Live in the dorms

Madrid is the most awesome city ever and I can't say enough in favor of studying abroad there. I was very fortunate to live in a dorm at the Universidad Complutense with Spanish undergrads and international grad students -- all of whom speak Spanish nearly 100% of the time. I highly recommend doing that. Take advantage of the cultural activities that IES offers, particularly the class that meets inside El Museo del Prado, one of the world's best museums. In my experience IES participants were great people but they probably won't take the language pledge too seriously, so that is a drawback you have to work around. The IES staff is wonderful and you'll love each of them dearly. I did not find the IES classes that challenging except for the language class, which was top-notch (I still keep the textbook for reference). Nevertheless the point is more that you're learning in Spanish -- and if you self-direct a bit you'll learn a lot! It's a fascinating time to learn about the EU, the Euro and the European economy -- not to mention Spanish history. But of course the valuable things that you do studying abroad are the exploration that you need time to do (which homework would've taken away from) -- so good on IES for giving us free time. I think one of the other reviews mentioned how great Madrid is in terms of access to the rest of Spain and Europe and I want to second that -- it's definitely the easiest city to travel from on your weekends and vacations. I went to Mallorca, London, Paris and many places in Spanish Iberia, often visiting cities when they had a major fiesta such as Las Fallas, Carnaval or Semana Santa.

Living in a dorm allowed me to take full advantage of Madrid. I saved a huge amount of by time not having to take a subway commute. I took an art history class at the Complutense itself. I played soccer with the students in my dorm. I watched soccer with them too, and ate meals and partied and made friends. It was amazing. I was next to a beautiful park in which I could take runs in the evening past the Manzanares River, Goya's burial place and the Palacio Real. I spoke Spanish way more than most other IES students. I just can't say enough.

My tl;dr advice to a potential studier-abroad: YES, you do know enough Spanish so I don't even want to hear any more insecurity out of you. YES, Madrid is the best place to study in Spain.