Welcome to Madrid! – Gael Gomez

I am currently writing this after my first week of classes here in Madrid, Spain. For the next 4 months or so, I will be attending Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and I couldn’t be more excited. This opportunity has been years in the making, and so it’s almost a relief that I am finally here and about to experience what I have for so long thought about. Luckily for me, this is not my first time in Europe which allowed me to better prepare myself for what is to come. UC3M has, I believe, four campuses, the one in which I will be spending the entire time is located in Getafe. Getafe is a small, residential town south of the center of Madrid. A 20-minute train ride will get you in between the two. Attending my first week of classes has given me a better idea of what to expect here academically. All classes, or at least the ones I’m taking, are held twice a week. The earlier session is called the “Magistral” class, or just a normal lecture where your head professor discusses content from the textbook. The later class, or the “Practical”, is a smaller class size in which you complete various exercises and hold discussions in your class about various topics. Depending on the class, you may have two different professors per class. This was probably the biggest structural change, as well as the assignment-grade distribution. Most final exams are worth 50-60% of the final class grade, which to me is crazy. Not many assignments are graded which means that each one weighs much more than you’d think. This is a bit of an adjustment, as I feel my academic career has been structured with smaller assignments designed to reinforce and help boost your knowledge of the course. In terms of Spain as a whole, I have enjoyed in so far. Understanding the language, it has been fun to immerse myself in a place where everyone speaks something other than English. While most everyone does know at least a bit of English, having to communicate in another language is a nice change of pace. Spaniards seem much more relaxed, having meals a lot later in the day than the typical American is used to. Stores, restaurants, and bars are open well past midnight. I have found even the culture around food to be different. People will stay well past paying at their table just enjoying a conversation with their family and friends. People will eat an assortment of small tapas in place of a larger meal. All these small but different ways of life are what makes an experience like this special. I am excited to start my semester abroad here in Spain and can’t wait to see what the future holds.