Calle Preciados 42, apt 3i
I did it guys. I finally got to live in Europe alone as an adult. I thought it would be sunrises and espresso, poems and barrettes, fine dining and jazz but instead I got late nights and beers, Turkish freestyles and puffer jackets, baguettes and cheap wine, sangria and picnics at the park, smoke seshes and deep conversations, I got house music and endless clubbing, hangovers and beaches, I got laughs to last a lifetime and memories that will never fade. My study abroad was everything I wanted, needed, and could possibly hope for.
While I would love to simply drone on about the experience that has left its mark on me forever and ever I want to give you guys (especially the ones that plan to go abroad) some helpful information!! Keep reading to find out some tips and advice that you may not have known! I’ll cover three main topics: Applications and scholarships, housing and day-to-day living, and budgeting tips.
Applications and Scholarships
- The process will be long and tedious so expect that. At a bare minimum make sure to have a valid passport as soon as you even start to think about going abroad. Have an idea on where you want to go and get started on that Visa. UT Austin is amazing at a lot of things but, giving ample notice for things is not one of them. Most universities give students about a year to plan this stuff and we get like 2-3 months so have the ball rolling by the time you start this process.
- In terms of the actual application I suggest doing your research about the country. Be able to incorporate your understanding of the nation’s history and culture into your application. Make sure to express why participation in this particular program will serve you in your future endeavors as well.
- The best way to go about scholarships is through your school. Most of the prompts will be the same so if you have a strong base essay, you will be able to tweak it slightly for numerous scholarships. Again, what’s going to make a strong base essay is how well you are able to express why the program is critical for your future. I applied to about 6 scholarships and later I will get into how much I received total.
Stay organized and have a master check list with deadlines to stay on track. I used Notion and it was indeed a god send.
Housing and Day to Day Living
- There are plenty of websites for housing. I used Lodgerin and while it was quick and easy, it was really expensive and the staff is highly unprofessional, unresponsive, and honestly pretty shady. From my experience I would say start looking early.
- On these websites you are going to see a lot of 9 bedroom 2 bathroom styled apartments and while it sounds like a horror story it is where you are going to have the most fun.
- On the front of day-to-day living my best advice is to book your appointment for your “Joven” card, (all inclusive transportation card) before you leave because so many students will be trying to get one at the same time that you won’t be able to get an appointment for a month and be stuck paying full price for all transportation. There are offices at major train stations, but if you look up “Joven Metro Pass Madrid” you should be able to find a site to book early pretty soon!
On the bright side, food and housing is super cheap in Spain (well in comparison to Austin) so you’ll be saving a ton!
Budget
- The Guruit app is university affiliated and offers really cheap package deal trips for students all the time! Other than that RyanAir is about to be your bestie.
- For a worry free and enjoyable semester abroad I would strongly recommend saving $8,000 minimum not including tuition. While this sounds like a lot of money you will run though it faster than you know. Between weekend trips, rent, eating out, shopping, groceries, etc. $8,000 will hold you over, but you will still have to be conservative when you spend.
- My total budget was $9,000 for January – May and my sources included financial aid, scholarships, donations, and personal savings. While I can’t say the exact amount everything costs, I can give an estimate of cost and frequency! The only sure thing on the chart is rent. Some months I spent more on shopping or groceries and some trips cost more and others less. The chart does not include my phone bill which came in at around $200 per month or the flight there which was around $900.
