Laura in Madrid (Spain)

Where did you study?
I studied at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

When did you study there?
I went on exchange from the end of August, 2018 till the end of January, 2019, so I studied at Carlos III for 5 months approximately.

Was the university you studied at your first choice?
Yes, it was my first choice.

Why did you want to go there?
I choose Madrid because Spain attracted me a lot, but I had never been to Madrid before, although people around me told me it is a really beautiful city (which I discovered!). Moreover, I was eager to learn a new language but I wanted to have a reason to start doing that, which became my future exchange. The fact that Carlos III also offered journalism courses attracted me as well, because I wanted to focus on this topic during my minor.

Which courses did you follow? Were these courses harder or easier than your courses at Tilburg University? How was your knowledge tested?
I followed the courses Newspaper Reporting, Film Production, Theory and Analysis of the Documentary Film and Information Law. For me, these courses were more similar to ‘hbo’ courses than university courses in the Netherlands, because a lot of assignments were really practical, the classes were really small and more discussion was held during class. I had a final exam for each course, but these were way easier than the ones in Tilburg: exams were shorter and many times you had to reproduce knowledge literally. The tests were thus easier, but during the semester there was more homework than in Tilburg and you had to attend each class of each course, which were 3 hours a week per course (1,5 hour theory, 1,5 hour practice).

Did you get some sort of grant to finance your time abroad?
I received the Erasmus+ scholarship, which in total consisted of €1051 euros. If you are going on an exchange, make sure you fulfill all the requirements for this scholarship in time, because you will be really happy with this extra money!

Did you go on an exchange with an organization?
No, I went on exchange on my own, although I attended a lot of trips and nice events with international student organizations. This were for example I*ESN Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, SmartInsiders, BeMadrid and CityLife.

When did you start preparing for your trip?
I started learning Spanish when the second semester of my second bachelor year started, so in the end of January. I found this really helpful, because I could speak some basic Spanish on my arrival and this made me feel more connected to the country. It was for example already quite nice to recognize words in the street and the supermarket. For my course acceptance, I started applying for courses around the end of March. I would recommend you to do this, because it can take some time until the Exam Committee eventually approves 5 courses (assumed that you only take courses of 6 ECTS). I think I received my official acceptance letter from Carlos III in the beginning of May 2018, from then on I could also start meeting the requirements from this university, which were mainly some declarations.

How much money did you spend each month abroad? Where there a lot of unexpected costs?
I think I spent around €600/€700 each month, because I travelled during many weekends and made day trips. I did not know before that I also had to pay extra for gas, water and light at my housing organization (‘Help Madrid’), so this were unforeseen expenses. Besides that, food was overall quite cheap in Spain, although going out during the nights was way more expensive than in Tilburg: most parties are hosted by big night clubs which require you to pay and entrance fee with one drink included for around €13. It is worth the money, though, because the parties are really nice and you can meet many other international people there.

Did you have a hard time meeting people there? Did you make friends you still talk to?
I did not find it really complicated to get to know people; the trick is, I guess, to just start talking to people because everyone starts his adventure alone and wants to make new friends. Eventually, the group of friends I spent most of the time with were other Dutchies (which I did not know before). I am still in contact with some of them, but because everybody gets back to his own, ‘old’ life here in the Netherlands I see them less than I expected.

How was your housing arranged?
I arranged my housing via HelpMadrid, which has an online website where you can see every room. I chose to live in an international flat with 12 other students, very central in the city centre (in front of Puerta del Sol). In general, HelpMadrid was a nice organization and I didn’t have many problems with my room.

Do you feel like your exchange has added something to your study, finding a job, personal growth et cetera?
I really think so, because an exchange requires you to step out of your comfort zone and make the best out of your stay apart from your familiar friends and family. I think the skills I learned from that can help me during other challenging experiences in life.

Would you advise others to study abroad? Do you have any tips?
For sure! Getting to know another country and meeting people you would not come into contact with otherwise is really nice and inspiring. If you are going to Spain, I would also recommend you to start learning the language a bit (you can already start with the free app DuoLingo for example), because it will give you a somewhat better feeling of the country and the people and makes life a bit easier. Also, don’t worry about courses and arriving a bit late in class, because life in Spain is way more relaxed than here. Most important: enjoy, travel a lot, go to fun events (also if you don’t know people yet and you have to go on your own) and have fun!