Study Abroad in Madrid with Instituto Franklin-UAH

This is by far the best study abroad program I could have chosen. Alcalá de Henares is the perfect location to study abroad. It is clean, safe, and has the feeling of a small town, but is also so close to Madrid which makes it so easy to explore and travel. There were many opportunities to travel around Spain through Instituto Franklin and Erasmus, which the Institute makes extremely easy to join. I felt supported at all times when it came to academics and living abroad in general. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to study abroad in Spain.

I absolutely loved my time studying at the university in Alcalá de Henares! The staff at the university and with Instituto Franklin are amazing and very supportive. The classes can be challenging at times, especially around midterms and finals, but the work load is light enough where you have plenty of time to travel. I stayed with a host family and had a great experience, but I have friends that stayed in the dorms and the facilities looked great. I highly recommend participating in ERASMUS, their events are a great way to meet people. Alcalá is also in a great location, only a 40 min train ride into Madrid. This made traveling really easy, and it was nice not to be in the city all the time. All around great experience, I would highly recommend this to college students who want to study Spanish in Spain!

Alcalá de Henares is such a wonderful Spanish city. There is so much history and literature and life to experience there. I always felt safe, and I never felt like there wasn't something fun to do around the next corner. Try tinto de verano and patatas bravas in the Plaza de Cervantes, you will not regret it. Get a café con leche and visit the Universidad de Alcalá where classes about Don Quijote mesmerize students like me from around the world. I highly recommend you give this dreamy place a visit!

I really enjoyed my time studying abroad this summer. Being able to see many cities in Spain while studying Spanish in Alcala was a very memorable experience and I had loads of fun. Not only did my Spanish improve tremendously but I was also able to have an incredible time, meet lots of new people, and see new parts of Spain that I had previously never visited. Also the material that we learned in the classroom added a layer of depth to the entire experience as many of the things we learned were directly applicable to the experiences we were having.

Alcalá de Henares is a quaint, leisurely city with a family-friendly ambience. It is best for those who want to get away from the fast-paced environment of a big city, although it is only an hour train ride away from the lively downtown of Madrid. My study abroad program was amazing because of the beautiful city and because all of the program staff were welcoming, and had some great recommendations for places to visit! I stayed for a month and think it was a good amount of time to appreciate what the city had to offer. Visit if you have the chance!

Studying abroad can seem extremely daunting at first glance. I had so many questions and concerns leading up to the trip. However, I am so happy that I picked this program. The location is absolutely beautiful. There is so much to see just within walking distance! I had the best host mom who made my house mate and I feel right at home. The faculty were incredibly supportive and kind! The classes I took were so engaging and fun. I left with way more confidence in speaking the language as well. I could not believe with how much more Spanish I picked up in just a month!

The Instituto was phenomenal with my semester abroad. All classes were taught in Spanish, and I lived with a host family. These two aspects were wonderful for my cultural immersion and growth in Spanish. I am truly appreciative of the staff who I have grown close with over the semester. They were always helpful, attentive, and supportive of me. One unique part about this program are the excursion, which I wish I had taken more advantage of. They went to Toledo, Segovia, La Valle de los Caidos, and more. With this program I not only made friends from around Spain, but also around the US. I also grown close to the professors and staff and got to know them outside of the classroom, like at futbol games and cooking classes. Without a doubt, living with a host family was one of my biggest stresses, but I have grown so close to them over the semester, and my understanding of the Spanish culture, language, and literature was truly enriched. Yes, having classes all in Spanish was a challenge, but that helped me so much with presenting, writing, and speaking in Spanish. All of these aspects helped me achieve my semester goals abroad, and it's an experience I will never forget.

My experience was unique in that I became almost fluent in Spanish during my stay. I minored in Spanish during undergrad, but I was completely unaware of my capabilities until I was immersed in the language in Spain. Staying in a host home had its pros and cons, but I took the opportunity to speak as much Spanish as I could with my host family (who did not speak any English), and I was very surprised at how much I learned at OU and was able to apply abroad! We traveled and saw beautiful cities and parts of Spain that I did not know existed. Ibiza was my favorite; a group of us traveled there on our long weekend. The food in Spain is different but delicious, and fútbol is a huge part of the culture I thoroughly enjoyed. Being in Madrid during the Champions league final was exhilarating!