<p>Ok so I am planning on studying abroad in either costa rica, spain, or panama. However, I am nervous about spanish speaking. I know very little spanish if any. The reasons I want to go to these places is because of the beauty and beaches and of course the cost of living is much cheaper. Im studying communications but have plenty of room to take elective courses. So Im not sure what to to, these are the places I really want to go to but im not sure what Id do about the spanish barrier. Any advice or tips? Or other nice places to study abroad? Thanks</p>
<p>Spain being on the Euro is not really cheap. The other 2, yes.</p>
<p>Spain is awesome. I don’t think most US students realize how much culture there in Spain - it’s a ton richer than you realize until you’ve been there for a bit.</p>
<p>Don’t sweat the language barrier. You will learn fast. Are you doing an intensive language program / immersion program? Because if you are, you will learn tons - and it’s hard not to have a good time abroad in Spanish speaking countries, for some reason.</p>
<p>Don’t rule out Spain. There are affordable options. I just posted in another post the budgetstudyabroad.com site that I came across - new, I think because some content is there, but they don’t seem to have to whole thing going.</p>
<p>Anyway, I saw an ad for the University of Seville - around 4,000 euros ($5,000 or $6,000) for 2 semesters, it said. I have been to Spain and I can tell you that housing is pretty cheap - not if you do home stays or live in a university dorm, but student apartments are all over the place, and it can really bring down the cost (I did just that).</p>
<p>If you like beaches, for Spain you’d want to look at Cadiz, Malaga, and Alicante. Barcelona and Valencia are also on the sea, but, since you mentioned Panama and Costa Rica, the smaller cities would probably be more your thing.</p>
<p>The language barrier is just a worry - don’t make too much of it. Study abroad, learn, and have a great time.</p>