A Year In Granada, Spain: The Greatest Experience of My Life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I took a total of ten courses -- eleven if you count the PLP (Preparatory Language Program) -- while abroad and only disliked two, and that was due to the fact that I didn't like the professor (both classes were taught by the same professor). That's a win in my book. You have access to computers at the CLM (Centro de Lenguas Modernas) and the library is well-equipped. The professors have office hours, so you could stop by and ask questions if you have any. What's nice about this program is that you're placed in classes with no more than twenty-five other students, so the professor learns your name and it becomes fun to participate in class. However, the down side is that every student in your classes are going to be American. Luckily, you get to take one class at the facultad with European students (mostly Spanish).

On-site administration of your program

Maria Maldonado is an amazing woman. She answered every question the students had while abroad. She was there to help with our classes, listen to our problems, suggest courses/professors, suggest activities to do in Granada, and simply be a helping hand.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

With CSU IP: Granada, the students have to look for housing on their own, forcing them to speak Spanish from the start of the program. While many choose to live with people fromt the program, I chose to live with Erasmus students and it was honestly the best decision I made while abroad. Throughout the year, I lived with two Spaniards, two Italians, a Belgian, a German, an American, and a Brit. It was an amazing experience.

The food in Granada is fairly cheap, which is welcome by any college student. Tapas in Granada are free with the purchase of a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), so you save a lot of money that way. The trick is to figure out how hungry you are. If you aren't very hungry, you can get a small tapa. If you're really hungry, you can head out to Nuestro Bar and get a huge order of carne en salsa or calamari. The downside to the food in Granada: there isn't much variety. You basically have to choose between shawarmas, Spanish food, Italian food, and Chinese food. If you're willing to spend a lot of money, there's a very good Mexican restaurant on calle Molinos (Ranchito mexicano).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

In the city center (where I lived), I always felt incredibly safe. I never had any problems.

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

Because Granada is so cheap, it's fairly easy to stay on budget. The problem comes when you decide to go out constantly or when you decide to travel. I managed to stay within my budget because I set up an allowance for myself (I was only allowed to take out a certain amount of money per week).

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

You're not allowed to speak English in the classrooms (at least at the higher level) and Maria expects you to speak to her in Spanish.

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• Apartment

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• International Students

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• Americans

• Housing: I got to live on my own; I didn't have to live with a host family
• Trips: CSU IP organized a lot of trips for us, but not too many. The Cazorla trip was my favorite.
• Advising: María Maldonado helped me so much while I was abroad. I couldn't have asked for a better on-site advisor.

• The PLP
• The facultad course: I wish I had the option of taking my one required class in a different facultad (not filosofía y letras)
• All of the classes are with other Americans.