Spanish Universities

[Calmmumnot]

Has anyone looked at universities in Spain? My DS is keen to study there combining politics or IR and Spanish. Would really appreciate any insights. Also, any summer camps/schools recommended? Thanks

Apologies for piecemeal posts OP, the Spanish summer school used by DD in 2021 was Camino in Barcelona, it was fine. Followed by 8 weeks au pairing in Madrid the following summer so Spanish learning for A level and beyond was well supplemented (helped her to compete against the native speakers!).

Can't talk for other unis @TizerorFizz , mine is very much expected to sit exams for hers.

I read the OP DS's needs as Spanish was not the primary subject of study but one he wanted to improve/obtain a high level alongside Politics/IR, I may have that wrong. But if this is the case, yes the costs are borne by the student/parent but at even 11k EUR tuition per year, if rental costs are circa 300 - 400 EUR this is more doable for some families vs SF options. Some students like mine have saved and work PT so I am only funding living costs where she studies over 4 years, the tuition costs are 8K EUR total, not per year. Plus access to Erasmus, which EU unis may also have; this may also impact positively on grad recruitment process.

Just saying there's no harm in one exploring one's options, subject to circumstances. The rental cost of most parts of Spain are no where near as much as London, transport is good, so if you are the kind of student that can put themselves out there, then it's a fair avenue to consider alongside UCAS.

Many uk universities set the work they want completed regarding the year abroad. They don't see the exams set by others as necessarily compatible with their degrees so award grades based on uk set work. Foreign university courses can be completely different and impossible to monitor. DD did take the exams - but for interest! And obviously the local students were taking the exams.

I can see some interest in learning abroad but the fees are quite high and there's no loan. So only for the rich!

Would love to call ourselves rich but hell no, just a rethink of how to support DD re financing. Tbf to her, the solution was her part funding.

So does she need a loan? Or can you as a family find the circa £9,250 fees? Is it the best use of her money? What might be the consequences of spending money on a degree - no house deposit? What about living expenses? Food isn't cheap anywhere. I'm assuming no grandparents live there. It's a big amount of money to find. Jobs might not be so easy to get either. Spain has incredibly high unemployment rates amongst younger people. It is more cost effective to stay here in many ways.

@Chersfrozenface this is really helpful, thank you so much!

@TizerorFizz lots to consider and thank you all for pointing many factors

This was about the OP exploring options for their DC so hopefully all the posts help them as to whether it’s viable.

In our case @TizerorFizz her fees are less than £2k per annum. We pay £300 per month for her living costs, she manages to live in Eurozone well enough, subsidised by her PT work that she does remotely, so portable to her YA too.

If the fees are £9000 and the DC cannot get a loan, that's entirely different though @ealingwestmum

I think you’d be surprised how sketchy many current students English is in UK universities right now. (I’m talking proper London Unis)

True @TizerorFizz , but without knowing how academic the OP's DS is (and not wanting to know either, as the original query was a call for general info, pointers and those with experience), there may be scholarships, incentives etc to attract high performers at some universities, and those that undertake a year's Erasmus can end up with a year's fees and associated costs offset by funding so it ends up being 4 years study for price of 3.

I don't think it is worth it for all students, but for many who are independently and adventurously inclined then maybe, and for those who can engage and academically perform in their developing language in a non-UK setting, it could be a viable alternative to the norm.

Whether it's worth it is subjective, only the student undertaking alternative study can be judge of that really.

I agree with many PP's, you need to go into it with eyes open and so the OP researching options with her DS is a good thing, even if to ultimately rule it out.

I know many students at IE University in Madrid/Segovia and quite a few at ESADE in Barcelona.

IE is very much a fun university for rich and less academic international students. Eurotrash is a horrible expression but IE does have that vibe. That's not to say it's bad, but the academic standards are not going to be those of a top RG university, or of Bocconi in Milan (which also attracts rich International students). ESADE was considered better than IE for many years but I am unimpressed with graduates and the brand is quite weak on international labour and Masters markets.

Many students going to IE/ESADE/Bocconi will, like international students in London (LSE/Imperial/KCL/UCL/Courtauld), have done the IB and be fluent in several languages. Worth thinking about for UK students who can be a bit left out in that environment.

I did a year out in Spain in my degree. I spoke near fluent Spanish and still found it difficult to follow along with some of the teaching. I'd say taking a degree in a language in which you are not fluent is setting yourself up for failure. Not to mention the cost issue which others have mentioned.

Hi. I am Spanish and did my first degree there. I have lived in the UK for a long time and have experienced the university system as an academic and parent.

I wanted to give you a ward of caution about the assessment methods and the impact it has on language requirements. Most or all assessments in Spain are closed book, in person and over a short time - e. g. 2 hours.

So while many foreign students in the UK with poor English can use online resources (or downright cheat) if they have a graded assignment, or a 24-hr open-book remote exam, that is not an option in Spain. It is you and a piece of paper. If you don’t understand one key word in the question (and often there is no choice among questions), that’s it.

@Otherunichoices That was the case for exams my DD took in the uk for a MFL degree. The course was not all closed book exam but there’s no hiding place. Ditto with the exams she took whilst abroad.

Hola all, when would be a good time to book accomodation for next academic year?

DC and I have seen private halls that look good and don't want to leave it late. Clueless on normal timings!

@yetanotherusername44 What does the university suggest? Is this for one year or full time 3 years? Does the university have a booking system if they have accommodation? What’s the guidance for international students? When dd did year abroad she followed guidelines after her place was confirmed but in Italy it was all private rooms.

I'm not sure that the concept of "normal timings" for booking accommodation really exists. UK universities are unusual in being predicated on the boarding school model and so there are fairly well trodden paths to securing student accommodation - yet even so each university and town/local rental market will have its specificities. If the university at which your DC is going to be studying has an accommodation service that should be your first port of call but you would do well to try to find a friendly student a year or two ahead of your DC who can give you the low down on the local student accommodation situation.

Is there any reason not to just book them now?

It does depend on where DC is going. Not all countries have the same student accommodation systems. Or indeed university accommodation at all. So finding out how it works is vital. If it’s local room in a house, booking now for Sept is probably not available. For Italy, DD booked up viewings for around 1 week before the semester started and then moved in. Switzerland opened accommodation booking at the university on 1 April. So dc needs to know the system.

The poster has said it’s a room in a private hall of residence, so it’s neither a room in a flat or house share nor is it administered by the university.

I always find MN threads on languages confusing.

There is a big difference between studying a language and language acquisition. And it is far easier to work in a language if it relates to an area you already know. So chemistry in Spanish will be easier if you already know a lot of chemistry.

I have worked with people from all over the world. Many had several languages, and most, given they were working in English, were bilingual. The standard tip is that if you want to learn a language, is to use it. I went to work in Germany without German but made an effort first to watch a lot of TV (new is good as the same topic will roll over several days so you get used to the vocab). Sesame Strasse was my go to, and I also chose to share a flat with Germans, took regular classes. I would also inch my way through magazine articles, jotting down new words and revising them.

A later employer saw language acquisition as part of the job, nothing special. Three months intensive from one of those executive language schools was seen as sufficient for most Western European languages. I covered a maternity leave in Paris so had to make do with two. Not easy to start with but by the end of six months there, and despite the office language being English, I was fine. I was so rubbish at languages at school I was tempted to find my old French teacher to tell her I had gone on to acquire four languages.

Taking a degree overseas will be different in that you would have to write in the language. (When I worked in Germany, sensible bosses would have English mother tongue secretaries to even out their drafts.) Less of a problem with STEM degrees than humanities.

Having a language is increasingly important. When DS finished his PhD and was looking for an academic job he was limited to English speaking countries. Almost all of his peers were able to consider positions using both their mother tongue and English. I am a landlord and currently have a Polish tenant who is on a graduate training scheme at a very well known investment bank. He took a Masters at LSE and speaks Polish, German, French and perhaps other languages. (He rather cleverly is sharing with a Frenchman and they converse in French.) It seems obvious that employers will be prefer him to a monolingual Brit with a similar academic background, even before the EU passport comes into play.

My advice, based on what I have observed is that if you are aiming for an international career, is to take the plunge, leave your comfort zone and do some study overseas. Take a year out if you need to or spend the summer as a au pair. Exposure is key. Whether it is a whole degree, or a year, will depend on the status of the institution. I would also suggest that it is better to study something other than languages, or perhaps a joint degree, unless you have a strong interest in language, literature and culture. Simply being overseas, and making the effort to interact with locals, will give you plenty.

@UninterestingFirstPost. I took that to be the first option they looked at. Not necessarily the only option. If that’s what they definitely want, I agree, book it.

What confuses me is why so many DC drop MFLs and don’t appear remotely interested. A MFL degree isn’t a whole lot different to a lot of humanities degrees at the more elite universities. You just have to learn MFLs as well and get more skills as a result. Two is recommended, not one if you study MFLs. People do seem to think studying MFLs is purely language acquisition. It’s far more than that and always has been. It’s a broader humanities education with MFLs at the core. Decent grads can work using their MFLs or not. However most Brit’s run away from MFLs snd drop them asap, especially STEM students.