What's up everyone out there...This is my first posting ever on this sight. Anyway I'm going to the Don Quijote school in Salamanca this summer and wondering if anyone has some more specific details about their experience there. How were the classes? Did you learn alot? Was it worth the money?

-Cheers

hey ldhall05, welcome to the group!

i moved this to the studying and student life... forum as it best fits here.

well, i have no personal experience with dq spanish schools but rumor has it they have their act together.

i am sure you are gonna have a BLAST!

salamanca is AMAZING!

don´t forget to pop down to madrid for a weekend (or longer)

saludos,
jer...

salamanca is so much fun. you'll have a great time. don quijote is now owned by enforex, though that shouldn't affect your classes. they do a pretty good job with spanish lessons...it is very very intense...the only problem i had with them was that they put too many people in the room and for example, if we each had to recite a verb tense, it would take 20 minutes.
but....the other students were young, international, and fun.

also, if you want to immerse in spanish culture, get away from salamanca a bit. salamanca in summer is like an extension of a us program abroad....i mean everyone is american.

be sure to take off to avila, caceres, leon and other cities to enjoy some spanish spanishness.

enjoy!!!

Candela, et al: What's Salamanca like in Winter? Is it any more Spanish than it is in summer? Is it horrifically cold and/or expensive to live there?
I've only been to Salamanca in balmy days, and it IS a knockout town...the BEST Plaza Mayor of all, including Madrid!
We're considering staying there this winter so I can do some more Spanish cramming. I'd rather not be in Disneyland if I can help it.

hey rebrites.

there are less foreigners in winter than in summer in salamanca. summers see the mega huge invasion due to summer study programs there.

so, less foreigners means you will notice the spaniards more.

salamanca is very cold in winter, the wind can really blow, hence adding a wind chill factor that cuts to the bones.

expensive is realtive, no more expensive than madrid.

yes, i agree about the plaza mayor there, it is nicer than the one in madrid but i can't afford an apt. in both

saludos,
jer...

No personal experience of Don Quijote, but it´s a reputable school. It´s the one which was used in that series on the science of language learning that was on Radio 4 a while ago (actually it was the Barcelona one).
--
Stephen

I didn't experience DQ since I attended USAL, but it is one of the best schools in Salamanca from what I have heard.

And Jer & Candela were right on: you will see an influx of americans during the summer than in winter. So much that you feel like you are back in the U.S.!

Salamanca in the winter is definitely FREEZING COLD. However, the only foreigners you might find are the ERASMUS students (students from other european countries doing intercambios), and barely any americans.

Salamanca is considerably cheaper than Madrid or any other big city. You notice it more in the nightlife being that it is a university town that lives mostly off of students (in a way). I highly recommend it and guarantee that you will fall in love with it.

Enjoy your trip!

I just returned from Salamanca, Spain last week! I know you are interested in Don Quijote, and I've heard great things about that school, but I attended the Universidad de Salamanca instead. My logic was that this is one of the oldest language schools in the country and it's quite a reputable school to begin with.
Anyway, I took the 10 week course (trimester)and it was great. It really depends on your teachers and I lucked out with mine. I highly recommend Universidad de Salamanca, although I know that the private schools are less expensive. It was intense at times, but my Spanish improved as much as I expected it would. Side note: I lived with all English speaking people, so this was a minor set-back. But, if you are really keen to learn, study hard and try to talk to as many Spanish people as you can. ALSO, I don't think 2.5/3 months is enough to learn a language. So be realistic in your expectations.

As far as the Salamanca goes - I had the time of my life. I think it had a lot to do with where I lived and who I lived with. I was living in an apartment about 10-15 min walk from the Plaza Mayor (which is gorgeous btw). It was cold and somewhat rainy the whole trip though (March 15 - June 1st)!!! It was only sunny sporadically, with a few hot days in between the cold ones. But, the nightlife is definitely awesome, if you like that of course. I suggest taking weekend trips around the country as much as you can. I read the above posts, and I thought it was interesting that they mentioned there are less Americans there during the winter/spring time. I lived and was surrounded by a very diverse group of people (not too many Americans), but I can see how the summer would bring and influx of Americans to the city. I've heard it's scorching hot in the summer though, and from my experience I'm kind of glad I did it in the Spring although I wonder what it would have been like to be there right now (apparently the public pool opens June 1 - the same day I left!). Anyways, ENJOY! and buena suerte!