I am in the process of self-teaching myself Spanish, but am nowhere near the level needed to converse with Spaniard students. At best, I can pass Spanish 1 with my language skills thus far.
I have been reading that English is not promoted in Spain, thus many Spaniard youth do not feel the need to learn the language.
I have chose to live with Spanish students upon recommendation, but am highly considering switching living accommodations with English speakers and students in the study abroad program, given that I will only be in Spain for one semester.
The best way to learn a language is to be immersed in it. That said, it will be tough, especially at first, but it will get easier as time goes by. You have to decide how much you enjoy language learning and if the challenge is worth it to you.
Personally, I think the point of going abroad is to grow as a person and experience a new way of life, not to be surrounded by the things you are already used to.
My daughter studied in Cadiz, Spain for a semester when she was a high school sophomore. Her Spanish wasn’t that great, and her host parents spoke NO English, literally. It was very hard at first, but after a couple of months she told us she was dreaming in Spanish! She actually made it a rule NOT to talk to the other American students in English. She met a German student who could speak English, but they made a pact to speak only in Spanish.
One thing to remember is that you WILL go through culture shock. Her study abroad program (CIEE, a wonderful organization) warned her that some students think their host parents are going through serious marital problems when in fact, they are just communicating the way they are used to! D said that was true - there was a lot of yelling! But they cared a lot about her - her host father often drove her to school when he didn’t have to.
It was hard for her to leave after her 5-month stay.
Honestly, if you’re not going to learn the language, why go? I would study Spanish intensively, and live with Spaniards. If you can get a good Spanish family to live with, that would be even better.
But if your goal is to have a good time, not to learn the language, live with other Americans.
Are you going next fall? If so, and if you’re motivated, you can learn a lot of Spanish before then, especially if you follow an online program such as Rosetta Stone along with traditional study with books. Also find a tutor, or just a Spanish-speaking student to converse with you in the next few months. Absorb as much grammar (and verb conjugations!!!) as you can in the next months so the language can make some sense to you. IMO,vocabulary is easier to expand while you are there when you have mastered some building blocks of major verbs and verb tenses beforehand.
Unless you just want the semester to be a travel tour, you really should get to get out of your bubble and live with other Spanish speakers, especially a family if that’s possible. Will it be hard? YES! But the rewards and the learning will be tenfold compared to hanging out with Americans. You can bond with Americans back home.
When I was sixteen (after three years of high school Spanish) I stayed with a family in Spain for five weeks in the summer (another week was spent traveling with fellow Americans and host “siblings.” ) Even in that short time my Spanish skills exploded. It was not always fun, and I was exhausted by the effort. But so worth it! Your semester is at least twice as long as that, and you would have an opportunity to get inside Spanish culture rather than being a glorified tourist. .
This is a no brainer. Just about every study abroad student, when looking back at their experience, says they wish they’d have pushed themselves more to speak/interact with the locals. In other words, live with a family. Your absorption of Spanish will be exponentially faster, especially if you make the effort to really engage with your host family. (Which at first will be hard: shyness, language barrier, culture differences.) At the end of your homestay, you could have friends for life. These aren’t the kinds of opportunities you’ll get when you’re older. Seize the day!