A Year Abroad in Spain - Should I?

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'm planning to study at the University of Complutense, Madrid for the entirety of next year but am really worried that the courses (being taught in another language) will be too difficult for me and will ruin my GPA. I'm a second year student with a 3.97 GPA, currently enrolled in Spanish 3B (third year Spanish) and will have finished one class UD Spanish Lit the semester before my year abroad. While I'll have well exceeded the requirements for the program (2C Spanish - 2 years), I'm a non-native speaker and am proficient - at best - and I'm not sure if I am risking too much by going abroad.</p>

<p>This is the page, just in case anyone needs more details:
University</a> of California Education Abroad Program, Our Programs, Spain, Complutense University of Madrid</p>

<p>If I do go, I'll be taking the Intensive Language Program this June, though I'm uncertain whether that will be enough to prepare me for studies at a foreign university. I assume that the students who pursue the year-abroad-learning-another-language route are well-equipped to do so and are either native speakers or honing their fluency in their foreign language. Any words of advice? Especially from past participants or wise parents? I've been dreaming about this for years but the A- last quarter in Spanish 3A was a real blow and now I'm really uncertain whether the year in Madrid is the best choice. If I want to go to law school, I really can't mess up my GPA. Being career-minded, perhaps I can simply ditch Spanish and just focus on Philosophy, which is loaded with logic and critical reasoning, and take the year abroad in the UK instead? Thanks so much.</p>

<p>I did study abroad. One of the things I seriously regret from college is not learning another language fluently. Immersion is the best way to do that. I think it’s a bad idea to not go on a study abroad program simply because of worries about grades - as a long-term investment, knowing Spanish fluently will do wonders for your job prospects and your prowess as a lawyer.</p>

<p>I studied in the Netherlands (most Dutch adults, especially in Amsterdam, speak English fluently - so there wasn’t a lot of chances for me to practice my Dutch).</p>

<p>An A- is a real blow? Relax. High grades are necessary for law school admissions, but don’t limit awesome opportunities because you might get a B. Besides, if you have exceeded the proficiency requirements, then you’ll probably be fine. I have quite a few friends who studied abroad in Spanish-speaking countries after only 2 years of college-level Spanish and they did fine.</p>

<p>OP,</p>

<p>I can’t imagine why you are afraid to go. The program in C</p>