Study abroad in Madrid, Spain at Comillas
During my semester abroad I studied at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, Spain. I will set out my experiences at this university and Madrid and tell why I think it is an
amazing place to have your semester abroad. My Study programme
I studied at the faculty of social sciences at Comillas. This meant that I had a wide variety of courses to choose from as well as courses that are very different from my major (IRIO). There were special courses for international students both in Spanish and English. I chose 3 courses in Spanish and 2 courses in English. My classes included Spanish history, Spanish literature, history of the middle east and a class on Europe. All my classes were very interesting, but the courses in Spanish were often hard to follow. However, the exams and assignments were all very doable. Each class had 2 contact hours and attendance was mandatory.
Language
I decided to go to Madrid because I wanted to improve my Spanish. It is necessary to know at least a basic amount of Spanish before you come to Madrid, because it will make your experience a lot better. Also quite a lot of teachers did not speak English. At the university it was also possible to do extra language courses at different levels, which was very helpful. Finance and other conditions
Madrid is in comparison to the rest of Spain expensive. However, food and drinks are I comparison to the Netherlands affordable. Also clothes and shoes were cheaper in Madrid. Other expenses such as a transportation card were very affordable and I would highly recommend to get a monthly pass. Rent is more expensive, because there are a lot of Erasmus students in Madrid that are looking for accommodation around the same period. Most rooms near the city centre cost between 500 and 600 euros per month.
Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after my stay
The contact with the university was very good. They were quick to respond and always answered my emails. Also, during my stay in Madrid there were office hours during which
you good visit the office. The faculty organised 3 introduction days, which were very helpful to get to know the city, the university and meet new people.
Housing
I found my room through the website ‘idealista’. This is the Spanish version of kamernet. It was very helpful as there were lots of rooms in different areas. I send a lot of messages (in Spanish) to different landlords and eventually came into contact with someone that could show me around through facetime as I was still in the Netherlands. I lived in an apartment with 5 other people and I really enjoyed it. The university also offered some housing options, but those were mostly for staying with a host family. I preferred to stay with other students. Culture
The Spanish culture is really great. The atmosphere is very relaxed, also at the university. I really liked that everybody went to cafes and restaurants all of the time. People were out on the streets until late even on weekdays. This is also why I always felt very safe.
Free time
In Madrid there is a lot to do in your free time. There a tons of museums, parks and markets. Furthermore, there are so many different neighbourhoods so it was a lot of fun to discover them all.
Travelling
It was very easy to travel to other places in Spain with the train. In just a few hours you could be in Barcelona, Salamanca, Sevilla and Valencia. There are also a lot of day trips you could do by train such as visiting Toledo and Segovia. It was a lot of fun to discover Spain on the weekends. Also, the university organised trips. However, they had very limited capacity and a lot of students that wanted to come.
