook for me and my roommate, yet were very understanding when we made other dinner plans with friends. I definitely recommend staying in a home stay in order to be fully immersed in the culture, and especially if learning spanish is a main goal of yours!

I loved studying abroad in Salamanca because it gave me a perfect immersion into Spanish culture with the college-town feel. My professors really fostered cultural learning and awareness, but were also in tune with international students wanting to experience the culture hands-on and outside the classroom as well. The ISA staff was beyond helpful with anything and everything, while my living situation in a residencia helped me make friends from all around Spain and develop in my speaking skills!

one of the things that made this trip so wonderful was the helpful staff of ISA. They were very friendly and willing to help you with whatever you needed, homework, finding a good restaurant, or finding places to travel they were there. They also organized a lot of events (mostly free) that we were able to participate in. The events ranged from going to see a movie, or see a flamenco show, or play soccer in the park. If there was different staff then I think the trip would not have been as fun. They made the culture shock less shocking and helped us get the most out of our excursions and our trip in general.

I enjoyed my time over there. I payed attention and got good grades, but i could have worked harder. The program is organized and there were no kinks. I enjoyed my homestay as well. Would do again if I had the chance.

I chose a summer program lasting 6 weeks focusing on intensive Spanish language comprehension. It was my first time abroad but I was so ready. I studied at the University of Salamanca (la Universidad de Salamanca).

Even going into the country knowing only about 50% of the language, being with ISA and with my fellow students made me feel SO at ease and relaxed I sometimes forgot I was there to go to school! Everything from the food, the fiestas, the nightlife, the parties, the landscapes, the architecture, the history, the people, the dancing, the laughter, the music - EVERYTHING - was absolutely intoxicating.

We began our journey in Madrid where I first met my classmates. Together, we bonded as early as Day 1 and to this day I am elated to be able to call those people my lifelong friends. From Madrid we traveled to Toledo, San Lorenzo, and finally arrived in Salamanca a week after arriving in Spain. What I loved most about the overall organization of excursions, was that we were all getting to know each other and becoming friends BEFORE the stress of school started, it made us all much closer before we even got to Salamanca - it was beautiful to be able to "click" with a group of strangers who are all bound together for the same purpose and goals.

After a few weeks in Salamanca, we traveled around the country visiting Segovia, Santander, Santilliana del Mar and Castillos. I even went to Lisbon, Portugal through one of the organized optional trips ISA effortlessly helps set up for you! You simply walk into their office, tell them where you wanna go, and by the time you leave you've got the most concrete and solid travel plan better than any Travel Agent could provide for you!

I cannot speak more highly about my time in Spain. ISA helped me from my first to last day, and every step along the way. The ISA Spain advisers (as well as the Austin, TX correspondences back home) helped me explore not only the world around me - but myself as well. I owe my future career plans to ISA, because they helped my discover my inner wanderlust, and I am just getting started!

The customer support and all registration was incredibly easy. Everything was streamlined, communication was excellent for any questions. Various means to accomplish any of the tasks asked.

The staff at ISA Salamanca are incredibly helpful and always devoted to their students. Every question that they answer is with a smile, and it's positive that they enjoy their jobs very well. Salamanca is a stellar city to study abroad since it's basically a college town (where you will meet people from all over the world), and it's big enough to not get bored easily. You will find a lot of things to do and the historical charm of the city (like having classes next to the cathedral or seeing a 14th century monastery on your way to class every day) will surely add to that experience.

I think that this program is definitely worth it for those who are beginning to learn Spanish and those that are taking college courses with Spaniards in various fields.

The ISA Salamanca program was great! The program staff were always willing to help and were available for assistance anytime we needed. The side trips that they took us on were amazing, well thought out and extremely fun! I loved my host family and ISA was great with setting them up. The University had amazing professors and great academics. My only complaint was that if you are not a big party person, look into another city Salamanca is a college town so there was a lot of partying and not as many other options for your free time.

The program was incredible!

It started with a about a week of sightseeing in Madrid and Toledo before coming into Salamanca where we took our classes.

The ISA staff were great about helping us with our class schedule and offered tutoring help in the office. Nearly every weekend there was an included trip to another Spanish city. They even did some great tours and educational things in Salamanca.

The home stays were amazing and students were generally crying when they left. I was in an apartment where I met people from all over the world. Food was amazing.

ISA was there for us when we needed help, but didn't come down on us all of the time or stand over ours shoulders.