Sol Education Abroad: Study in Granada, Spain

Sol Education provided the perfect foundation for me to study abroad! I had the best host mom, the best community around me, and the best directors. All these things combined made for the perfect setting to improve my Spanish. It truly got so much better over the course of a month and I attribute that to the foundation that Sol provided. Hard work and desire was also involved, but Sol made it so easy to have that passion to learn Spanish when you love the environment around you! The best thing about Sol is that there are often 2-3 activities per week. And that is really great because it gets you involved in the culture as well as involves you with your peers. It gives one a chance to get to know everyone in their program and I found that awesome because due to that, I met so many incredible people!

I loved Sol and Granada both so much. I wish i could have stayed longer. I really enjoyed the weekend excursions the program had planned for us but I also liked the free weekends we were given to do just anything we wanted to do. TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL while you can. While you're in Europe there are so many fun (and cheap when compared to the prices in the US) destinations that are right at your fingertips. I wish the program would have had bigger destinations for a weekend excursion (which I am pretty sure they had if I had stayed longer) but I think going to Sevilla, Portugal, or Morocco would have been so cool. I will for sure be recommending this program to others at my school and others in my program. I am so happy that I went out of my comfort zone and studied abroad.

I have visited Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Granada on Spanish Immersion Programs and my time spent in Granada was by far my favorite. My host family in Granada was so welcoming; Bernarda and Cristobal were the best host parents. We ate delicious meals every day, and had great conversations about Spanish Culture and American Culture. My classes were good, they weren't quite as challenging as I had hoped, but also weren't a breeze. The University of Granada was a great place to study, and was only a 15-20 minute walk from my host families home. By far my favorite part about the trip were the people and the activities available to me. Outside of the great programed activities, my friends and I were able to find many other engaging things to do in the city. Granada is super pedestrian friendly and whether we were just walking, shopping or visiting museums, I always felt like the city had something new to offer. Alejandro and Rocío, our two program directors were extremely helpful in dealing with any sort of problem that arose and were great tour guides throughout the city. Rocío's knowledge of the area made my experience feel super authentic and Alejandro's passion for history translated into our visits. I would highly recommend participating in the SOL Abroad summer immersion program, not only for the wonderful experiences in Granada, but also for the friendships that I have maintained months after leaving Spain!

My experience with SOL was life-changing. I was able to significantly improve my Spanish comprehension and speaking. My professors, program directors, and host family made me feel truly welcomed to Spain and gave me much needed cultural context. I made such amazing friends and experienced so much life in the short amount of time I was living in Spain. I'm even considering moving to Spain after graduation!

It's hard to put into words without sounding cliché, but this study abroad experience was one I will remember for the rest of my life. It challenged me in more ways than one as I got the chance to receive credit, become more confident in a second language, meet SO many awesome people from around the world, and really just dive in and explore one city out of the many many this world has to offer (with the help of SOL Education Abroad).
The best way to sum up how I feel once returning to the US would be that I would be happy with one weekend here with family and friends and then I'd hop right back on the next plane back to Spain. Everything is so new, exciting, and puts you out of your comfort zone. I felt as though I could go back and be a tour guide for my family and friends if we ever return. From the diverse cultural activities (anything from the beaches to the mountains - my favorite activity was canyoning in Rio Verde - all within an hour apart) to the jaw-dropping sunsets, Granada definitely stole my heart.
I would highly recommend any student (with a reason or without) to trust in SOL and let them help you create your own experience. Studying abroad impacts every student in their own way and more often than not it doesn't fail to broaden his/her perspective on life! You hear about it all the time from friends, so when the opportunity presents itself, definitely just say yes and spend the money because life is way too short not to go!

This was my first time going abroad without family, or a friend. By going on this trip, and doing the things I did (traveling to different cities, countries, doing new things) I proved to myself that I can be independent. Not only that, but I also learned to adapt; adapt to a new culture, lifestyle, food, mentality. After this experience I feel like I get to take home with me a deeper understanding and appreciation of culture, and widened perspective of the world and culture. This was by far the most worthwhile experience of my life! I would recommend going abroad with SOL to anyone who has a slight interest in learning more about the world.

First, I can hardly believe that this is ending already. Since arriving in Granada, I was in awe of all the culture. But it wasn´t until soon after that the culture shock hit a bit too hard and suddenly I was surrounded by people I didn´t know and put in a classroom. It was a bit much to take in all at once. I think that every future participant should know that studying abroad is bound to be uncomfortable and that they shouldn´t feel guilty for feeling so or being homesick. However, the SOL experience was full of things to get my mind off how I felt, kicking off with some of the most amazing cultural experiences of my life. Up until the end it was filled with one of a kind experiences. On top of that, the sooner you have people to go out with, the sooner you have your own unique experiences like exploring the city, the country, or even other countries nearby. Those will make for some of the best stories. I can already tell that this has been a huge impact on my life and within this month alone I feel like I´ve grown and changed. As much as I´m looking forward to being back in the states, I don´t regret my experience here and I´m extremely thankful for it and how fortunate I am to have been in the SOL program.

SOL has created an amazing program in Granada Spain. Granada is one of the cleanest cities that I have been to and is also a very welcoming environment to learn Spanish in. From wandering the halls of the Alhambra to paddle boarding in Nerja SOL provides the absolute biggest bang for for your buck when it comes to study abroad programs. Their staff is also extremely helpful and cared so much about my well being that they escorted me to the dentist to help translate when I had an issue.

TRANSLATION: The SOL program was excellent in a few words. If you have the opportunity to visit Granada and study here do it. This will help you academically and help you improve your Spanish. It would be better if the university or the program would help you take classes with the native people here so you would make more connections than usual. Enjoy a lot with your family and if you do not feel good with them ask for the change or just talk to them. Meet people and enjoy the time you fly by!

El programa SOL estuvo excelente en pocas palabras. Si tienes la oportunidad de visitar Granada y estudiar aquí hazlo. Esto te va a ayudar academicamente y te ayudara a mejorar tu español. Seria mejor si la universidad o el programa te ayudar a tomar clases con la gente nativa de aquí así harías mas conexiones de lo normal. Disfruta mucho con tu familia y si no te sientes bien con ellos pide el cambio o solamente habla con ellos. Conoce gente y disfruta que el tiempo se pasa volando!

Studying abroad on the southern coast of Spain was an exprience I´d never expected to have been able to do, but I´m glad to have had the opportunity. I was there for a short four weeks, but was still able to see and do so much! The program directors were always available to answer any questions or concerns I had during the program, and the excursions were a lot of fun. I was able to connect with my host family at a personal level over shared experiences and interests, and my host mom also cooked some authentic Spanish food that was super delicious!

What made my experience unique wa sthe people that helped me on everything. Coming with Sol was a great help because they were always willing to help you out in anything you needed. I never imagine myself in Spain and here I am. All the places I visited will always be saved in my hert. Specially la Alahambra, that is a place you cannot miss. Practice the language of were you going because it is really helpful to know what everyone is saying, but it also shouldn´t be an obstacle. Be open minded and prepared for everything because you will see plenty of stuff that you do not see at home.

German, Alejandro, Edu, and Gonzalo could not have been kinder and more helpful! I feel really lucky to have had them in my experience, along with my host mom (Ana Villén). Once I got here, I knew I was going to wish I had stayed longer. All of the activities were fun and highlighted all of Granada’s charm. Although school was difficult, especially in one month, it couldn’t take away from all the life experience I gained throughout my time with Sol. I truly don’t think it matters what program you use for studying abroad. I think all that matters is the personal of the program, and I believe Sol has the greatest personal there is to offer. I have fallen in love with Granada and truly don’t ever want to leave!

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I loved every aspect of my trip and the people and memories i have made will last a lifetime. Thank you sol! This trip really made me improve my spanish not only through the classes i took, but also through the immersion into the spanish culture of granada. I have been so blessed to be able to have this oppurtunity and i highly reccomend doing it to anyone out there who is debating studying abroad.

I have met the most amazing people and visited the most amazing places during this month. I love traveling and hope to continue my travels in the future. I´d highly recommend this program to anyone and everyone! I know I´ll stay friends with the people I´ve met for years to come. It doesn´t matter who you are or where you´re from; there will always be a connection as long as you´re willing to reach out and meet new people.

Choosing to embark on a study abroad program with Sol Education was the best decision I could have made. Not only was the experience as a whole life changing and eye opening, but the program was phenomenal as well. The staff was so involved, and gave us just the right amount of excursions as well as free time. I felt truly immersed during my time here in Granada, and would reccomend Sol Education to anyone who is considering to study abroad in a foreign country!