Susan Sánchez Casal, PhD

Dr. Sánchez can be reached at the following email addresses:

susan.sanchez@tufts-skidmore.es

susan.sanchez_casal@tufts.edu

ssanchez@skidmore.edu

info@tufts-skidmore.es

Our program offers several internships in the community health field, working at the Parkinsons Association, The Cancer Association, shadowing a doctor in an asthma-allergy clinic (Clínica Ojeda),  and in hospitals.

Yes. Our program frequently hosts students from other colleges and universities. Please contact susan.sanchez@tufts-skidmore.es or knelson1@skidmore.edu for more information.

You should try not to bring more than one large suitcase and one small suitcase. The small suitcase will be useful for taking trips. Bring comfortable clothing, and perhaps one nice outfit (men may want to bring a blazer). Bring comfortable shoes, clothes that you can layer, and a warm jacket or coat. The weather in Madrid is quite mild compared to the Northeast USA, but it can get quite chilly in the winter, and it even snows from time to time.

Do not bring hairdryers or any other appliances because the watts are incompatible and it will ruin your applicance. There is no need to bring toiletries, as almost everything available in the States is also available here. Bring your laptop if you have one.

It's a nice idea to bring photos of your family and your house and hometown to show your host family. It is also nice to bring them a token, a small gift, preferably something that represents your hometown or your family, etc. Make sure to bring your passport with you, a US based credit or debit card, and about $50 that you can exchange into euros in case your debit card doesn't work when you arrive.

Bring the director's cell phone number with you (included in her email signature), in case you need to call from the airport!

Yes, you must have a cell phone while on the program, for security purposes. It is also mandatory to be part of the official program's WhatsApp group once the semester has started, so make sure that WhatsApp is downloaded on your phone. Your Spanish mentors can talk to you about the different options you have here so that you can get the best and most economical service. Many students bring their own smartphones to Spain and change to a Spanish SIM card.

Yes! Please meet with your financial aid officer at Tufts or Skidmore to discuss your situation. Skidmore students can also contact OCSE Program Manager, Kendra Nelson; Tufts students can contact Programs Specialist Melanie Armstrong or Program Coordinator Julie Dugan.

Yes, it’s a great idea to bring your laptop if you have one. Additionally, the program center is equipped with iMacs for student use.

Yes, the program sponsors 3 cultural excursions each semester. These optional excursions are fully paid for by the program. Past excursions have included El Escorial, Segovia, Andalucía, Toledo, Bilbao-Logroño, Valencia, Extremadura.

• SPANISH MEDICAL INSURANCE POLICY WITH ADESLAS, FULL COVERAGE, NO CO-PAYS
• MONTHLY TRANSPORTATION PASS (City trains, buses, subway)
• MEAL STIPEND (11€ a day for the one meal a day not taken in the homestay)
• EXTRACURRICULAR REIMBURSEMENT (300€ per semester to cover gym fees, or classes or other activities offered at private studios or businesses (dance, music, ceramics, yoga, cooking)
• TRAVEL MONEY (170€ per semester to help with independent student travel in Spain)
• CULTURAL ACTIVITIES REIMBURSEMENT (Unlimited reimbursement for museums, Spanish language movies (including dubbed movies), plays, dance performances, art exhibits, and other cultural activities)

Most students take some combination of the following:

• 1-2 University classes
• 1-2 Program classes
• 1 Extracurricular class (painting, dance, music, yoga, ceramics, etc.)
• 1 credit or non-credit bearing internship (3-12 hours per week)

Yes! Over 80% of our students participate in internships relevant to their field of study or professional aspirations. Flexible internships are available in prominent NGOs, public health associations, diplomatic think tanks, human rights organizations, immigration associations, museums, international financial consulting firms, fashion institutes, cooking schools, web magazines, bilingual schools, women’s rights institutes, and so on.

The program offers an exciting line-up of in-house courses, taught by top teacher-scholars from around the world:

• Advanced Spanish Language Studies* (*required for all students, except advanced-level heritage speakers and native speakers).
• Spanish for Heritage Speakers.
• Spanish Cultural Studies: Memory and Absence in Modern and Contemporary Spain.
• Identity and Intersectionality in Spain.
• Discovering the Prado Museum.
• In Women's Words: Feminist Literary Thought in Spain and Latin America.
• Sketchbook: Walking in the City.
• Is Spain Different?: Social and Political Changes Since the Transition to Democracy.
• Transatlantic Literatures.

In addition to in-house program courses taught at our program centers by local faculty, students take classes at the Spanish university in Madrid and Alcalá. Additionally, the program provides intercultural and human rights education through a weekly seminar series called PERSPECTIVES ON MINDFULNESS & JUSTICE.

• TUFTS: Feb. 1, for all study abroad for the following academic year (full-year and fall/spring semester).
• SKIDMORE: Academic Year, Fall Semester: March 15;  Spring Semester: October 1.

SKIDMORE requires a 2.75 GPA, Declared Major, Good Academic and Social Standing, and usually completion of Spanish 206 or its equivalent. The program accepts students from all majors.* Please see the Skidmore in Spain Program Manager, Kendra Nelson, in Off-Campus Study & Exchanges for more information. (Starbuck Center 202).

TUFTS requires a 3.0 GPA, Declared Major, Good Academic and Disciplinary Standing, and completion of Spanish 21 and 22, or the equivalent of six semesters of college-level Spanish. For students in the School of Engineering, a GPA of 3.2 at the time of application is required. The program accepts students from all majors.* Please see Dr. Sheila Bayne or Julie Dugan in the Programs Abroad Office for more information (7th floor Dowling Hall).

(*Simply meeting study abroad requirements does not guarantee admission to a program).

Yes, wifi is available in all host-family homes and in the program center.

All students will have Sabadell bank account opened for them when they arrive, which will include a Sabadell Visa debit card. All stipend and reimbursement money is transferred directly to the student's bank account. The debit card may be used for purchases anywhere in the world and for withdrawing money at ATMs.

Credit appears as direct Skidmore or Tufts credit. No credit transfer petition necessary. You will receive a letter grade for all courses taken in Spain, just as you do in normal circumstances. During orientation we will offer a thorough presentation on exactly how credit is applied at the home institutions.

Spanish university courses are mostly taught according to the European tradition: there is less daily work, except for reading, and most course evaluation will be based on a final exam and final paper or presentation. Average course size at the UAM or UAH is about 20-40 students.

Program courses are more characteristic of U.S. university courses, student-centered, continuous assessment, daily or weekly assignments. Average course size: 10-14 students.

Our website provides links to the most current information on courses at the UAM and the UAH. Please contact Guille Cámara to confirm availability: guille@tufts-skidmore.es

Yes, you are required to obtain a student visa prior to departure, unless you are an EU citizen. Once you are admitted, your Study Abroad office will inform you and provide a packet of information detailing the visa process. Tufts and Skidmore students will have their visas “batch processed” by the program abroad manager at your institution (this may also be possible for those applying from institutions other than Tufts and Skidmore).

Please note: You must have a passport, valid for at least six months beyond the end date of the program, before you can apply for a visa.