SSA: Alicante, Spain

I loved this experience with Spanish Studies Abroad. The program directors help make the experience individualized and community based. Also Alicante has its own airport which connects you to the rest of Europe for traveling. I also loved that we were able to attend a Spanish University with Spaniards. Spanish Studies Abroad provides you with numerous opportunities to connect with locals and experience the Spanish way of life. Their commitment to speaking Spanish only helps you develop your language skills and immerse yourself. I would recommend Spanish Studies Abroad- Alicante to beach goers, Spanish enthusiasts, world travelers, and students of all kinds. In Alicante, Spain your days will be spent at the beach and hiking the castle. Also if you’re looking to travel Europe this is a great place for you.

I studied abroad in Alicante, Spain in May 2019. I went with Spanish Studies Abroad, took classes Monday-Friday at the University of Alicante and stayed with a host family. My first big takeaway from this experience was the language. My goal is to attend medical school after graduation from Marian. I have a Spanish minor in the hopes that I will be able to communicate with future patients in their first language to make them feel more comfortable and open. There is an ever-growing population of Spanish-speakers in the United States and I feel it is very important to attempt to bridge that language gap in whatever ways I can. I believe that my time in Spain has given me some of the necessary skills to achieve this goal. I have become more proficient in my Spanish conversation skills and have learned many words and phrases that will help me in the future.
My second takeaway from studying abroad is how vast the world is and how much there is to explore. My study abroad experience opened my eyes to a different culture and created an excitement to learn about cultures other than my own. I learned about the Spanish culture first hand and being fully immersed opened my eyes to the things I take for granted in my own life. I feel like I learned so much within the 4 weeks that I was in Spain, but I know that I did not get a chance to experience a fraction of the full Spanish culture! I am now even more excited to travel to new countries in the future.
I would absolutely recommend studying abroad to all students! No matter what your major or career goal is, studying abroad is an amazing experience to receive course credits and to immerse yourself into different cultures. There is always something else to learn about other countries through studying abroad. It is an unforgettable and life changing experience and I would recommend staying abroad for as long as you can!

Because I was looking for a shorter program due to a summer job beginning in early May back at my home university, I stumbled upon the Spanish Studies Program with Spanish Studies Abroad in the beautiful city of Alicante, Spain. The city itself is located on the Mediterranean coast and has tons of charming, gorgeous little pueblos just a short train ride away, which allows for not only fulfilling day trips to exotic-looking locations, but also a day trip that fits right into your budget by using your tram pass that takes you to class daily and spending maybe a euro on another train. Your host mom even packs lunch and you can be back in time for dinner! If you don't want to travel, there's a beach just a hop, skip, and a jump from your home stay along with all the shopping you could imagine, bars, and wonderful cafes like my favorite, Canada Cupcake. I did not hear a single complaint about home stays from anyone in my program and I don't have a single one except I wish we lived closer and I could visit now! As for the ladies in the program, my only complaint is the same: that I miss them and wish we could visit! I have grown up in a very creative environment and am a performing arts major, so one difficult adjustment for me was the lack of opportunity to play instruments. These ladies looked high and low for a place where I could express myself musically and when their search came back fruitless, one of the wonderful ladies went so far as to offer her very own guitar to me! I was very impressed with that and though I declined, the sentiment was touching. My professors were equally concerned about our adjustment process and constantly checked in with us to make sure we were well-adjusted and enjoying our time abroad. One professor I had for most of the semester was named Santiago and he was by far the best professor I have ever had. He taught us new vocabulary to express ourselves better, only spoke in Spanish but made sure we understood every single word, and checked in with us one-on-one to discuss our plans for our vacations, weekend trips, and to hear about our adventures. Last but not least, I was lucky enough to have saved enough and lived frugally enough in Spain to be able to visit 14 countries! That included meeting family I had in Paris and Germany. I did most of this by train over our long spring break and backpacking through Europe is an experience I would not trade for anything. However, every weekend I did travel somewhere else as well. I visited the beautiful Barcelona, San Sebastian, Madrid, Mallorca, and Bilbao in Spain (along with the little nearby pueblos I mentioned earlier). My program also had free trips to the castle in Alicante, Granada, and Valencia! This program was truly a blessing to my life, gave me the opportunity to see a large portion of Europe, and gave me the support and confidence to travel (alone at times) to see what I wanted to see. I would highly recommend this program to anyone.

My pictures were too big to upload, but if you're interested, here is a link to a file in my Google drive with some pictures https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByMQbxPrHXO0WlpwWjk…

Studying abroad was the most challenging experiences in my life thus far, yet it was the most rewarding. There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about my trip. It was worth every penny! I look forward to the day I can return and learn more.

I had the wonderful opportunity to live with a great host family and attend classes at the Uni with spectacular professors. The city of Alicante is very much alive and there is a beautiful beach, castle, plazas, as well as awesome shops and eateries that are in walking distance from any host home. In addition to all of the great local entertainment, it is very easy to travel from Alicante to other locations via the metro, trains, buses, and from the airport. The program included organized trips to cool places such as Granada and Valencia, and inexpensive additional trips to national parks, to go scuba diving, and to see Las Fallas, among other things. The CC-CS' awesome coordinators really make you feel welcome and at home; they make it easy to get involved on campus and in the community, as well as keep you safe while traveling. The classes are layered for different levels of language and integration, and include fun electives like Flamenco and gastronomia (for those who like to cook and eat high quality, culturally relevant foods and travel to where the best stuff is harvested, prepared, and consumed). I absolutely loved my experience, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their Spanish, travel, meet marvelous folk, eat super fresh foods, learn about the Spanish culture and history (among other cultures), and truly have a blast!