IES Abroad Granada – Liberal Arts & Language

I studied abroad in Granada for the first semester of my junior year. Honestly, I wish that I had done a full-year program because I had an amazing time! Upon arriving at my residence hall, Real Colegio Mayor de Bartolome y Santiago, the staff were friendly and helpful. They gave me a hand moving my luggage up to the fourth floor, which was quite the workout since there are no elevators. The residence hall, while it is quite old, is beautiful with several interior patios. The one major downside during my stay was the inconsistent wifi; however, aside from that, the building was great! The cook accommodated my dietary restrictions and was super friendly even when I consistently asked for more fries! The residence hall was an easy five-minute walk away from the IES building, which was super convenient, especially on the days when I was a little late to start the day. Over the semester, I took five classes, one of which I tested into - Spanish, and the rest were up to me! I enjoyed the mix of in-class work and visits that were interspersed throughout. I took Contemporary Theater, Urban Cultures, Islamic Architecture, and Mediterranean Ecosystems, which was one of the few classes taught in English. The teachers were enthusiastic about their fields and readily provided support when needed. The staff at IES were also helpful, on the days when I was feeling under the weather and needed health support! Lastly, I enjoyed the trips which were incorporated into the program! We went to Ronda, Sevilla, Cordoba, Cabo de Gata, and Morocco for a week, in conjunction with my class visits, I got to see and experience so much! I highly recommend this program!

I had the absolute best time with IES Granada. All of the staff made a genuine effort to connect with the students and really made me feel seen and respected. Because it was a relatively small cohort, much emphasis put on embracing our little community.

When I first decided to go to IES Abroad Granada, I had no idea how it would go. I had never been to Europe before, and no other student from my program or person I knew from different colleges would be attending. It had always been a dream of mine to visit Europe, but I never expected to study abroad. When I first arrived, I immediately made friends that would last well beyond the conclusion of our program. While in Spain, I visited incredible places with my program: Sevilla, Córdoba, and Morocco; simultaneously, I traveled with the friends I made to Barcelona, Milan, and London. I learned about Islamic History and European Union Politics and expanded my knowledge of the Spanish language. I assimilated into the cultural norms of eating late, playing soccer, and going out with friends from the program and locals. I loved every minute of my experience and cannot stress enough how great it was to spend a semester in Granada, Spain.