aussiefive

Hi All,

My daughter will spend a year studying n Spain in 2009. But she has to make her applications now. The choices of cities for her will be:

Malaga
Santander
Pamplona
Madrid

Anyone care to comment on the advantages or disadvantages of living in each city?

She is a capable Aussie girl who likes going out dancing or having dinner with friends. She is also very interested in social and political issues. Coming from Sydney she is used to water sports and might prefer a place that has those options but since the idea is to experience a different culture that is a preference but not a necessity. She also likes skiing.

Her Spanish is still at beginner levels (although hopefully will improve rapidly). She is assured of a place as the course she does is an International Studies degree and her university applications and classes are taken care of.

We are most interested in people's viewpoints on different cities to live in and visit. Don't forget Mum is likely to visit her at least once during her stay.

Thanks for your help in advance.

bobthenavigator

From among those choices I would pick Santander, but where is Salamanca---the best University town in Spain.

aussiefive

Thanks Bob, Why Santander?

I don't know that she will be allowed to go to Salamanca - it all depends on what the arrangement is with her University in Australia but I will definitely tell her about it. Excuse my ignorance but what is so good about Salamanca?

fmpden

Without any direct experience I doubt if anyone can recommend one location over the other. Our son spent half a year in Madrid and had an excellent experience. The city provide a lot of cultural opportunities because of its size and great weekend trip because of its location. One hallmark of his program was the internship program where the students worked with various location businesses. It was unpaid because of work visa problems, but did provide an excellent opportunity to be productive. I have no idea if Madrid is better or worse than the other locations but from a student perspective Madrid worked very well for him.

grapes

I am curious about this. If your daughter is not proficient in Spanish, how is she going to study at a Spanish University? Has she determined that she does not need to pass a language profeciency test? It is an exciting opportunity and to my limited experience seems rather curious. If she is going for Spanish Language school, this would make sense to me.

kenderina

Salamanca is the oldest spanish university. It is a big one..in a medium sized city so the students are almost everywhere and the students vibe is very good . It is very well known for the spanish language courses also. But the decision for your daughter is more on the city where she wants to be.Here in Spain there are almost no difference between the programs of the different universities, so despite of the fame Salamanca has (also Granada has the same status), in terms of studies, it's just the same as the others.
From the four you named, I would choose Santander or Malaga. Both cities are at the sea and also rather near from ski resorts. Very similar student life, I think , because both are medium sized cities (well, Malaga is bigger).

aussiefive

Thanks for responses so far. kepe'em rolling in.

Grapes - she is learning Spanish as part of her International Studies course. One key part of the course is that she studies in Spain for a year. If she is not proficient enough to study in Spanish (which we think she won't be) she will do extra Spanish lessons and some classes in English. She has to attend classes in Spain but she does not have to pass in these classes. Her marks are based on a cultural study she must complete over the year.

cruiseluv

My son spent 2 summers studying Spanish in Santander at the UIMP. He was 16 and 17 years at the time. He loved Santander ( and so did I). I find the location of Santander privileged. Close to cities such as Bilbao and San Sebastian and at the same time close to the Picos de Europa. It has a gorgeous beach and bay. I have only visited in the summer, when there is a lot of activity. I'm not sure what you can expect in the winter months.

I would say Madrid might be a more well rounded option for being exposed to more cultural events and at the same time be logistically close to many othere cities she could visit during the weekends.

bobthenavigator

Others have made my point for me. Salamanca is a true University town with fabulous history and ambiance.

mariposa85

Why isn't she doing this research herself, at the age of 20? I went to Spain for a year at that age (2 years ago) and my parents had absolutely nothing to do with the planning, nor the planning of any of the places I went to from 18-22.
I'm not meaning to be rude, but I always find it weird when people go away for a year on their own, yet depend on their parents to organise it for them. My parents have not done this since I was under 16 (and no, they aren't the type who don't care). Just seems a bit strange.

Anyway, I would go for Madrid myself, given those choice of cities, but I agree about Salamanca - it is widely viewed as being the best place to learn Spanish and is a very nice town, not too big.

laustic

I'd pick Madrid. It's in a decent central location for weekend trips. She'd never run out of things to do there. I studied in Valladolid in Castilla y Leon. Salamanca was nearby and we visited for a weekend. It's a lovely city, but very very popular with foreign students. Which could be a bonus for some and a drawback for others.

aussiefive

Thanks everyone for replies.

Mariposa she is doing her own research but i come to this board not her. She may well pick another place entirely. I just said I would ask here because normally people here are helpful and have good advice that I trust.

laustic

I think it's nice that you take an active interest in her activities. I didn't feel that you were doing the research for her, just asking around so you could talk about the decison together. Sounds like a great parent to me

aussiefive

Appreciate the support laustic

cruiseluv

aussiefive,

I second what laustic said. It doesn't matter their age, she will always be your daughter and will benefit from your research. My son, who is now in college, is looking to spend a term in Spain and you bet I'll help him with any research that is necessary. Like they say, 4 eyes see more that two!

kybourbon

My daughter studied in Madrid and she thought everything was more expensive than in the smaller cities. If she will be on a limited budget, she might want to select a smaller city.

lincasanova

if weather is important, keep that in mind. in that case i would choose valencia, malaga, or somewhere south.

however, the most pure castillian is in vallodolid/salamanca area.

just a tip: if your daughter does not isolate herself soemwhat from the other hundreds of english speaking students, she will not progress nearly as well/raipdly as she hopes.

some of the student apartments are horrendous.

staying with a family should give her more spanish speaking opportunities than a flat. perhaps going the family route part time would be a good idea.

the residences that belong to the universities themselves are usually excellent.

beware of how you book courses. many times you think you are booking directly through the uni, ( which in some cases isnīt important)but you arenīt, and therefore have no right to use a residence you have been attracted to online.

also, do realize that she is at the age, that should she meet a fabulous person, it is quite possible this is the one of her life.

mariposa85

Just to clarify....I suppose it's different strokes for different folks. My parents have always expected me to be independent, since I started college, and decide things for myself. Of course they care about me and I inform them of what I'll be doing and perhaps ask for some advice, but all the planning is down to me. My parents certainly never 'sent me to Spain' at the age of 20 - I went there on my own, as an adult. Of course, this is the norm in Britain/Ireland so that probably affects my views. A person here whose parents are very involved with planning things like this is widely viewed as being 'babied', and no, it doesn't mean the parents are uncaring and can't be bothered. There's just a different mentality here, I guess. I remember posting something a while back about my college placement in a French hotel, people didn't believe my college wouldn't have organised something for me......well, why would they? I was an adult (20), expected to arrange that stuff on my own. From meeting American/Canadian/Aussie students during my Erasmus year, I did get the impression they were much more 'taken care of' by the college and their parents - everything arranged for them. I don't think that's particularly good in a lot of ways....oh well.

lincasanova

i look at these requests as ADDITIONAL INFO from mom.

my family and friends seem to appreciate any non-nazi trip input i have after my many leisure hours of research.

this has been hashed over before.

some people LIKE looking into things. others have more TIME to do it..
so i assume this grown child will take all info with some interest and later decide for herself,perhaps having a more complete view to help make a mature decision based on many more facts thanks to her mom's dedication.

also.. seems like the first time she will be away for so long. i find it absolutely normal to get excited and throw in momīs two centsīworth.

mariposa85

"just a tip: if your daughter does not isolate herself soemwhat from the other hundreds of english speaking students, she will not progress nearly as well/raipdly as she hopes."

This is true, but it's practically impossible not to mix with English speakers, especially somewhere like Salamanca, which is teaming with foreign students. The Spanish can be surprisingly reserved and not very open to foreign students, as they already have their social groups and longtime friends - it is hard to make Spanish friends at university. It's not impossible but you have to make ALL the effort and it can be frustrating to go into classes and attempt to be friendly and get nothing back! I did strike lucky with a few people who were interested in travel and wanted to meet exchange students - those type of people are much more receptive. It's also a good idea to have an 'intercambio' - a Spanish student who is learning English, and meet them once or twice a week to practice English and Spanish over coffee. They are more likely to correct mistakes than classmates - the Spanish do not like correcting people, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time. One great thing about Spain is that the people are very patient with foreigners learning the language and hardly ever just start talking in English. They are usually happy/surprised that someone from another country has an interest in Spanish.


"some of the student apartments are horrendous."

Many are perfectly fine

"the residences that belong to the universities themselves are usually excellent."

All my friends who stayed in them ended up moving out into apartments. They are usually very expensive and often have very strict rules and curfews - especially if they are religious, which is the case with many of the residencias. Your daughter may find it a hassle if she wants to go out at night, but is restricted by a midnight curfew or something similar. Also, most residencias are catered, so if she is not home at a certain time, she will miss the meal and have to buy one elsewhere. That was a problem for a lot of my friends - they found it too restricting to have to be home at 8pm for dinner, 2pm for lunch etc, and not having access to a kitchen to make snacks when they were hungry etc. I suppose it would be a good way to meet Spanish students, but most people prefer an apartment.