Spend Your Fall Semester in Spain with NYU Madrid

I had a really great experience in Madrid! I learned so much from just being surrounded by history and traveling to actually see the different cultures and materials we were learning about. For example, when we learned about Venus figurines, I got to go to Paris and see some of the ones we talked about. When we learned about the Muslim influence in the Iberian peninsula, we were able to go see it for ourselves in Granada. Or for analyzing Bosch, we had to go to the Prado to see the original work. Having to use Spanish all the time (while hard at first) really helped me improve my Spanish, too! I loved the different parks in Madrid, and while some might disagree, I actually really liked the food as well. While there isn’t a lot of visible diversity in the population, there is a ton of diversity in the food options! The metro and the streets were so clean and nice, and Uber is super easy to use, too. Although it’s tempting to travel out of Spain almost every weekend (because it can be so cheap!!) I would recommend spending time in Spain and also just within Madrid because it really is a beautiful and interesting place to be.

The best experience of my life! NYU offers an interesting intercultural experience. Classes are only with other NYU students in the NYU building. However, we live with college students from all over the world! There were some students also studying abroad from the US, local Spaniards, and Europeans from all over! The classes offered a unique insight into the Spanish culture. I loved learned about something and then going out into the city and seeing it! My Spanish greatly improved while abroad and that was something I really wanted to work on. The locals are so kind and always happy to have a conversation with you!

I think NYU Madrid is great, but be prepared for rigorous coursework, as well as the fact that the program is mostly NYU students. If you are from another school, put yourself out there in order to make friends because some people come with friends already. The staff is great and all of the professors are amazing. If you're looking for an academic experience as well as a cultural one, this program is for you. If you're planning on skipping school to travel, party, etc., you're better off somewhere else.

I'm an NYU junior studying politics, development, and Spanish. So far I have spent one complete semester at NYU Madrid and have just started my second. In my experience, the academics at this campus have been exceptional. First, the class size is usually less than 15 - I have had one class with about 20 students, but this was by far one of the most popular on campus. The small class size allows you to get to know the professors and other students much better than in some large classes at main campus. This is especially helpful if your professors are Spaniards, since they can help you with the city and culture. There is a large range of classes here: Spanish history and culture, business, human rights and international law, urban studies, migration studies, and more. My top class so far has been Migrations & Cultural Diversity. I have been surprised by the quality of the classes here; they've been my favorite of my time as an undergraduate. Many require some form of research about/in the city, which helps you get to know the culture. The student life and academic support staff are as a whole very knowledgeable and helpful, especially with navigating classes and the new city. They also can connect you easily with medical help (including some great mental health options) and have a network of professionals in many fields.

NYU Madrid offers two housing options: a student residence and a homestay. I spent my first semester in the residence, which is centrally located in the Malasana neighborhood, very safe, modern, clean, and has a rooftop area with seats/tables/ping pong. The guest policy is pretty strict, but overall it's a good place to live. I don't have personal experience with a homestay, but all of my friends in homestays have had positive experiences. The only complaints are that some have curfews at night, and many have conservative/traditional hosts.

The city itself is a great place to spend a semester. Madrid's nightlife has a big reputation, and it lives up to it, if that's what you're interested in. There's also great bars, concert venues, museums, and cafés for more relaxed options. The public transit is incredible, so much better than New York. Twenty euros a month gets you access to the subway (which is fast, on time, and clean) and the bus system (same), as well as the light rail network which can bring you to towns as far as an hour away from Madrid. Great for day trips. My advice would be to take advantage of the transit system and go to new neighborhoods/towns as often as possible. It is as a whole safe, but some students (including friends of mine) have had things such as phones and laptops stolen from bars and public transportation. Americans are targets in any city, so be careful to keep your things close. Some of my POC friends have had troubles with racist remarks, stares, and other disrespectful behavior from Spaniards. It's a much less diverse city than New York.

If you're interested in interning, Madrid is a pretty accessible city for that. There are many agencies that help American students find internship placements, and work culture as a whole here is pretty relaxed and welcoming. I'll be interning and doing research at an organization of/for LGBTI refugees this semester, a placement I found through an agency.

Overall I'd recommend this program to anyone who wants to get better at their Spanish, live in a city that's of and connected to Europe as a whole, and study in a country with a really unique and fascinating history.

NYU Madrid has a small campus so everyone gets to know each other, which is super helpful if you want to make close friends. The dorm is beautiful, modern and is located in one of the best neighborhoods in Madrid. I also like how NYU Madrid offer classes on Monday through Thursday only, so everyone has Fridays off to travel. Therefore, I was able to explore Europe in various ways within one semester. The faculty and staff of the school are very friendly and helpful. I truly think going to Madrid has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in college.

My semester abroad in Madrid has definitely been my best semester thus far at NYU. In addition to loving Madrid and Spain in general, I loved how small the group was. With roughly 100 students, it was really easy to get to know everyone and a lot less overwhelming than at the New York campus. All of my professors were amazing and I know that my Spanish has improved so much.
But the most rewarding experience for me was volunteering with t-oigo, an organization that pairs English-speaking students with Spanish children with hearing impairments in order to help the children practice speaking English. I heard about it through the NYU Madrid Student Life and I'm so glad that I joined. I was paired with a 5 year-old boy and became so close to not only him but his entire family. They have even invited me back to visit them. I truly feel like I have a family back in Madrid and I am so grateful for that.

As a city, Madrid was vibrant and so fun! The NYU Madrid location is very small (but I heard they will move to a better location soon), and most of the desks are broken (but again, I have heard that new desks will be purchased in the coming semester). The current location is a 40 minute subway ride from school, but subway cards are cheap (20 euros a month), and Madrid is close to many European countries that you can travel to by plane or bus. Classes are not as great as in some other NYU locations, but definitely passable.

The dorms are absolutely beautiful and so nice, and although the cost is way higher than if you rented by yourself, it is still a very nice furnished apartment-like residence. Each person gets a single bedroom, with shared bathroom/kitchen.

Excursions by the NYU team are free, and there are about 3 day trips to areas like Segovia and El Escorial. In addition, there is a free overnight trip of your own choosing (three options). These were definitely some of the highlights of my experience at NYU Madrid.

here was a specific reason I chose to study abroad in Madrid: to learn Spanish. I realized that I liked Spanish a lot, and decided to take a summer course at an institution in New York to improve a bit quicker. There, a met a fellow student who told me that she had studied in Barcelona for a while, and that it had definitely helped her improve. That's when I decided I wanted to study abroad in Spain through NYU.
The program definitely met my expectations. Taking two courses fully in Spanish was definitely challenging, but so different from what I was used to back then. Even if sometimes I didn't understand half of the things the professor was talking about, it helped me step out of my comfort zone and really use other skills to make out what she was saying, and even respond to her. It also forced me to review material and constantly practice, as I knew that being clueless in class was not an option. The professors there were so helpful and so eager to help us accelerate our Spanish skills, and I truly believe that these Spanish courses I took in Madrid were one in a lifetime opportunities.
As for socially, it was exactly how I heard it was going to be. Based on some Google-searches, many people who had studied in Madrid wrote that everything was mostly at a slower-pace than it is in New York City, and that the people are extremely friendly and amiable. And this was true. Whenever I was lost or needed help using the ATM machine, all I needed to do was ask a local Madrileno and he/she would be so willing to help out. The night life is amazing, as it seems like everyone is partying together in one huge group (especially at local bars). With so many places to go with a metro station always somewhere nearby, it was so exciting to go to new places to try Spanish cuisine. I loved the break for the fast-paced city so much that even now, I yearn to go back for another semester.