Mikhaila's Exchange to CEU San Pablo | Spain
My name is Mikhaila Smith. I completed a semester abroad in Madrid,
Spain at CEU San Pablo. It was an amazing experience. I lived in the suburb
Argüelles, which a good area as it is both centrally located and reasonably
close to Moncloa campus. It is close to the parque del oeste and the temple of
de bod, which are amazing for sunsets.
Madrid is an amazing city, with a lot do to and very good nightlife. Not
only that, it is beautiful and has a lot of green spaces. Madrid is also a good
point to travel to many different towns, cities and regions in Spain and in
surrounding countries. Some good places are Palma de Mallorca, Salamanca,
Valencia, the whole of the Andalusia region, and of course Portugal, Morocco
and France among many others! A lot of people say they prefer Barcelona, but in
my mind Barcelona is good for visiting while Madrid is good for living. The
only thing Madrid lacks is a beach or a lake! But easy trips to coast make up
for this for sure.
The Spanish culture is amazing. Everyone is very relaxed and always
enjoying the parks and the cafes and bars. I would recommend learning some
Spanish before you go to Madrid. While there are people who speak English, it
can sometimes be difficult and Spanish people prefer you try to speak in
Spanish. It was a little overwhelming my first few days there. CEU does offer a
free language course however and I would highly recommend taking advantage of
that.
The university experience at CEU San Pablo is more like high school, at
least this was my experience in the law and humanities faculties. There are
smaller classes of 20 or so students, with no lectures or tutorials. The
assessments are less formal and often assigned a week or two before it is due,
depending on the professor. This is good or bad depending on what experience
you are looking for and what learning style you have!
Another thing to note is the Spanish visa was
slightly difficult to get. The embassy can be difficult at best to get a hold
of. My advice is too do it as early as possible to avoid stress and make sure
everything in your application is perfect before you send it off. Contrary to
what it says in some publications and on the website, residents in WA can send
their applications by mail to the Spanish Embassy in Melbourne. Be persistent
with them and good luck!
Lastly, I’m sure you’ve heard this a lot, but going on exchange was one
of the best things I have done in my life. As clichéd at it is I met friends
that I will have for life and had experiences I will remember forever. I am
home now and would go back in an instant if I could!
- Mikhaila studied abroad at CEU San Pablo in Spain
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