Sophia (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at The University of Salamanca

As soon as I was in my senior years of high school, I was certain I wanted to study for a semester in Spain when I got to university. So as soon as I started my degree, I started enquiring about the 360 International exchange programmes to find out what options there were available. Initially I had picked a different host university as my first choice, but ended up figuring out that the University of Salamanca was the right fit for me. In the end, this ended up being the best decision I could have ever made. I really fell in love with Salamanca, which is known as Spain’s “Golden City” due to its beautiful historical architecture.

I stayed in a university residence only 15 minutes walk from the philology faculty in the city centre- where I had my classes right in front of the city’s incredible 18th century cathedral. One of my favourite things about living in Salamanca was how easily accessible everything was around you. I could walk anywhere: from home, to university, to the supermarket, to the plaza, the parks, the river, bus station, train station… it definitely was the most walkable city I’ve ever been to.

The location of Salamanca was also great and allowed for a number of day trips to closeby small cities and towns, or longer bus/train rides to get easily (and on a budget) to Madrid, Asturias, Bilbao, or even Portugal! I would highly recommend getting a Renfe Abono, which allows you to pay a small deposit for an unlimited number of trips to and from Salamanca-Madrid over the course of 4 months. The community of other exchange students in the city was a highlight, with events and trips always happening every week (including our favourite Wednesday karaoke night). It was such a perfect opportunity to make friends from all over the world and practice speaking Spanish in a social setting with other people learning it as their second language. I’m still in contact with lots of the international friends I made while there! I was of course nervous at first speaking my second language in everyday life, but I quickly became used to it and it built my confidence and fluency hugely by the end of the exchange.

The cost of living was another huge benefit, as it was so cheap compared to Auckland! The residence I stayed in was over the average price of living in the city but it was worth it as it suited my needs perfectly- however I know lots of other who rented apartments for the time they stayed there and had a great experience. I was able to easily stick to my budget while still leaving aside lots of money for travelling, shopping, and other extra activities. The food shopping each week only cost me around 40NZD! However, still keeping track of my budget and spending every week was a really important part of making sure the whole exchange went smoothly.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

Firstly, the environment to study in was incredible. Being one of the oldest universities in the world, USAL had a number of beautiful and historical buildings where we had classes and other events. Each faculty has its own community and throughout the semester have their own week-long faculty celebrations which includes costume parties, special club nights, live music concerts, and street parties with music groups called a ‘charanga’. The faculties all even have their own libraries which were always available for students to study in or use. I also had really great professors, including guest lectures and workshops from international academics.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Make the most of the Erasmus trips and events! I went to a Carnaval, a hike in nearby small towns and mountains, and attended many local events and parties. These were all hosted by the group so you were able to get really good deals that included transport and guidance. Also keep an eye out for the many cultural events that happen in Salamanca- they often have art festivals, concerts, and exhibits, which are all such great experiences and usually for free!

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Make sure you come up with backup plans for the papers you will be taking- when we got there we only got 1 week to try out classes and then couldn’t change any of our enrollment past that point. So have a really solid idea of what you want to do, and use that week to confirm your choices. It can be great to talk to other students who have done the classes to check whether they’ll be right for you!

2. Look at all of the accommodation that is on offer and make a list of what you prioritize, then choose based off a combination of all those elements. Different things work for different people, so make sure you go with something that ticks all of your boxes.

3. Make sure you get on top of acquiring a visa ASAP- the Spanish consulate is in Wellington and you are required to go there in person to submit your application so definitely don’t leave it until last minute (and also make room for this in your budget!)

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

Including the 360 International scholarship, I ended up saving around $12,000 total. I was lucky enough to have some help with paying for flights since I was travelling with family on the way home so this took some weight off of the end price. I think I put aside about $2000 for travel purposes which paid for all the trips I took throughout the exchange, and majority of the rest went towards accommodation and living costs. I also had to pay a deposit of $1200 before I moved into my accommodation which I didn’t get back until I returned to NZ so that was definitely something to consider. Otherwise it turned out around the perfect budget for the 6 month period. I did also continue to receive my Studylink weekly allowance which helped (but I recommend sorting this out before you leave, as I had to do it from Spain which was quite complicated!!)

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

The biggest takeaway for me was to trust myself and step out of my comfort zone. I generally overthink a lot and stop myself from putting myself in situations that scare me but I really put my nerves aside and took opportunities that ended up being the best experiences. I was always so anxious to talk to people in Spanish (especially strangers) but by the end of the exchange I was going to lunch with classmates and making conversation with strangers all in Spanish and felt good doing so! It proved to me that I don’t need to hold myself back and to not be afraid of making mistakes in order to make progress. Also, the opportunity to live alone and do lots of solo travel taught me so much about organisation and confidence in my own decisions and abilities.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

Early in my exchange I decided I was going to do a solo trip to another country when I finished exams in June. Within the first few months I researched online and found out the cheapest place to fly to from Madrid was Vienna- so I booked a flight! I ended up staying a few nights in Vienna then getting a train to Budapest where I also stayed a few nights before flying back to Madrid. It was an amazing trip and I met some lovely other people to travel and go out with, just by staying in hostels and making conversation. Travelling solo also gave me time to do things I wanted to do at my own pace though, which was really great for me. As well as this I did a trip to the north of Spain by bus, and went from Bilbao to Asturias which were both beautiful. A friend and I also stayed a few nights in Madrid and went to a theme park there, and I took multiple day trips to Madrid as well to meet friends or just to go by myself for shopping and museums!