ISA Study Abroad in Granada, Spain

My semester studying in Granada was one that I will never forget. The city, the culture, the people, the language was all enough to make me fall in love with the experience. I learned so much about myself while only abroad, I learned how to be brave, how to push myself and my friends to achieve really spectacular things, and how take in the moment for everything that it is. Granada is a beautiful place and I am so fortunate to have left with memories that I will never forget and lesson that will help me become someone that I am proud of.

My time in Granada was nothing short of enchanting, wonderful, and outright life changing. This program allowed me to see a whole new side of the world, and I just can't wait to go back already! From dancing in the streets of Toledo to visiting the beautiful Alhambra palace, to having the opportunity for travel on a budget...it couldn't have been any better. I made some of my greatest friends through this program, and saw so many new things and places I never would've been able to without it. The onsite staff were amazing and helped my friends and I at any time that we needed them, and they took us on so many tours of the city where we were given the opportunity to learn more about the beauty that is Granada. My language skills improved tenfold, I met people from all over the world, and most importantly, I learned more about myself and grew as a person. So what are you waiting for? Granada is the place to be!!!!

Granada is such an incredible city with vibrant student life and opportunities to connect with others! There are so many restaurants to check out that offer some amazing, typical Spanish dishes all within easy walking distance of the university and housing! Granada connected me with some of my closest friends, really becoming my home and opportunity to travel and see new places I could have never imagined! The program includes several trips covered in the overall cost to cities such as Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, and Cordoba with visits to attractions like the Real Alcazar (used during filming of Game of Thrones) and the Alhambra, the crown jewel of Granada! There are so many great opportunities to have in the city, and it's very affordable too! See Granada for yourself and have the best semester!

I am so happy that I was able to study abroad and spend everyday trying new foods, exploring beautiful architecture and practicing my Spanish truly made for an incomparable experience. I feel as if I became even more independent and appreciative of the small details that are important for a daily life. I woke up excited for the walks to class, and the walks to grab tapas with friends after a busy day of class. I challenged myself by speaking in Spanish both outside the classroom and in every class. That was definitely a change from my coursework incollege in the United States.
experience and through a graduate program I will have great success.
Many of the experiences I’ve had help in terms of understanding the cultural differences
between Granada and where I live in Massachusetts, but when asked to think of one specific
thing, I remember the first time I went into a tapas place and was completely overwhelmed
with the level of social interaction that was occurring. Everybody was standing up and talking
loudly while drinking their beer or wine and waiting for the tapa. My friends and I were the only people who found it strange that everyone was standing and that there was very little room between various groups. It was in this moment that I realized how heavily the culture in
Granada relies upon social relationships and the way that food and drinks are represented in
these circumstances, both with family and friends. That is truly unforgettable and no city compares to its antiquity and beauty.

While it's been several years since my study abroad experience, it was something that left a lifelong impact on me. The ISA staff, both in the U.S. and in Granada were always helpful when I had a question or needed assistance. While we were given the option to find our own place to live or stay with a host family, I'm glad I chose to stay with the host family. It was a great immersive experience and while challenging at times, I loved it! The classes were also challenging and you were placed depending on where you tested for an initial test. ISA also had great opportunities, even for the five week program to see other cities. Upon arrival we saw Madrid and Toledo before heading to Granada. We also went to Sevilla one weekend. You can also plan excursions on your own of course and I was able to visit the beach one weekend as well as Cordoba. I'm also glad I opted to sign up to meet with a local student who was taking English classes so I could practice my Spanish and she practiced her English, I always enjoyed those meetings and the city of Granada as a whole!

The ISA Granada program is a great option for those who wish to improve their Spanish skills while becoming immersed in the rich culture and fun social scene of Granada, Spain. One of the best aspects of the semester program is that it offers the option of extending your time abroad by completing an intensive month-long course before beginning the regular semester at the University of Granada's Center for Modern Languages (CLM). The intensive course allowed me to really focus on improving my Spanish because it was my only course for that month, and it met four hours a day for five days every week. I was not used to having classes taught exclusively in Spanish, so this intensive course helped me become comfortable using Spanish on a much more regular basis. By the time I started the regular semester, taking four courses in Spanish at the high-advanced or superior levels was much less intimidating. In terms of the social and cultural adjustment, I think the ISA staff really helped encourage students to become immersed in the Spanish culture by regularly offering tours, activities, and workshops in Granada, as well as several free excursions throughout Spain. Since these options were free and easy to sign up for, and because I felt very comfortable around the ISA staff and students, participating helped me take the first step in being more adventurous while abroad. When I first arrived in Spain, I honestly just wanted to stay in my room and mope about how much I missed home. I was also terrified to speak to any Spaniards in Spanish because I was self-conscious about my abilities in the language and did not want to be judged. However, the activities offered by ISA, as well as the intensive course at the CLM, forced me to get out, see more of Spain, and become more comfortable using the language. This was only the foundation for growth, of course, as there is only so much that ISA can require you to do; I appreciate how the program left it mostly up to me to decide how active I wanted to be as an international student. However, I always felt that the ISA staff wanted nothing less than the best for all of their students and would be more than willing to step in and do whatever they could to help make their students' semester the best experience it could be. Because I had this strong foundation to build from, in addition to a team of program staff and university professors who I always felt were on my side, I eventually felt confident enough in myself to travel outside of Spain alone. I'll admit that at the beginning my first trip, which was to Switzerland, I had a lot of the same feelings of fear and anxiety that I had had when I first arrived in Spain. But then I reminded myself how much I had grown in my first month in Spain and that I could do the same in Switzerland. I was absolutely right, and the changes in myself soon became very apparent. When I first arrived in Spain, I spent over an hour trying to figure out on my own how to get to another part of the airport because I was too afraid of potentially having to ask someone for help in Spanish, a language I had been studying for eight years. But by the time I was in Switzerland, which was only a month later, I found myself confidently ordering food and buying souvenirs in French, a language in which I have just one year of experience. And while I had originally been afraid of getting lost while walking just a mile to class in Granada, I had gained enough confidence in my navigation skills to get myself from the major city of Geneva to a small mountain village located three hours away. This first trip was such a success that I soon found myself wanting to travel by myself as much as possible, booking subsequent trips to Austria and Ireland. I am very thankful to ISA for helping me realize that being abroad does not have to be as scary as you might make it out to be; with the courage and self-motivation that the program helped me acquire, I was able to have what I consider the best experiences of my life by exploring Europe by myself. From now on, whenever I find myself doubting my own abilities, I will always remind myself about my time in Europe, and how it helped me realize that I had had the skills, courage, and confidence inside me all along.

I lived about a 20 minute walk away from the CLM where I studied, and after school I would often meet my friends for tapas, go to "intercambios" to practice our Spanish, or explore the grounds around the Alhambra. Granada is the best place to study abroad, and ISA is definitely the best program provider. They had 24/7 on site support, a computer lab that I could use during office hours, and staff that was available to offer tutoring during the week. They also provided great excursions for us to Sevilla, Córdoba, Nerja, Las Alpujarras, Madrid, Toledo, and Morocco. I wouldn't have studied with any other third party provider.

I'm under the impression that Granada is an underrated city in Spain. It has a magical vibe, so full of history. The mountains surrounding the city are absolutely stunning. There was no other city in Spain that i felt had such a wonderful environmental surrounding. It is the perfect city to study abroad in if you choose to study in Spain. ISA is helpful in informing us about activities which we can do in a near Granada. They also assist you in making the most of your semester by being there for you every step of the way. When i say this, i do not mean that ISA staff is breathing down your neck. They give you freedom to do your own thing, but its comforting to know that they are always there if needed. Also, the housing provided was not at all fancy, but the warm staff of my residencia more than made up for this fact. ISA sets up a couple of excursions during the semester. These excursions were definitely some of the funnest, most memorable and most educational parts of the semester. The Morocco excursion costs extra, but don't miss it! It was by far the best one in my opinion. (I studied in the Spring, idk if this is available in the Fall). One piece of advice to those of you who choose Granada. Having chosen such a wonderful city you will unfortunately have to deal with a few hordes of tourists now and then, especially in the warmer months. Don't be a tourist! Be a local! Explore the places where the locals flock, there are plenty of them, you just need to do a little bit of exploring. Overall, this program is awesome. ISA really does the job right.