Cities and universities in Spain

I am going to apply with the ERASMUS program to study in Spain for a semester. The deadline is in April, and I picked up the application form today and got the list of cities that my university has an exchange program with.

The cities/universities are:

- Barcelona
- Cádiz
- Cuidad Real (Universidad Castilla-La Mancha)
- Granada
- La Laguna (Tenerife)
- Lérida
- Madrid (Universidad Complutense)
- Salamanca
- Santiago de Compostela
- Sevilla
- Zaragoza

I have not been to any of these cities (not counting the airport in Madrid ), so I could really use some help.

Have any of you been to / lived in any of these cities? Have you studied at one of the universities?

Any input to help me decide which ones to apply for would be really great. Thanks!

EDIT: I am a Spanish and English Lit major. (Spanish Lit being the deciding factor here, I do not really need to take English Lit classes while I am there.)

My secretary is Spanish and raised the question - what are you studying? His picks were Salamanca and Granada due to the student life there, but says that Barcelona is great provided you fancy the big city thing. (he now lectures Spanish part-time at UCL and studied in Valencia btw).

I love Madrid. It is easily my favorite city in Spain. My brother studied at the Complutense. He said the Uni was a joke, but he had a great time socially. Sevilla and Salamanca have more of the college town vibe. If you like cities, I would go with Madrid. If you want something more provincial, go with Sevilla or Salamanca. Scratch off Barcelona (too much Catalan there), La Laguna, Cádiz, Cuidad Real, Lérida and Zaragoza. Actually, the more I think about it, I would recommend Madrid. They also have el Prado, which contains probably the most impressive collection of old master paintings in the world. You could spend your entire semester in there and still beg for more.

Thanks, good point. I am a Spanish Lit major (and English Lit too, but that doesn't matter in this case). I also edited my post.

Thanks to the two of you who have replied so far.

My best friend was at U. Complutense for a semester, and she agrees that the university is a joke. She also didn't like Madrid much, but I guess that is a matter of taste.

I am a Munich girl, so a big city with a small town feel would be ideal, but I am not sure you can get that in Spain.

Madrid really has a vibrant social life. So if you like to party, that is the place to be. If your main goal is to perfect your Spanish, you want to be in a situation where you can integrate, which you can certainly do in Madrid. Sevilla and Salamanca have a lot of foreign students (like yourself), so it's easier to fall into those groups and, as a result, you find yourself speaking less Spanish.

You're right, it doesn't, the quality of Spanish teaching should be more important.

Someone I know went to Salamanca for a year to improve her Spanish. As already mentioned, it's a university town par excellence but it's quite small so I don't know whether you'd like it. She enjoyed her classes a lot and the food even more: she put on 10kg during her stay, so be warned.

Barcelona - so you can learn a bit of catalan whilst you are at it!!!

I'm biased here, but Andaluica is without a doubt one of the most amazing areas in Europe, if not the World so I would always go with one of the andalucians. I swear to you, you'll have more fun too, the people have that extra something that is starting to go a bit missing in places like Madrid and barna. Also you'll pick up a great earthy accent

Personally I would start with Granada, then Sevilla and Cadiz. Cadiz is really fun but probably a bit out of the way if ur not there in summer, that said you are only half an hour from the best beaches in Europe on the Costa de la luz (do you surf?). Sevilla is always a hit and has that dirty southern bustle to it, just avoid the schickies on one side and the crazy disaffected gitanos on the other, Granada is a top town, life is amazing, especially the student life, the size of the city means the sutdent body bring it to life. Add the moutnains, great food, culture, nightlife, mountains and for me its the complete package. It also has the whole Moorish history and that means theres great cafes and laid back thing going on. Also, it's not THAT far from the sea either so you've got that option too...

My mate had a right blast at Salamanca, spoke very highly of it. I'd still be very hard to convince that anywhere could be better than Barcelona though. Has everything you need all in one place. Well efficient.


Sorted - what you definitely wanna do is go to Barcelona, and live in the Gracia district. It is like a village in the city, with loads of little theatres and arty people about the place. Also has the best festival every year; every street is onvolved, and the place just turns into a maze of decorations, booze, bands, weird shit, booze, stuff to eat, more bands, booze. Totally great.

Thanks everyone.

Actually the Catalán is what has me worried a bit about going to Cataluña. I am prone to mixing up languages (happens to me a lot with Spanish and Italian), and I would probably mix up Spanish and Catalán as well.

How much Catalán is actually spoken in Barcelona (or the other Catalán cities on the list)? I spent a month in San Sebastián / Donostia in the Basque Country, and at first I was a bit hesitant about going there because of that, but it ended up being just fine, as everyone spoke Spanish to me.
Is Cataluña the same way, or is Catalán more dominant there than Basque in the Basque Country?

The main reason I am applying for this program is that I really really need to improve my spoken Spanish (and understanding).

By the way, I'll be applying for the winter semester, that is September '07 - February '08.

thumps up for granada!

Cataláns are all about speaking Catalán. I think half of their newspapers are in Catalán -- same with TV. If you had already mastered Spanish, then a semester in Barcelona would be awesome, but as you are focusing on learning Spanish, I would stay clear.

Dont they speak a variation of Catalán on Ibiza & such?

Everyone in Barcelona can speak Spanish and about 30 to 40% of the people are or are children of non-Catalans. However, Catalan is now required in Business, Politics and Education meaning that for those wishing to live there and fully integrate it is becoming a bit of a requirement. Outside Barcelona in the small Towns it becomes a must - especially with the old local grannies.

However, for Students, Tourist and Foreigners - it is an issue because
1. Some (not many) ignorant Catalans will speak to you in Catalan even if you speak to them in Spanish i.e. Buying a ticket at the train station!
2. You will over hear it as you go about your daily business
3. The signs will be in Catalan.
4. In mix groups people will switch to Catalan between their Catalan friends (i.e. they are used to communicating in that language so find it hard to stay in Spanish).

None the less in very mixed international groups the languages will be only Spanish. The TV is in Spanish except for a crappy Catalan channel!!!. So for a semester it wouldn't be an issue in my opinion...an inconvenience maybe but not a problem...

And no you will not mixed them-up...Catalans will tell you it is nearer to French than Spanish and the sounds is very different... You will just somtime go - oh my Spanish is pooh I don't understand a word but you don't understand a word because they are speaking in Catalan. You will not understand it full stop until your ear get's use to it (the sound) and then you will be able pick up a few words those that are the same as in Spanish...

Molvi or is it Molbi (can't remember what that means but that is Catalan)...

Yeah, on the Islas Baleares they speak Catalán.

On my list, there are a few cities in autonomous regions where other languages than castellano are official languages as well:

Catalán: Barcelona, Lérida
Gallego: Santiago de Compostela

@Mariposa,

If you like a reasonable sized city but with a local feel (like Munich) then Barcleona would be a great addition to have. It is large enough to be able to get lost but small enough to find your own crowd. It has a beach to the South and mountains to the North. You can go skiing in the winter 2 hrs away... It is beautiful...it is cool...

On the other hand it is expensive and full of Tourists but if you stay up town you will miss most of them - the great unwashed and backpacking lot...

As for Madrid not my thing...a little bit bigger than Barcelona - lack the charm and warmth. Okay it is the capital and has the IT-Crowd, more Arts etc but it just didn't kick it in my book...

I studied in Barcelona and lived in Eixample and spent most of my off school hours in Gracia and down at the beach. Loads of clubs but I do hear the partying is better in Madrid. I have been to a couple of ERASMUS parties in Barcelona as well and it was definitely a good time. I just like that fact that Barcelona has mountains on one side and beaches on the other. And yes the festivals are never ending. They are always celebrating something!

EDIT: But I must say as a student you might consider Zaragoza because its essentially a big uni town. I have also been to Sevilla a couple of times and absolutely love it there and its definitely within proximity to other great cities, so I think the better deciding factor is how much time are you planning to stay in the city and just enjoy it or go traveling every weekend. Barcelona can get a bit expensive on a student budget at times. I have classmates that ran around all over Europe during the weekends while I become quite knowledgeable of Barcelona and surrounding areas. Plus I got to know the bouncers at most clubs in town and bar staff at loads of bars! (we need a lush emoticon!)

That is what they say - the clubbing is better in Madrid but I found the difference not that great. I would say there are few more clubs in Madrid and you defo have more choice during the week but I wouldn't say it was huge difference. Especially as you have the whole out door clubbing thing in Barcelona which is cool. At the end of the day Barcelona is still a provincial capital so lacks the sophistication you would get in a Capital City, I suppose.

Yep, Catalan is spoken by Balearic natives.

I'd go with Sevilla, the few weeks I spent there and in Jerez de la Frontera were amazing, it's such a beautiful city with a great student life, relative proximity to the coast and close enough to the Portugese border that you can take daytrips. Sanlucar and Cadiz are near, Granada, Cordoba, Ronda are daytrips away and you're 2,5 hours away from Malaga and Marbella by train for cheap flights. And it's right there at the heart of the Flamenco tradition. And an afternoon walk through the city centre with the streets shaded by huge white sheets can do wonders for the soul. We had an apartment in the city centre between 3 of us for €80 each for 3 weeks, so rents were comparatively low (2004). Barcelona is great, serious nightlife, oodles of culture, slightly dodgy and a lot of Catalan is spoken. Actually, Malaga is surprisingly pretty too.

Hi!

It's wonderful that you will be able to study in Spain - it's such a beautiful country! I just got back from a 10 day visit to Barcelona, and I've fallen in love with it (for the second time). It's a city with a great culture, amazing people, beautiful nature, great weather and a vibrant atmosphere! If you want to see few photos you can check out my flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/alegria275/ or visit a flickr Barcelona group.

And, from my experience, if you are kind to people and show the interest - you can practice your Spanish without a problem. Been there, tried that, got back with a big smile and 10x better Spanish
However, it is true that they are pretty autonomous - so, if you talk with people be prepared to hear many times about the huge differences between catalan and spanish. Catalans are overwhelmingly proud of their culture and heritage, but are also very nice and open people!

I wish you good luck and great time! Keep us posted!

Ana

P.S. Btw, the prices of apartments are not so student friendly, so you might want to check out some of the neighbor villages (accessible with the underground) e.g. Bella Terra or find a WG beforehand.

Another thing in common with Munich!!

I would not let the catalan thing affect your choice. Catalunya might have alot of catalan going on, but Barcelona ain't the same. I've lived in Donostia too, and its not too unfair to compare it to Barcelona language wise. Basque and Catalan exist, but everyone is pretty much going to speak spanish to you anyway. There is probably a bit more catalan going on than Basque, because humans can actually learn catalan quite easily, whereas Basque is a complete and utter nightmare. Askatu Euskal Herria - man, they don't even look like words.

i would avoid Barcelona and Madrid. it's just too expensive for a student. I'd also go with somewhere in Andalucia.
And of course as a little homework you have to watch L'auberge Espanol!!

Sad though it is the above post is true..

It's amazing how Cities change. I remember when Barcelona was dirt cheap (12/13 years ago) - so it leaves me wondering if it is good for a City to become so-called "successful" as all it does is price the said City out of the range for many a normal person.

I can imagine now many people strugge in Barcelona/Madrid to pay their rents whilst earning more but in the old days people struggled to earn more but paid their rents with little ease.

Of those cities I have only been in Zaragoza, Granada, Cadiz, Sevilla and Madrid.

I am spanish myself, and if you are going to study I would go for Zaragoza or Ciudad Real. The other places could be either too boring or "too much fun". Plus you have to take in count that as a student you need to surround yourself with the clearest, purest accent and pronunciation. There comes that places like Cadiz or Granada are not so suitable. Barcelona and Lleida are also strongly influenced by their dialect, catalá.

I don't know many people from Ciudad Real, but their language level is really good. And people from Zaragoza too, plus it is a really beautiful city, full of students and lots of monuments. You might like it there very much.

Could you perhaps organise a quick tour and get a feel for the places if you're to stay there for at least one semester?

Flights from munich to barcelona start at 25 leiros with clickair.com and can be almost as cheap with condor.de. Munich - Madrid return with lufthansa starts at 99.

There are substantial differences between cultures and languages inside Spain. In addition to Catalan, there are other languages and dialects (ZB, in Santiago the co-official language is Galician). I'd compare these to the Bavaria - German state. Do you feel discriminated or not learning pure deutsch here? It will probably depend on your attitude and on the person/s you're dealing with.

Also, Tenerife is geographically in another continent and that surely makes a difference.

There's a lot of stuff to be considered...

Thanks for the input everyone! I am glad so many people here have experience with these cities.

Can any of you tell me how expensive rent is in Barcelona and Madrid?

I wouldn't necessarily exclude a region because only I want to go to a region where they speak "pure" castellano. My Spanish teachers so far have been two Argentinians, one Venezuelan, one from one of the Canary Islands, and only two from mainland Spain (and one of them from Galicia).

Going on a tour... technically a good idea, but honestly it's not in my budget. Plus, I think as long as I do not go there thinking I'll hate the place, I won't.
I am German so for me the Bavaria-Germany thing doesn't apply, but I see what you're saying. I think I would probably not mind, as long as what I am speaking when I come back to Germany is still Spanish. (And not Catalán or Galician.)

Well, okay, thanks everyone. I am not going to decide for another few weeks, but I'll definitely take everything you said into consideration. If anyone else has any other opinions or suggestions, please share them.

Well if it helps any, although people in Barcelona speak castellano, catalan reigns there. In Madrid, people from all over Spain live there (accents and all because speaking in castellano all the time is normal for everyone). There is a long story about the people in Catalunya looking to get rid of castellano but that story is for another time. Rents in Barcelona are not the cheapest but it always depends on where you live. For instance, it can be great fun to live in El Borne but its getting expensive even there now.

EDIT: Parting thought - In most of my classes, there were people from all different Spanish speaking countries (Argentina, Venezula, etc) and even they had issues with the Catalan classmates, especially when comments like I have my Spanish friends and my Catalonian friends and I don't mix the two. I guess it would be like going to Switzerland or something and dealing with Swiss German versus normal German.

Cost of living in Spain

I just wanted to thank everyone again for their input.

I ended up applying for Barcelona and Granada, and today I received an e-mail that I was accepted for Barcelona, so I will be going there for a semester in the fall. I am so excited!