The program publishes a weekly newsletter, The Official, that is delivered to your email inbox. The Official contains all weekly events, interesting activities in Madrid, staff and program center operating hours, important phone numbers, security updates and travel advisories. Sometimes you are required to respond to important matters so please do read it thoroughly. You should also follow the program on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check our blog often.

Prior to travel outside of Madrid, students are required to fill out a travel disclosure form that lists logistical information, day of departure, day of return, all places to be visited and names of people you will travel with. For trips longer than 3 days, or that require that you miss a class, you must get the director's approval. Students are also required to register with Smart Traveler before traveling outside of Spain.

Upon arriving you should enter the program EMERGENCY CELL PHONE number (684 03 20 60) and all program staff cell phone numbers as well as the national emergency number, 112, into your cell phone contacts. You should save your host family's phone numbers as well as all of your program peers' phone numbers. You should also carry the emergency information card that we provide to you during orientation, in case your cell phone is lost or stolen.

If any emergency situation occurs, do not hesitate to call the EMERGENCY CELL PHONE, day or night. If there is no response, call the Director's cell phone, then the Asst. Director's. If no response, keep going to the next number on the list until you connect with one of the program staff.

Carry only essentials with you while in Madrid: copy of your passport, some money, cell phone and a credit card. Do not carry your US Driver's License, your favorite photo of a loved family member, or other items that would be best left at home. That way, if you do get pickpocketed, it will be easy to replace what has been stolen.

While they are not mandatory, the biweekly dinners are great occasions for you to ask your mentor questions about the university, host family, where to go, etc. Mentor meetings are a great place to meet new people as well, as many mentors bring friends or intercambios to these meetings. These small group meetings are a great way to get to know the other students in your group and to share your experiences and perspectives. And to eat good food!

Yes, you can! Please talk to Sergio Barreiro to receive a new list of names of interested Spanish university students. Remember that getting acquainted with your  intercambios is one of the best ways to start making friends, so keep up your efforts!

If any perceived problem arises with your host family you should inform the director immediately. The director will discuss and assess the situation with you, and will determine what steps need to be taken. You should also feel free to discuss the situation directly with your host family, but we recommend that you first raise the issue with us, so that we can mediate in the process. There are program protocols in place to deal with any issues that may arise, so please feel reassured. The most important thing is that you communicate with the program director in a timely fashion. Bear in mind that a student has the absolute right to request a change of host family, and although the program endeavors to mediate problems as a first recourse, we will always respect your right to request a change of host family.

Our program is a Tufts and Skidmore program, so you do not need to petition for “transfer” credit. If you are a Tufts student, you can use SIS to apply the credit to a particular department or distribution credit. If you are a Skidmore student, you should use the Matrix. If the course in question is not on the Matrix, you should speak to the department in question to get the course approved. Please talk to the program director if you need assistance.

Your monthly transportation card (the card that you use to access the subway or bus or train) cannot be replaced by the program. The program will assist you in replacing your card or you may go directly to the oficina de Transporte de la Comunidad de Madrid in metro Sol to do so. You can also do it online, although it takes longer to receive the new card.

For more information, click here.

Program Center

M-Th    9:00-19:00
F            9:00-17:00

Program Center Telephone: +34 91 702 4513 (office)

Director, Susan Sánchez Casal's email: susan.sanchez@tufts-skidmore.es

The 170€ travel money is set-aside to help students pay for culturally relevant trips within Spain. While we value the benefit of international travel and discovery during your time in Spain, we hope to encourage students to travel to as many provinces of Spain as possible during their semester or year abroad.

You should inform the director or program staff immediately by calling the Program Emergency Cell Phone: 684 03 20 60.  If it's 4am, you are physically unharmed, and you realize you've either lost or had your wallet stolen, you don't need to call the emergency cell phone at that precise moment. But do so once the office opens in the morning.

You will need to fill out an incident report for the program and we will assist you in filling out a police report and with replacing your stolen items. 99% of crimes in Spain are weaponless, and usually petty theft, but these incidents are distressing and we want to make sure that you let us know about it so that we can support you and get you the help you need.

If however, you are the victim of a violent crime, do not hesitate to call the Emergency cell phone immediately, no matter what time of the day or night. If there is no answer, call the director, and if no answer, call Asst. Director Mayte de las Heras.

Guillermo Cámara (guille@tufts-skidmore.es) handles the UAM registration, which is a bit complicated. Guillermo will coordinate all registration proceedings and he will register you for your classes. Please pay close attention to his emails and please respond promptly to any requests for information. Remember to forward to Guillermo any email that you receive from the UAM about registration process. No matter what the content of the email please consult with Guillermo before doing anything.

Spanish drug laws are constantly changing, and the program cannot take responsibility for informing you about current drug laws. Our recommendation is that you avoid recreational drugs while in Spain, as our experience has shown that their purchase and use can put you at serious risk. If we discover that a student is using drugs or involved in drug-related activities he or she may be dismissed from the program.

Anytime you get an email from the office of Relaciones Internacionales or from any department, please forward the email immediately to Guillermo Cámara. Sending them the email will allow him to help you respond, if you need to, and it will also alert them to any changes at the UAM/UAH that he should be aware of. Do not attempt to answer the email yourself or to follow its instructions until you have spoken to Guillermo.

Guillermo Cámara handles UAH registration (in fact, he handles all university registrations). Normally, Guille will work with you to choose classes before you arrive, but class choice and registration is also possible on-site.

After your academic advising with the director, and your two-week trial period, Guillermo will register you into your classes at UAH. If you receive any emails from UAH about registration, please forward them to Guillermo and consult with him before doing anything.

The misuse and/or abuse of alcohol or other drugs is cause for possible dismissal from the program. The Tufts-Skidmore Spain program is an international campus of Tufts University and Skidmore College, and as such, students are bound by the same rules of conduct here as there. A student who displays reckless behavior with alcohol is considered to be a risk to him or herself and to the program. Students who display any sign of potential alcohol dysfunction will be required to submit to an alcohol-drug screening test, and a psychological evaluation. Based on the results of this report, the student will either be dismissed or placed on probation and required to continue in counseling sessions until it is determined that he or she does not pose a threat to him/herself and the program.

If your card has been lost or stolen, you should call 902 323 000 (+ 34 935 202 304 if you are not in Spain) IMMEDIATELY to cancel it and order a new one. It will take about a week to receive the new card. You can also cancel your card via online banking. Please let the program staff know immediately.

If the card is not working, go to a Sabadell branch or call* 902 323 000 (+ 34 935 202 304 if you are not in Spain) and they will assist you.

Sabadell has English speaking operators available to help you.

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO GET A PEER TUTOR! Please consult with Guille Cámara to get guidance about how to get a tutor. Tutors are especially useful at the end of the semester in helping you with final papers and exams. Our most successful students are those who have tutors, so get one today!

No!

The two-week orientation period is mandatory for all students. This is a crucial period for your initial adaption to Spanish culture and social norms, the program, the Spanish university, your host family, Spanish peers and important security measures. Your presence during the entire period is therefore required.