Where to study Spanish before school

[sgac]

Hi,

I am looking into options for studying intensive Spanish before I start medical school. I will be attending school in either South Florida or Southern California and I think that improving my rusty Spanish is a good idea. Could anyone please recommend a program or a place to go?

I have been looking on-line, but I would much rather go with a recommended program. A few years ago, I studied in Antigua, Guatemala and I loved it, but I am interested in experiencing a new country and culture this summer.

Gracias!

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[JA_Perez]

DUDE.....you have to go to España...Madrid and Barcelona are both cool places to live for a summer....Salamanca is another good option. Check the internet and look for local Universites. There is plenty of higher learning places over there...good luck...

Hi,

I am looking into options for studying intensive Spanish before I start medical school. I will be attending school in either South Florida or Southern California and I think that improving my rusty Spanish is a good idea. Could anyone please recommend a program or a place to go?

I have been looking on-line, but I would much rather go with a recommended program. A few years ago, I studied in Antigua, Guatemala and I loved it, but I am interested in experiencing a new country and culture this summer.

Gracias!

 

[misparas]

Spend your summer in Puerto Rico or the Dominican republic.

 

[hdu]

I think it is a very good decision to improve your spanish. It will be a Plus when the moment of getting a medical residence arrives. It can make the difference between you and another applicant, since American Hospitals are dealing with a big spanish speaking population and several of them (the hospitals and the population) are looking for bilingual physicians.
Spain would be a wonderful destination but it can be very expensive (USD vs Euro). Another problem is that the accent will be very different to the accent in the latin population in the States.
Chile can be very interesting. A very educated population. Good Universities, good spanish.
Argentina is very peculiar in the accent and in the spanish. The same thing happens with Uruguay. It is a very regional spanish I would say.
I would explore Chile, in the first place. Latin American countries like Mexico or Puerto Rico, may be a good destination. (I would prefer Puerto Rico over Mexico) Spanish in Dominican Republic is very poor (the spanish in the streets, I mean), and could confuse a person learning spanish.
Just my two cents. ( I am not from any of these countries but I have visited them and I know enough spanish to realize the differences)

 

[J.opt]

Check out Venezuela. There are good language schools all over the country. Venezuelans have a light accent, so that’s not an issue.

And having the best beaches and the hottest women doesn’t hurt either

 

[J.opt]

And having the best beaches and the hottest women doesn’t hurt either

I just saw that you’re a girl. I’m gonna guess guys there aren’t that bad

 

[sgac]

Thanks so much for all of your help! I'll look into programs in these countries.

And, yeah, I'm a girl!

 

[toesock]

While Barcelona is a fantastic city, don't go there to learn Spanish! They speak Català, and many people will refuse to speak to you in spanish. Better, if you are set on Spain, to go to Madrid or elsewhere. Keep in mind that cities such as Grenada are home to a lot of North Americans students, looking to learn Spanish; these cities may not provide the "immersion" that you may or may not need!

If you don't mind going to Guatemala again, I've heard good things about this school:

http://www.casaxelaju.com/cex/index.htm

Good luck!

 

[stherling]

dunham institute in chiapa de corzo, chiapas, mexico. cheap, pleasant, relaxed, phenomenal bus system so you can travel on the weekends, serious immersion experience as almost noone there speaks english. I studied there for a month last summer.... had a great time. Also if you like climbing there's lots of good stuff in the area. http://www.geocities.com/dunhaminstitute/

 

[sgac]

Thank you so much - I looked into the program and it looks fantastic!

dunham institute in chiapa de corzo, chiapas, mexico. cheap, pleasant, relaxed, phenomenal bus system so you can travel on the weekends, serious immersion experience as almost noone there speaks english. I studied there for a month last summer.... had a great time. Also if you like climbing there's lots of good stuff in the area. http://www.geocities.com/dunhaminstitute/

 

[sarete]

I think most of the universities will have some kind of summer courses for foreign students. If you want to come to Spain this summer I´ll recomend you to choose somewhere along the coast... as it have been said, try to avoid Barcelona and maybe also Andalucia (even I find it hard to understand them!!although they are great people and maybe it is the best place in Spain if you want to have fun)
You can check here the courses of my university... it isn´t by the seaside, so it´s quite hot in summer, but the city is supposed to be the birthplace of the Spanish language.... hope that helps!
http://www.curesp.com/intensivoseng.htm

 

[MeowMix]

I'd go to Mexico first; in most of the US, most of your Spanish-speaking pts will be Mexican, so useful to learn Mexican Spanish, culture, etc..

I went to, and would highly recommend:
http://www.baden-powell.com

Inexpensive (I paid about $10/hr for group lessons with 2-3 other students, $16/hr for private lessons), excellent home stay program (no more than 1 student per host), very nice and safe city, colonial central Mexico, hardly any tourists (excellent for speaking lots of Spanish), lots to do, school has large free high-speed computer lab that you can use any time, social activities (and lots of other students to hang out with), excursions, etc. Teachers are extremely well qualified and generally very good teachers.

There are several large hospitals in the city (both county hospital and children's hospital are very close to school), so it's easy to visit and see what medical care is like. The school also helps support a children's home,
http://www.casadehogar.org/
which you could visit/volunteer at if you wanted to add some interesting social/volunteering/cultural experience.

 

[Luke]

Hi,

I am looking into options for studying intensive Spanish before I start medical school. I will be attending school in either South Florida or Southern California and I think that improving my rusty Spanish is a good idea. Could anyone please recommend a program or a place to go?

I have been looking on-line, but I would much rather go with a recommended program. A few years ago, I studied in Antigua, Guatemala and I loved it, but I am interested in experiencing a new country and culture this summer.

Gracias!

This is probably a bit late, but how about looking at the Medical Spanish course at the UAG?

 

[Guadalajara]

Hi there

Yes it is very important to learn good speaking language skills of any
language
if spanish is your choice for the summer maybe Guadalajara,Mexico
or Puerto Vallarta they have a good University level spanish course
and you can have fun too !!!
yes I can see your point spanish in the real world is need
when you come face to face with the patients

Buena suerte

 

[dybra]

I think España will be a great place to go!! Its wonderful!!!

 

[RRT2MD]

If you're looking at school in S. Fla. I would recomend San Juan or Ponce. The spanish is similar.

If S. CA. then Guadalajara would be a good spot due to the Mexican population in S. CA. UAG has a progaram.

The spanish in Spain is "spanish". However, it is the same spanish americans learn in H.S. textbooks. The slang is completely different.

Mas Suerte!

 

[Good Mountain]

Argentina! Its beatifull and its amongst the cheapest places in the world. If money is not an issue, then Spain is great.

 

[johanna]

Costa Rica will be a good option.Is a beautiful country.They also have a good spanish program in the Universidad de Costa Rica.Hope this helps.

 

[jocg27]

I spent last summer here and loved it...It's in Cuernavaca, a great city in Mexico, slightly south of Mexico City..feel free to pm me if you want more info or have any questions.

http://www.cuauhnahuac.edu.mx/