Seville is the Best Place to Study Abroad! And Here's Why!

By: Everett Masterson 

To future study abroad applicants, 

Seville is the best place to study abroad and it's not even close!  I have experienced so much since being here and so much of my positive experiences have been due to my location. 

Why Seville

I knew I wanted to continue learning Spanish, so coming to Spain was a must for me. I was never going to go to Madrid, and I was very fixated on going to Barcelona to live in a big city and be able to go to the beach. My school's business credits did not transfer with the Barcelona curriculum, so that was out of the question. I landed in seville by fate and was able to convince a few friends to come along with me. 

What is Seville

Seville, is a small city in southern Spain. It has a large old town feel with a rich history. The history of the city has not been erased even with modernizing times. The narrow cobblestone streets are vast and many as my friends and I have gotten a grasp on how to navigate the city, but still find new nooks and crannies every day. The river that runs through the city provided ships with the ability to travel through seville in the old days. Seville has over three thousand bars, five different clubs and countless restaurants. The people here are warm and welcoming and are usually willing to help  me practice my spanish.  There are parks, basketball courts, and soccer fields where you can find locals willing to play a game. The weather is warm and mostly sunny. I will admit upon arrival in August, the heat was too much for me, as temperatures reached up to 110 degrees fahrenheit. 

Monetarily, Seville is insanely cheap. Anyone who comes here marvels at the low prices. Coming to Seville has allowed me to save money on everyday things like food and spend money on travel. 

Travel Ease

Traveling from seville is relatively easy, as the smaller sized airport is only 20 minutes away by car from the city center. Most flights can be found direct despite it being a smaller airport. The flights out of Seville are also typically cheap, but in a case where it is not cheap, you can train up to Madrid (a larger airport) in 2 hours time. I have been able to travel by bus to Cordoba and Ronda with CIEE, by rental car to Portugal twice, and by plane to Italy, Prague, Mallorca, and Morocco.  It is expensive to travel, but I budgeted well over the summer and have actually not spent as much money as I planned for. 

Where to live

I chose to live in a dorm with my friends which has been good and bad. I wanted to live in a home so that I could practice more Spanish and have a few meals provided, but I have heard a few horror stories with my friends so I am glad I am in a residence. The residence NIDO, has ac for the first two months and a small hotel size gym. You are allowed to have guests spend the night as long as they are registered 24 hours in advance. During the first two months a pool is open on the roof and it is a great place to hang out with friends. Two small electric stoves and a mini fridge are what you have to cook, so daily trips to the store are a requirement when you cannot overload your fridge. 

Schooling

I take classes at Universidad de Pablo Olavide, and to be honest the classes are brutally boring. Many teachers do not speak great english, and all of our classes are in a building separated from the spanish kids. This makes the environment a little isolating for the exchange students that want to engage with other students. While programs to engage with international students are offered, very few people participate in them. The positive side of this, is that I do feel as if I have been on vacation for the past four months!

EXPLORE SEVILLE