Studying Spanish abroad in Spain
Why Study Spanish?
The world is becoming one, therefore speaking a foreign language has never been more important. To better understand why the Spanish language is so important and a useful language to learn, let us look at some facts:
The Spanish language is spoken by more than 500 million people worldwide and is the official language in 21 countries, with over 350 million native speakers. In USA alone there are more than 30 million native Spanish speakers and the number is increasing. Spanish is an official language in many international organizations (i.e. the United Nations, GATT, etc.) and is widely used in the world of art and tourism.
By learning Spanish you will be able to better understand the Spanish/Latin American cultures which have made some of the greatest contributions to the world of art and literature. Just to mention a few of the famous artist there is Goya, Picasso, Miró, and Dali and authors like Cervantes, Garcia Marques and Isabel Allende who have made great contributions to the world of literature. Furthermore, the improvement in the Spanish and the South American economies in the last decades and the opening to the south of the American trading association, NAFTA is making Spanish an even more important language in the world of business.
* (Source:Instituto Cervantes, Olympia Creación y Edición Multimedia, U.S. Census Bureau)
Why Study Spanish Abroad?
To study Spanish in Spain is the most effective and easiest way to learn the Spanish language. The reasons why studying abroad is so efficient lies in the combination between daily classroom teaching and learning by living and participating in the society / day-to-day life. In fact, language experts agree that you will learn the same by studying 2-4 weeks in a foreign country as studying a foreign language over 1 year in your own country.
The Learning Process
In the Spanish language course classroom, Spanish teachers will focus on improving your Spanish language vocabulary and your understanding of the Spanish language and from day one everything is done in Spanish. As students become more confident with Spanish, classroom Spanish teaching will include watching Spanish movies, discussing different Spanish topics and making Spanish presentations. This can seem intimidating at first but it is proven the best way to learn a new language.
The second reason why study Spanish in Spain is so efficient is because you live in the country and therefore learn a lot by doing basic things such as shopping, going to the cinema or a restaurant. It is more motivating to study Spanish in Spain and you learn while having a friendly conversation, participating in Spanish cultural or Spanish sports activities or by going out at night.
When you study Spanish with UniSpain you will, in addition, have a Spanish contact person who can introduce you to other Spanish people and the Spanish way of living. This is a good and enjoyable way to improve your Spanish language, to meet new Spanish people, to learn about the Spanish culture and a UniSpain representative can show you Spanish places (local Spanish markets etc.).
Another way to make sure that your study Spanish in Spain, Spanish language improves rapidly is to choose accommodation with a Spanish host family or Spanish students. In a Spanish host family you will live as a member of the Spanish family, participate in Spanish meals, family gatherings and you will have to constantly practice your Spanish language. This is also a good aspect of your study Spanish in Spain; learn more about the Spanish culture and many students create a close relationship with their Spanish host family, lasting much longer than their stay in Spain.
Why Learn in Spain?
There are many reasons why Spain is so attractive to both tourists and students who want to study Spanish in Spain. Every year Spain attracts over 45 million visitors making it one of the three most visited countries in the world. The people visiting Spain come here to discover the unique Spanish history and Spanish culture which have been influenced by the many invasions and foreign civilizations and which have produced famous Spanish artists such as Goya, Picasso, Velazquez and Dalí.
Spain also attracts many visitors for its climate, its Spanish beaches, the friendly Spanish atmosphere, the Spanish food and, naturally, for the nightlife.
Apart from the above mentioned reasons, Spain is the obvious place to learn Spanish. Spain is the country where the Spanish language was born and the center from where the Spanish language was exported to the rest of the Spanish speaking world.
There are of course other destinations around the word where you can learn Spanish abroad like south and central America. The most popular destinations in south and central America are to learn Spanish in Mexico and to learn Spanish in Argentina which both are very interesting countries to study in.
Who are the Spanish Language Programs for?
UniSpain offers a wide range of Spanish language programs and Spanish language courses, aimed at different people, with different purposes and goals of studying Spanish in Spain. The majority who join our Spanish language courses are students, youngsters and professionals between 16 and 35 years old.
If you need help in finding the right Spanish language program or Spanish language course in Spain, we have developed an online Help Choosing Guide where you fill out a short questionnaire and you will receive a personalized response (either by phone or via email) with recommendations for a Spanish language course according to your requests for your Spanish study in Spain.
Spanish Language Courses and UniSpain
Type of Spanish Language Course
At UniSpain, we realize that making a decision on the type of Spanish language course is important not only for your educational and professional future, but also for the level of pleasure and satisfaction the Spanish language course will give you. TTherefore we have created a section called "Help Choosing" where you can find assistance and useful information to help you choose the right program. You can also find a full list of the Spanish language courses available through UniSpain, with information about the differences between the Spanish courses available, the target audience and expected results of such a Spanish course. For this page we would like to refer you to our Spanish language Program overview page.
The most popular programs for long term studies (min. 3 months) are the Spanish courses at universities like University of Alicante (Alicante University), University of Madrid or University of Malaga (Malaga University) but if you do not have that much time available an intensive Spanish course is also a great option.
Destination for your Spanish language Course
Choosing the location for your Spanish study is just as important as the type of Spanish language course. Mostly for the pleasure you will find in studying Spanish at that location, but also for the availability of types of Spanish language courses at each location. As for the types of Spanish courses available, we would like to refer you to the Help Choosing type and location for Spanish Courses page. We also have a more specific destination page available to you, where you can find a short discription of the city, the weather in different periods, a grade we have given the location for both cultural interest and nightlife, but also information about the population and the Spanish language used. This page can be found under our Spanish Language Courses Destination Overview page.
Some of the most popular destinations available at UniSpain are the following: Spanish Schools in Alicante, Spanish Schools in Barcelona, Spanish Schools in Madrid, Spanish Schools in Malaga, Spanish Schools in Salamanca, Spanish Schools in Sevilla, Spanish Schools in Valencia.