In this post, I would like to give you an idea of what Erasmus life in Madrid is, concerning housing, lessons and living.
- Housing
When I arrived in Madrid, I had only an accommodation for some days in order to find a share flat. I thought it will be easy to find one in the center but I quickly realized that as in all capitals, housing is more than complicated. Vicalvaro campus is far from downtown (about 45 min by subway), but i decided to search in town center. 90% of Erasmus students make that choice because they want to get the best out of the city: visits, shopping, parties… and want to test share flat lifestyle.
So, after a week of hard searchs and disappointment, I moved in a share flat with another Spanish man of 46 years old. Fortunately, I found a better flat with two others Erasmus students two weeks after. Housing prices are higher than in the rest of Spain, they are a bit more expensive than in Nantes for example. It is usual to find small bedrooms without any windows like in Paris. But don’t be afraid, you can also find wonderful apartments!
- Courses
Academic Library of Rey Juan Carlos
Concerning lessons, classes at Vicalvaro start at 8 AM and end at 9 PM. Student have an average of 20 hours per week. In my case, I just have courses in the morning! Campus of Rey Juan Carlos is one of the few universities offering English courses. Many foreign people make the choice of studying in English in Spain because they can easily follow courses and at the same time discover another language and culture.
Courses are done in classrooms of 50 students maximum with fifty-fifty of Erasmus and Spanish people. In Spain, the bachelor degree counts 4 years and the master degree is achieved in 1 year. For Erasmus students it is common to choose subjects of different grades.
- Student life
Activities schedule of City Life Madrid for September and October
In Madrid there’s no time to get bored! There are a lot of organizations which help young international people to settle and enjoy their stay in Spain. City Life Madrid, Madlife Madrid, Smart Insiders and so on… they provide advices and help to find flat, Spanish SIM card, public transportation card and much more. They organize many trips in all Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Ibiza, Sevilla…) but also abroad like in Morocco or in Portugal!
Example of a Pubcrawl on Facebook
During the week many social and cultural activities are proposed: flamenco shows, wine tasting, cooking class, karaoke nights,… and of course numerous parties.
In general, parties and trips are cheap because they want to be affordable for all. For example, in Madrid you can go out with 10 euros and have free entrances and free drinks in several clubs the same night. This is called a “Pubcrawl”.
The most known organization is Erasmus Student Network (ESN). It is used by over 120 000 people per year in 37 countries. It provides thousands of events and discounts (for example, for sport, food, aircraft tickets).
In Spain, everything is done to make your stay the better experience of your life. I’m already in Spain for 1 month and feel like at home.
See you soon!
