So, I am totally nervous for college. I know one thing for sure and that is that I want to be an interpreter. I want to study in Spain..I think Madrid. There are several universities that are American I could do all 4 years but I am also searching for a year abroad program..I need help..I mean I have been searching frantically all over. I am from Wisconsin if that helps but I really am stressed out and dont know what to do...Advice plz?

I attended a program at the Complutense many years ago that was a consortium of three US universities Indiana University, Purdue Univ and Univ of Wisconsin Madison - (it was called WIP). There were LOTS of Wisc. students and some stayed 2 years getting UW credits with Complutense classes .. we had some problems with very specific requirements - I had to get special permission for an Islamic Geography class to count as a life science requirement if I remember correctly .. But if you are clear on your major and its requirements and do some research before you go then it shouldnt be too much of a problem. Good luck - Here is the address for the program guide - it has some emails and phone numbers http://www.indiana.edu/~overseas/programs/handbooks/madrid.pdf
The same lady is the program director as when I was there 10 years ago ...!!! Brings back good memories :-)

Have you checked out Arcadia University and its Center for Education Abroad? http://www.arcadia.edu/cea/index.aspx?id=1680

I've visited Arcadia twice in the past 6 months and I'm very impressed. Lots of colleges use their study abroad program. It's worth a look.

meencantaespana,

Are you currently attending a University? The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point has an excellent program in Spain. The price is right too since you would not even have to pay out of state tuition. In the past the program was in Madrid but it has moved to Valladolid. I am sure that there are other programs at several Universities. Just check it out and good luck.

I'm not in college yet. I was looking at cascadas response and that interested me but you have to have been in college for 2 years. i am interested in going right away abroad. i will check out uw-stevens point. as for arcadia, i really want to be in madrid and they surprisingly dont have a madrid program...anyone know anything about slu-madrid and their financial aid? i come from a single parent family and i am working a lot but i dont have nearly enough money..only thing is money holding me back there..

I have lots of friends who attened SLU Madrid - and not one of them got financial aid ... I think it is pretty expensive and I dont think there is muh financial aid available.. But its always worth a try!

Are you serious? Wow..oh great..I am no idea what to do..

meencantaespana,

Have you looked into Marquette University? I'm just finishing up my senior year here and they have two VERY good study abroad programs in Madrid (one at Complutense and one at ICADE), in addition to ones in San Sebastian, Cordoba, and I believe Sevilla.

As for going abroad immediately, I think you'll find that a lot of universities will probably require you to fulfill a certin amount of foreign language credits before you go abroad. That said, I have friends who studied in Madrid their Sophomore year here at Marquette. AND, every single $ of my financial aid here transferred (I studied at ICADE). Plus, if you wanted to go to Spain for a full year, you can do it in to different places (ie. First semester in Madrid and second semester in San Sebastian--as my friends did).

If you have other questions about the study abroad program at Marquette, let me know and I can try to help you out. It was an amazing experience for me and something I think every student should do!!

Here are some links for you to check out!

Marquette at Complutense

Marquette at ICADE

Hey! Thanks so much! You are a big help. What were the prices like for going there? I am mostly interested in Complutense. Also, interested in going freshman year. I will have 9 Spanish college credits by the time I enter as I have taken college spanish courses.

You can see the prices (approximately) for the Marquette Complutense program here . The program is also open to non-Marquette students, so even if you find a different school you want to go to, keep the program in mind. The price is about the same as a semester in America at Marquette.

Hola--
In my undergrad, I studied with IES in Madrid. They are an independent program, but have partnerships with many colleges throughout the US. I attended a Big Ten university that wasn't an IES partner, but all of my financial aid still transferred to IES. They even have their own financial aid code for the FAFSA. Here is a link to their site: IES
Also, I am currently enrolled in the summer Masters program at SLU in Madrid. As for financial aid, I know it is probably difficult to get scholarships and/or grants for SLU. I am bankrolling it through federal loans. If you don't mind having the low-interest student loan debt, you could consider going that route. The SLU program is outstanding and very well-known in Madrid. Another bonus of the SLU degree is that you can complete all 4 years at the Madrid campus (allowing you to go abroad right away)AND the degree is recognized by the Comunidad de Madrid, so it's just as if you had a degree from a Spanish University. Have you contacted SLU to ask about financial aid? If not, you might be able to get some extra advice and information that is not available on the web.
Good Luck in your search and make sure to let us know where you end up!!
Saludos

You are such a big help! I am just mainly worried about money and that..coming from a single parent family I am just totally worried about that. At SLU I just wanna make sure that it is not so many people speaking english, as I want to just perfect me Spanish.

I have a few former students who went to SLU and two of the three received nice financial aid packages. It wasn't a full ride or anything but you might want to apply and see what they offer you. As others have mentioned, loans are also an option since it applies to FAFSA. As far as speaking Spanish and not English, I think that really depends on you. Study abroad programs also pose the same challenge...you must make the effort, as there will always be English speakers around. You sound motivated so it probably won't be an issue for you.
I also met some students who applied directly to the complutense for their freshmen year. The cumplutense website has information on the process. Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.

They applied right to the complutense? wow how was their spanish? and it wasn't through a program?

Here's the link to the university:
http://www.ucm.es/info/ucmp//cont/descargas/documento4610.pdf

What grade are you in? You might want to consider going to COU, the last year of high school, in Spain. It would really prepare you for Spanish university and give you a chance to use your Spanish and learn appropriate vocabulary necessary to be successful. Think of it as junior college. It might be out of the question financially, but give it a thought.