My name is Mia, and this semester I am participating in the Marshall International Exchange Program at the Universidad de Carlos III de Madrid. This blog post serves to provide insight into the initial phases of studying abroad!
Preparation:
Upon acceptance into the program, the steps to be prepared and eligible for abroad were well outlined. Necessary items include visa application, finding abroad housing, and travel arrangements to arrive.
Regarding the visa application, I made my appointment exactly when the international programs office instructed me, and I easily obtained my Spanish visa. For housing, I quickly connected with people accepted into the same program to find roommates. We decided to go through Airbnb and found housing within a few weeks of being accepted into the program. Once the official academic calendar for the semester was released, I booked my plane ticket. The earlier you can do this, the better.
My biggest piece of advice for the preparation phase is to constantly check your email. The international programs office does a great job of updating you on what needs to be completed before leaving. All of the emails have a lot of important content, by deleting or simply not reading them, you can miss out on a lot of crucial information and easily fall behind.
Arriving:
My roommates and I coordinated our travel plans, and we all arrived in Madrid on the same day, approximately one week before classes started. We all waited for each other at the airport, so that we could get to our new apartment together. Thankfully, one of my roommates signed up for a Spanish “buddy”, a student at UC3M. He was kind enough to meet us at the airport and show us how to take the taxi to our apartment in the city. This allowed for the smoothest arrival process I could have imagined.
I would highly recommend connecting with a local student if the international school offers a similar buddy program. It would have been much more difficult for us to navigate Madrid’s airport and taxi system without the student that helped us.
Transitioning:
Tomorrow will mark two weeks in Spain, and I can definitely say I am adjusting to life in Madrid. I have made it a priority to get out of the apartment to see or experience something new in the city every day. Within two weeks I have seen almost all of Madrid’s must-see landmarks, and now I am starting to transition to more day-to-day activities locals engage in. The most challenging part about the transitioning phase is the daily schedule in Spain. In addition to jetlag, Madrileños follow a much later timetable than we do in America. Restaurants open for dinner around 8:30 PM, at the earliest. While it is very different, I am adjusting quickly and enjoying the cultural changes.
I encourage you to do your research on the city. It was advantageous to have a list of things to do once I arrived in the city. You don’t want to get here and not have any idea of what to see or do.
I’m excited to see what studying abroad in Madrid holds beyond these beginning weeks!