Study Abroad Bloggers

5 Great Study Abroad Locations in Spain

If you've decided you're going to study Spanish abroad in Spain but haven't decided where you'd like to go, it's good to think about what you want out of your experience, to examine your options and to understand the vast differences between each city.  Here are five popular choices:

The Cost Effectiveness of Spending a College Semester Abroad

The prospect of spending an entire semester or year studying abroad can be a daunting one, especially since your college or university may impose quite a bit of paperwork, hassle, and red tape on you.  There are meetings, approvals, fees and various other arrangements to be made.  There's also often a limited repertoire of possibilities.  For example, your school may only offer classes at satellite schools in Rome and Tokyo, but you want to improve your Spanish skills and vocabulary.

3 Free Spanish Learning Tools

Interested in learning Spanish, but no time to study abroad right now? No money to buy expensive software or enroll in classes either? Oh no! But don't despair, there are many free tools and resources available online to help AND give you a head start on your learning. Some of our favorites are Bilingual America's Free Spanish Learning Pack, Transparent Language's BKYI Software, and Visual Link Spanish's 11 free Spanish lessons. 

1. Bilingual America's Free Spanish Learning Pack - This is a really great resource, and includes a book about how to really learn Spanish, a 30 minute sample of The Real Spanish Path™ Verb Structure Development Tool and Lesson One of both the Basic and Intermediate Levels of the SpanishPower™ course. We've tested this out and it is a very effective system! Click to get the Free Spanish Pack. For those interested in more of Bilingual America's products, they offer a wealth of information, SpanishPower™ courses, and even live Spanish tutoring over the phone.

Comparing Study Abroad Language Schools

Selecting a language school in a foreign country can seem like a monumental task, but it doesn’t have to be. With an organized approach and a clear priority list, you can make the best decision that will ensure learning success. To begin, write down your budget and goal. Consider your current proficiency in your target language and how long you want to study. How much time can you take off from your job or school? What time of year would you like to travel? Will you be travelling with a companion or family? These are all points to deliberate upon when formulating your budget and goal. 

Next, pick a location in which you would like to study. Happy and comfortable students learn better! Think about what you would like your surroundings to be like. Beaches or rainforest? Big city or small village? Surrounded by locals or with the ‘safety net’ of other Americans around? Is there a famous museum or ruins you’ve always dreamed of visiting? 

Keep Learning Spanish or French After Study Abroad

After studying abroad, the best way to keep your new language skills is to continue to practice and learn. Of course, when you are no longer being immersed in a different culture and language, this can be difficult. A great way to keep up with your Spanish or French is Think Language.

Think Language is an online magazine and community for learning Spanish and French. Designed to increase fluency while learning about life and culture abroad, Think Spanish and Think French are comprised of ten articles each month focusing on grammar and fluency. Each article comes with an audio file that you can play on your iPod or save to a CD. Also, each month you receive lessons, quizzes, vocabulary flashcards and more. 

Economic Breakdown of a Study Abroad Experience

Interesting and relevant article from The Fairfield Mirror:

December 2, 2009 By: Cynthia Palmieri
Peter Caty/The Mirror

It’s a typical week in Florence and Katie Clavin ‘11 has spent 60 euro ($88) on her food, 300 euro ($444) on a trip to Capri, and 30 euro ($44) per night at the local bars.

With the euro rising to 1.47 in comparison to the U.S. dollar, it seems study abroad has reached new economic heights.  “The money situation is ridiculous, you spend so much more,” said Clavin.

How Can I Increase My Spanish Vocabulary?

- Spanish Students Offer Advice
via spanish.about.com
Question: Are there any recommendations that anyone has for building vocabulary? I've tried many things, some things work and others do not work so well. Usually if I hear the word or phrase spoken it sticks better than if something I read from a book and tried to memorize. I've heard that using a word 10 or 20 times will make it stick (some say 10 and others say 20). But it's not always easy work a word into a conversation and I don't always have the chance to speak to someone in Spanish. I read books, look up words if I can't tell the meaning by the context. I watch Spanish programs, mainly the news and soaps. I watch soaps to try to get the gist of the way people talk in a conversation.

Studying Abroad? Kindle Goes International

It’s here! The Kindle has revolutionized travel by allowing people to take thousands of books with them, without adding weight or bulk to their luggage. The biggest drawback was that you had to either load all the books you wanted before you left, or have access to a computer with an Internet connection to download new books to the Kindle. No longer! Now you can download books in under 60 seconds in over 100 countries around the world. Same for newspapers, blogs, etc. How cool is that? Now if you are studying abroad or traveling to countries like Spain, Argentina, Japan, or Mexico, you can keep up-to-date with new reading material, instantly. 

Study Spanish with Visual Link

There are many different types of language learning software available on the market. One we like to use to learn and practice Spanish with is Visual Link Spanish. Visual Link offers a free trial to their software, which gives a great overview of their program. The program includes interactive lessons, review games, verbal quizzes, and practice quizzes.

Stay in Touch with Cell Phones while Studying Abroad

Staying in touch while studying abroad can be tricky, expensive, or both. One option to consider is the Mobal GSM World Phone. There are many advantages to buying a Mobal phone rather than renting one while overseas or going with a different cell phone company. With Mobal, there are no monthly fees, no minimum usage, and no contract. Also, you only pay for calls as you make them, AND you get to keep one international phone number for life. When you get back from your trip, you can throw the Mobal phone in a drawer, dust it off the next time you travel internationally, and presto, instantly connect.

Language Podcasts to Prepare for Study Abroad

As we've blogged about previously, we are strong believers in preparing for your study abroad trip as much as possible. Many types of language software can be quite expensive, however, especially for language travelers that are on a shoestring budget. A cool resource we've uncovered is Praxis Language, which offers online podcasts in several different languages: Chinese, Spanish, French, and Italian. ChinesePod was their flagship podcast, and is well worth considering. Praxis has followed up with an excellent collection of podcasts in all four languages.

Record Your Study Abroad Classes

A great way to maximize your learning while studying abroad is to record your classes. One way to do this is to get an iPod voice recorder to take along with you. This way, you can pay attention to learning while in class, without having to take a ton of notes. Of course, you can write down pertinent phrases as you are in class, but also have the luxury of listening again later for clarification and more careful note-taking.

Another cool thing about using a voice recorder is that you can record yourself talking, play it back, and compare your accent and pronunciation to what you hear around you. You can even record dialogs between you and your host family to listen to.

Language Resource to Prepare for Study Abroad

Language software is a great way to get your feet wet in a new language. Perhaps you are unsure which one you would like to learn, and want to try it out a little before committing to studying abroad. Or maybe you are planning a study abroad trip and want to refresh your skills, or simply learn some key phrases so you will be able to get around safely in the beginning.

Which Suitcase is Best for Study Abroad?

Packing for your study abroad trip is no easy task. Luckily, our experts have taken the guesswork out of what bag you should choose. The best bags allow you to carry on, especially now that most airlines charge for checked baggage, are lightweight enough to carry comfortably, have multiple compartments to allow easy access to important items, and have several carrying options.

ISIC & ISE Cards for Study Abroad

If you are a student traveler, do yourself a favor and make the small investment of either an ISIC or ISEC. Both are international ID and discount cards, with just a few small differences between them.