Hi! I'm studying at the Universisdad Complutense this summer and was wondering if anyone had any feedback on what they thought of the school, area etc..\
Thanks,Katie

I studied there 2 summers ago and loved it!!! There is probably not a week goes by that I don't wish I was back in Spain! The area is great, students were wonderful, and the clubs are the best in the world. TAKE A LOT of film and don't be scared to use it!

I studied at Complutense last summer. Overall, I loved it.
Do you know where you will be staying? There lots of students in the program when I attended and many stayed in various locations. The Colegio Mayor I stayed in didn't have air conditioning, many do not. So, you might want to prepare for that.
I can give youmore information if you like, just post your questions.
I loved staying in Madrid, there was always somethign to do. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I have a degree from Complutense University, this is the biggest University of Spain by number of students, and can be considered the best, or one of the best, for many majors.

I have a couple of friends who attended the Summer Courses and found them to have a very high level. They both loved the Summer Courses, and spending the Summer in Madrid (the second even more

And the prices are very good, the quality - price relation is excellent.

A different matter are the regular courses during the academic year, when the classes are crowded, and the resources stretched to the limit.

Hope it helps

Florencio

I am a little confused on this university. I am looking into universities in Spain, preferably Madrid for this coming winter. I want to take official university classes, not just spanish. i just took a coursse at the university of Salamanca so my spainsh is good. Are the classes in spanish or english? if anyone could give me any leads as to where to start looking, i would really appreciate it. It makes no difference of the language, i just don't know where to start.

Hi anyas23,

Classes in Madrid are taught in Spanish. Currently, there are 6 public universities and several private ones.

To start with, you can have a look at their websites:
http://www.ucm.es (Complutense) http://www.uam.es (Autónoma) http://www.uc3m.es (Carlos III) http://www.upm.es (Politécnica) http://www.uah.es (Alcalá de Henares) http://www.urjc.es (Rey Juan Carlos)

Politécnica has only engineering courses.
I am studying at Carlos III and I wouldn't recommend it. Teachers are *terribly* bad.

Also, Carlos III and Alcalá de Henares are located in villages outside Madrid.

Rey Juan Carlos is only 1 year old and it only has a few courses.

Autónoma is very popular among their students. In fact, we always complain about our universities because teachers usually don't know how to explain things. However, I know some people who have studied at Autónoma and they all tell good things about it. I would try this one first. Then, you may try at Complutense.

Saludos,

Antonio

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Antonio...

Thank you so much for the info. it was extrememly helpful. All I have to do now, is figure out which of the 2 is best for me!! easier said than done. However, you may here from me again, with more questions!! Thanks again.

I woudl be interested in taking classes at the univeristy of Madrid, how does that work? do i need transcripts, or can i just enroll?

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Hi missmadrid98,

It depends on what you want to study. If it's just Spanish lessons Complutense has some.

Otherwise, I think you have to enrol to follow a career. I guee you can't study just a few subjects. You have to follow all the course, unless you can get an international exchange program or something like that.

Sorry that I don't know much about it. Most universities have an international relations departmen or even information about that on their websites. Check this.

Regards,

Antonio

i too will be attending the complutense. i will be moving to madrid in january and will enroll in three spanish classes and two history classes. in order to atteend the complutense i went through an independent american exchange company that sets up my student status. right now i'm enrolled for a 14 months

i wanted to add to antonio's list, Maria Cristina University in El Escorial, Madrid. this University is focused on law and business majors. http://www.macris.com/ I attended this school in a summer program. loved that town as we all know.

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San Lorenzo del El Escorial Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98/homepage.html?957296168010

Hi missmadrid,

First time I heard of this university. I visited it website and it seems to be a private university - my list included public universities - and it is associated to Universidad Complutense. That means that you will get a degree by Universidad Complutense but you will study - and pay!! - in a private university.

In general, private universities in Spain are considered to be universities of the posh people and usually only those who weren't able to pass the "selectividad" exam go there.

Unlike there in the states, public universities here have good reputation and they are far cheaper than private ones. Again, I would recommend Autónoma.

Regards,

Antonio

thanks for your information and imput!! I attended this school through a school here in America. it was a 4 week course. I haven't looked into the prices cause I can't afford to go to a university right now, but the summer program was few hundred dollars for the classes, which was in my range of money I could spend. But being a private university, i'm sure it's pricy. I do know that you can take classes through compultense in the summertime and pay compultense prices, but rest of the year it's maria cristina prices. Thanks once again for your information

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San Lorenzo del El Escorial Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98/homepage.html?957296168010

[This message has been edited by missmadrid98 (edited 07-11-2000).]

Hi,

I will be studying in UCM from september for 1 year. I applied to student halls/accomodation at the university but have been told all the rooms have allready been allocated. They have not provided me with much else at the moment.
Does anyone know what students from abroad usually do? Student houses/apartment? Staying with a local family? Where can I find information on this topic..

This is actually for missmadrid and Sal. I studied in Salamanca for a year through the Institute of European studies.. They have programs for foreign students and also arrange for you to take University classes with Spanish students, which is a really good way to make friends. One of my friends spent 1st semester in Salamance and 2nd semester in Madrid - both through IES. Other programs are ISEP and CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange - i went to France through them and think they aso have programs in Madrid). There local offices would be a good resource for foreign students that maybe aren't even in their program. You might want to contact them for information on possible host families to stay with... I also just talked to people and looked for signs on Universtiy bulletin boards for roomates - ended up living with some really cool people ( and learned tons of spanish)


[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 07-27-2000).]

During July I participated in a program for educators at UCM. The program was sponsored by a US college with UCM providing lodging and meals in a colegio. I had researched the university over the Net, including the dorm. We had no air conditioning, small dorm bunks, private baths, and french fries twice a day! Breakfast was light, but lunch and dinner included several selections and was generally ok.
This was a great way to learn more about the culture and history of Spain. And, I also completed a beginning Spanish course.
There are several programs available and I would recommend this approach for anyone on a tight budget.
P.S. Thanks MadridMan for this great site. You helped me get ready for my visit. Paj