API Salamanca Review Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

My classes at the University of Salamanca were pretty interesting. They were all very small, so I had a lot of opportunity to speak in class. You will likely be in a class with other students who are learning Spanish as a second or third language, so it didn’t feel like an intimidating environment. I almost never had homework so my afternoons and evenings were free to explore Salamanca and hang out with friends, which was nice. I found that I learned the most Spanish through speaking with my homestay and talking to the locals.

On-site administration of your program

API was extremely accommodating and easily accessible. They were knowledgable and really friendly. Ana (our program coordinator) was absolutely lovely. After orientation, the program is pretty hands-off, but if I ever needed them, they were extremely easy to contact and provided me with all the resources I needed.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My homestay was so sweet and caring. She spoke no English at all, so living there really forced me to use the language all the time, which is great for learning. I remember spending many nights watching Spanish Game Shows (concursos) and chatting late in the night with my homestay. She introduced me to her entire family, who frequently visited to have lunch or dinner with us. Another bonus of living with a homestay is the delicious food. Even though I ran every day by the river, I gained 10 lbs during my time in Spain (whoops). The food really is to die for.

Errmehgahd the food is amazing.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The nightlife in Salamanca is awesome! There are lots of discotecas and bars. The town is crawling with university students, so there is almost always a party going on. However, for me, it was hard to make friends sometimes because I was the only American in my classes which were almost entirely full of Chinese students. Many of these students did not speak much English and were learning Spanish as a second language. It was, at times, hard to connect because many of them were most comfortable speaking Chinese with each other, so I had a hard time integrating and making friends within my courses.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never got sick, so I cannot really answer this question.

I always felt pretty safe walking around the city.

API did a good job of integrating us into the town of Salamanca. The trips we took to Seville and London were both very fun! Our program coordinator was so friendly and knowledgable.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

4. Salamanca is pretty cheap! The only thing that could get expensive are weekend trips around Spain/Europe.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• International Students

• The Town
• The University
• My Homestay

• More Group Outings/Social Facilitation

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