Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze: Taking Classes at a Local University Abroad

IES Abroad’s study abroad programs are distinct from other programs for several reasons. First and foremost, unlike the traditional model of a student exchange between universities, IES Abroad essentially builds an American university placed inside a foreign country. Thus, nearly the entire student body will be comprised of American and English-first-language students, creating the opportunity to form great friendships that can be carried back to the United States, but also potentially isolating students from immersing themselves in the country they are in. At times, IES Abroad can feel like a small American colony: safe and comfortable, but more so a bubble than a bridge.

 

Fortunately, the other area where IES Abroad separates itself is in its effort to help students break out of the American circle and get involved with their environment. Through the first month of my program in Madrid, IES Abroad has offered ample opportunities to converse with Spanish students, taste and try Madrileño food and dance, join local sports groups, and develop a mastery of the Spanish language through extra practice opportunities. Yet by far IES Abroad’s best solution to popping the American bubble is to attend an IES Abroad partner university and enroll as a university student.

 

Juxtaposed against the comfort of IES Abroad’s classes filled with English speakers, joining an entirely Spanish school can be extremely daunting; any school where learning class content comes second to trying to understand what is said can naturally come with apprehension. I consider myself an adventurous person, but when I first became aware of IES Abroad Madrid’s partner institute, Universidad Complutense (UCM), before my program, I shrugged it off as an unnecessary burden. It was not until I glanced at the course list – full of unique classes that weren’t offered at my home university, such as Relational Marketing, Culture of Organizations, and International Economics – that I reconsidered and enrolled.

 

My first day at UCM was, unsurprisingly, a nervous one. As I made the nearly hour-long commute to my class’s building, the thought raced through my head for the first time: “Is the juice worth the squeeze here?” That was to say, could my nerves and the extra effort expended be worth it in the long run? Still, I arrived in class punctually, ready to learn – only for the classroom to be empty, save a small group of girls in the far corner. As I shook my head and made to leave, the girls beckoned me over and invited me to join them in a game of cards, giving me my first taste of true Spanish student life: when something causes responsibilities to be postponed, it creates time for chatting, sitting, and meeting.

 

Although I struggled to understand both the game of cards and the speed and flow of their Spanish, I left the classroom an hour later feeling infinitely more confident that UCM would give me an experience that I wouldn’t find elsewhere. Of course, it hasn’t been a perfect road since then. I made my hour-long commute three additional times before our first day of class actually took place (either the teacher or the class failed to show up until our fourth-scheduled meeting). When that first day arrived, I had to present about myself and a classmate to the entire 45-person lecture hall, immediately revealing my hidden identity as an American. And when we had our first group project and I had to try and decipher Madrileño text-slang, I once again considered whether I was in way over my head.

 

Still, what I’ve realized and has motivated me through each challenge thus far is that UCM constantly pushes me beyond the ‘safe’ version of study abroad. It has allowed me to grow socially, academically, and linguistically, which IES Abroad itself cannot. Not to mention that the student body has also significantly enriched my experience; I’ve never felt judged or disdained, but actually appreciated and respected. Meeting new people and forming true friendships with local students has opened opportunities for me to see Madrid through the eyes of its citizens and become a participant rather than a visitor in the city.

 

Thus, my recommendation is to take advantage of the opportunities IES Abroad offers to immerse oneself in the local community, especially if that includes attending a partner university.  The squeeze can be tough, but the juice is wonderfully sweet.