Seville, Well Worth My Years of Interest in Studying Abroad

For my 2025 spring semester I finally got to fulfill a years-long goal of studying abroad. My journey towards completing this experience was very intentional and I prioritized a lot more than just having fun.

Before entering college, I set the goal to take a semester abroad and do everything I can to make it work financially and academically. I knew I wanted to travel in the future and always thought I'd find fulfillment in doing so.

I spent my sophomore year researching study abroad programs until I landed on ISA in Seville for spring of my junior year. I could complete my Spanish minor immersed in Spanish culture and take classes that counted as credits towards my global business undergraduate certificate and my B.S in finance. Being able to stay on track academically and getting a scholarship and other aid from my home university seemed to make this a worthy opportunity for me. However, I wouldn't truly know how worthy it would be until actually doing it.

When I touched down in Seville on my 1,000+ mile solo-journey, ISA helped me get to my host family and made my traveling feel stress-free. ISA consistently offered this type of support throughout my semester, for both my academics and safety.

I was worried about meeting my host family and making friends i the program. I had not gone abroad with anyone that I knew and would be living with a random roommate in the house of a family that did not speak English. These things were well beyond my usually comfort zone, but I knew they would make for a valuable experience that would be fun to look back on. I ended up having a great roommate and a fantastic host family that I was able to practice my language skills on. Ultimately, everyone going into this experience, whether with friends or not, is probably out of their comfort zone in some way. The first week reminded me of my first week at college freshman year where everyone is willing to socialize and make new friends more than they may usually be. It was funny having that experience again a few years later with other students who have already been through that as well.

Overall, I had an amazing time in Seville, and I want to go back in the future. I bonded over soccer with classmates, and we spent a lot of time watching games at bars, going to games in Seville (Soy con Betis), and even taking trips together in Porto and Mallorca, outside of the trips that came with my ISA program. Soccer was a big reason I chose Seville as I knew it was the heart of serious passion in Spain. I get goosebumps thinking about the roar of Betis fans in the Benito Villamarín as they sang before and throughout games and beeped their motorcycles to the tune of...bad words towards their rivals. My soccer experiences peeked seeing an American score for Betis against Madrid from the front row and that same player scoring in the derby against Sevilla (as I stood in a crowd outside a bar nearby the stadium, where about 10% of people could actually see the game on the bar TV and the rest screamed for Betis blindly). I got to experience the love of soccer in Seville many times a week in different ways, meeting people from Spain and around the world as my friends and I went to different bars, games, and events.

Seville was rich with culture and events like "Semana Santa" and "Día de Andalucia" were extraordinary to experience. I meant so many local people in Seville, on solo trips to other cities, and with my friends and program. I learned so much from these people and will cherish every conversation.

I will cherish all of the conversation. All of the food, kebab especially. All of the soccer. All of the trips. All of the nights out. I have countless stories to tell and experiences I won't forget. Seville was a perfect city for its location, weather, medium-size, food, culture, and so much more. My host family was super supportive as well and I made a friendship with my host brother and sister that has lasted beyond my programs finish.

Ultimately, you can make study abroad what you want it to be. I meant other students in countless different situations and found that success abroad came down to just how willing you are. Willing to embrace a new culture, start conversations with strangers, try to communicate in a new language, and adjust to countless other things. I was willing to do these things and left Seville with so many great memories, new American and Spanish friends with them.

My classes were anchored to local events and offered activities throughout the city. I had plenty of support from the people at ISA Seville's office and rarely felt unsafe. Overall, I had a lot of fun and studying abroad and it was well worth the hype I gave it beforehand.

I would encourage anyone who wants to take courses in business or Spanish, experience soccer culture, eat good food, meet nice people, and live in a nice city to choose Seville. These are things I can speak to directly and I hope anyone reading this with overlapping interests would consider Seville for their study abroad city.