Spain: Alicante - Spanish, Linguistics, European, Gender Studies

I loved my semester in Alicante. I would recommend living with a host family. It really helped me improve my Spanish and get to know the city. If you want to live with a host family but you're nervous, just go for it! You'll learn so much The staff at USAC were superb and they also made my trip great. They were always very helpful when we had questions. They also brought us on amazing field trips to Granada and to Morocco. The trip to Morocco was my favorite trip from my entire semester abroad. Alicante itself was a beautiful seaside city that I would recommend to any traveler!

My time in Alicante with USAC was one of the best study abroad experiences I've ever taken part in. I lived in the provided apartment housing opposed to living with a host family, and while that may have resulted in a more cultural experience, my apartment was very large, clean, updated, and it had laundry and a dishwasher in unit, along with a balcony! The guided tours were so much fun and informative, the transportation was extremely reliable and we never veered from the schedule we were provided, which was appreciated. My Spanish class was so informative, and it's important to note that it was done in such a short amount of time, and Maria was one of my favorite instructors I've ever had, even in America. A truly great experience - - I would recommend it to anyone.

Spain was the most beautiful place to live for 6 months. Alicante is wonderful because it has everything you would ever want. If you want to party all night long, there are clubs for that. If you want to have a nice day at the beach and relax, you can do that. If you want to take a tour and see the culture they have that too! The program also plans a lot of trips to outside cities like Granada and trips to other beaches. It was like a have a whole new family with my peers from school, my advisers, and my host family that I lived with.

I very much enjoyed my time in Alicante through the USAC program. I was able to see, do, and learn so many things that I don't believe I would have anywhere else. My experience studying abroad through this program enabled me to challenge myself and have the time of my life, all at once. I was able to meet so many great people from across the world and made lifelong friendships that have made it possible to go on even more adventures since. The local program staff is also very kind and supportive. Academically, I was able to advance my Spanish skills more during my six months abroad than in the five years of Spanish classes I had taken previously. I also sparked an interest in the field of international education and I am considering pursuing a career path related to helping other students get an amazing study abroad experience. Alicante is full of fun activities from hiking to the two castles within the city, lounging on the beach, and going to local soccer games. The city also has amazing transportation including buses, trams, train systems, and an international airport. It is very easy to navigate the city and travel outside of it. One of my favorite experiences during my time abroad was being able to travel to Morocco for a field study and I know that the trip, being facilitated by USAC staff, was much more meaningful than if I would have gone on my own. Studying abroad with the USAC Alicante program was the best experience of my life and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to study abroad.

I relied heavily on reviews when making my study abroad decision, so I felt compelled to leave one myself. I spent the Spring 2017 semester in Alicante and as my review title suggests, it was the best decision I ever made.
Alicante is the perfect city to study abroad in, in my opinion. I wasn't looking for a larger city like Madrid or Barcelona because I wanted a more authentic experience with less foreigners and that's what I found in Alicante. Fewer people speak English, so you use and practice your Spanish much more (but you can definitely get by without being fluent- all my Track I friends were fine). Alicante is not a tiny city by any means though: amazing nightlife, busy airport with plenty of nonstop flights to major European cities (London, Dublin, Paris, etc.) and lots of people. It is an incredibly beautiful city and is within an hour of most destinations on the Costa Blanca (the region Alicante is in) like Calpe, Altea, Benidorm, etc. I would really recommend visiting as many of these sites as possible; they are all so breathtakingly beautiful.
The host families and landlords have been with the program for years so they truly are the best of the best. I am still in contact with my host family now that I am home. I really enjoyed my experience in a host family and would highly recommend it, but a lot of my friends also really loved their apartment experience so it all boils down to personal choice.
Coursework was not bad at all in my opinion. Most professors understand that you are abroad and try not to bog you down with work. I still feel like I learned a lot and grew in my Spanish abilities. The professors are also so sweet and care about their students. After turning in all my final exams, all my professors hugged us goodbye and wished us well. Track III and IV do not have Friday classes which was ideal for weekend travel.
The support from the staff was unbelievable. They are not just staff members, but your family for the semester. They will accompany you to the on-campus doctor, helped drive people to their internships, organize weekly activities like soccer, basketball, hiking, etc., and then bigger excursions to explore the Alicante region. They have free printing in the USAC office, so I would go in there to print something out and ended up hanging out with Luis, Sylvain, and Veronica for 30+ minutes just chatting.
I absolutely loved my semester in Alicante and would recommend anyone to do the USAC Alicante program!

Before my semester in Alicante I had never been to Europe. Never really traveled that much. Now I can't get enough of it and want to move to Europe after graduation. Alicante is a very safe city to walk in at all hours of the day or night, has a good metro and bus system and an excellent, bustling nightlife. City is very cheap to live in, beautiful beaches and weather, and the best mediterranean food has to offer. The on site program director and assistants helped us with everything we needed, including booking activities that we suggested or wanted to do. They actively suggested things for us to do and suggested places to eat, sometimes took us places to eat. The university has a beautiful campus that reminds you of those at home. The program sets you up with language partners that help you practice your spanish and you help them with english. This helps you meet locals. Excellent program that I would definitely do again.

After my first week in Alicante, it truly felt like home. Everything about the city was perfect. It was easy to navigate, all the restaurants were good, the people were friendly, and it was by the beach! I made some of my beach friends studying abroad that I couldn't imagine life without them. A huge part of why my experience was so positive was due to USAC. Everyone agreed that our program had the best housing locations, teachers, and advisors! They were always there with advice and for help.

My time spent in Alicante, Spain with the USAC program provider was the greatest 6 months of my life. I had no problems with safety or the apartment that I was living in. The staff were amazing at making you feel comfortable in this unknown place. They were willing to help with anything you needed (from wanting to get more involved in the Spanish culture to needing to go to the doctor). I highly recommend this amazingly beautiful beach town and USAC as your program provider.