Carissa studied in Salamanca on the IES: Salamanca, Study in Salamanca Program in Fall 2016.

 

If you could give only one reason, why would you suggest other students study abroad?
If you’re studying a language, living and studying in a country that speaks that language does wonders for your comprehension and speaking abilities. Learning a language in the context of its culture teaches you so much more about the language than memorizing vocab lists and verb endings in class ever will. Often people in your host country will appreciate that you’re trying to learn their language and will be willing to help you out. There are many good reasons for studying abroad, but I think language learning is one of the most fulfilling reasons to go abroad as you see your language skills improve throughout your time abroad and you get to learn its culture too.

What specific factors influenced your decision to go abroad?
I wanted to get better at Spanish and my Spanish classes were getting more confusing and grammer-oriented. I was too scared to speak Spanish but what is the point of learning another language if you can’t eventually use it to communicate? I figured studying abroad would force me to get comfortable in Spanish as I used it every day and lived with it all around me. It definitely helped so much and now I love Spanish even more and can’t wait to keep studying it at home.

What concerns/fears did you have about studying abroad, and how did you overcome them?
My level of Spanish was definitely a concern. I had never really spoken Spanish before, even though I had studied it for 5ish years. The beginning was tough – I didn’t talk much at meals with my host family and I didn’t understand most of what was said in my classes (all were in Spanish). But I knew from other people’s experiences that it just takes time. So I worked on being patient with myself and took advantage of people who knew both Spanish and English fluently. I used them as my living dictionaries when I didn’t know how to say something or didn’t understand a word or phrase. After almost 4 months, my Spanish is so much better and I can comfortably hold day – to – day conversations, give presentations, and write papers in Spanish!

What was it about your program specifically that fit your personal goals over other programs?
I wanted a smaller program in a place where I could learn more about the traditional Spanish culture and work on my language skills. I didn’t want a big program in a touristy city like Barcelona, Sevilla or even Madrid so I chose Salamanca. I also wanted to live with a Spanish host family and take classes in Spanish which the IES Salamanca program provided. My goals were definitely met in Salamanca and I enjoyed getting to know the historic university city really well. My Spanish improved a lot which was the main goal and I got to experience a lot about traditional Spanish culture, especially from the food my host mom made!