Hello everyone!

I have been reading through these boards all evening and have found some great insight, however I still have a few questions.

A little of me: I am a 29 year managing director and software developer for a start up firm in the US. It's been seven long years, and we're now stable enough for me to consider having a break. I'm also well burned out .

I have always dreamed of spending a length of time in Spain, and have decided on doing an immersion.

I'm looking at three Madrid schools, in orders.

1. Elemadrid
2. Formula Si
3. Don Quijote

I'm curious as to why Elemadrid is so much more expensive? Is it because they cater more to adults? This attracts me in that I really want to be certain that I don't get surrounded by too many younger travelling students. Not because I don't love them, but because I want to learn as much as possible without being lured to the bars too many more times than I'm already capable of. Does anyone have any experience with these schools, of which you would be willing to describe yourself very breifly? I'm just nervous I'm going to end up spending several thousand Euro on the wrong school. Formula Si also looks very good, but I can't find much information from past students which un-nerves me a little.

My simpler question, is what is the weather like in the summer? I'm looking to go June, July, and August. I've heard Madrid can be like a furnace at those times. I live in the south of the US, so I'm very used to heat and humidity, but that doesn't mean I love it.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Cheers

My wife, son, and I attended classes for a month at Formula Sí and loved it. That was in 2002.

It is a very high quality operation.

We were in Madrid in April 2004, and went back to the school for a visit. We even went out to dinner with one of my old teachers and her husband. You would not be disappointed at Formula Sí.

Good luck....or buena suerte

Are you limiting yourself to Madrid?

I do not know much about the schools in Madrid, but have studied numerous times in Málaga at the Malaca Instituto, www.malacainstituto.com. It is excellent and offers a nice mix of serious studying for an adult learner with good weekend field trips. It has a few US citizens, but mainly folks from the EU and Japan.

If you have any interest, send me an email and I can tell you the particulars.

Thank you both for your replies. I enjoyed reading about Malaca's options. It seems like it could double as an incredible summer vacation! But alas, that in itself concerns me. I'm worried that if I went to the coast, my "spanish experience" would not be all that I wish for, and I could quite possibly find myself gravitating toward other Americans doing much the same as myself.

For Madrid, formula si does look like a great option, considering it is so much cheaper than elemadrid, and I'm still to understand why elemadrid is so much more expensive?

After 12 weeks room and tuition, elemadrid is an almost full 1000 Euro more expensive.

school em fs malaca
12 wks 2805 1620 1627
room rate 1320 1800 1176
euro total 4125 3420 2803
USD $4,981 $4,130 $3,385