IES Granada

This program is absolutely amazing.
The classes are challenging and interesting. Between Flamenco Dance and Architecture classes that provide free field trips to the Alhambra (the Moorish palace) with access to restricted areas, you're never bored. The workload can be a bit heavy at times, especially at the end of the semester, but the classes are always challenging and interesting.
The party atmosphere provided is much like you would find in any European city: discotheques and lots of great bars. If you're looking for a party, I wouldn't suggest coming to Granada. If you're looking for an night life that's really alive, you can find it in any of the Moroccan Hookah lounges, the flamenco clubs, the concert halls, and the various festivals that take place throughout the year (Chocolate festivals, renaissance festivals, neighborhood festivals, and more. Trust me. There are alot of them).
My living situation was amazing. I lived with a host family. My host mother and I got along splendidly, I lived in a beautiful house in the historic section of the city, I saw the Alhambra every morning on my way to class, and the food was great. I really felt at home with my adoptive family.
The city is simply amazing as well. It's large enough to have everything you need, including the obscure (for example, I needed vegetable glycerin when I was experimenting with making my own shisha for the hookah I bought), but it also is small enough that you can walk across town in a relatively short period of time, and you can get to know the city pretty intimately. It's also immensely beautiful. The architecture is simply breathtaking. From the moorish architecture of the Albayzin to the more modern architecture on the city's western side, you will find a building to call beautiful. The best thing about the city was its mix of old and new lifestyles. The old part of the city gradually changes to the newer buildings, and Granada keeps alive the Mediterranean laid-back lifestyle in the middle of a bustling and modern city.
Every day, there were Gitanos playing flamenco in the square outside my house. There were three flamenco clubs within 10 minutes walking distance of my house. There was a young directors film festival in October. There was a magic festival in November. There was a different play or musical to see every weekend. My host-mother's best friends were professional clowns that ran a music and dance venue in the heart of the city. If you were willing to go out on a limb and speak a little spanish, everyone was willing to chat about whatever's on your mind. The bars are packed with singing fans whenever a futbol match comes on. You can't avoid full-frontal cultural exposure in this city.
Do you want a program in which you know every administrator by first name? Would a program where you know and are friends with administrators and professors outside of the IES center interest you? The program is incredibly well put together. Once, I missed the bus for a trip that I took with the program, and after walking through the rain to talk to someone, I was on a train in under 3 hours on my way to being back on schedule. Everyone that works for IES does an incredible job of accommodating every need of every student. You really get to know them on a personal basis. For example, I met Javier's wife (Javier being the program director) and a week later passed her on the street. She told me about her favorite bars and where to go for a good show. It's just an awesome program.
One more thing: the trips!
Sevilla, Ronda, Jerez, Cadiz, and Malaga were all amazing, but Morocco takes the cake as best trip ever. Five days in 4 different cities in Northern Africa was incredible. I was invited to a wedding in a small mountain village and saw a part of the world that few Americans ever think about.
This city and this program changed my life. I consider myself now semi-fluent in spanish. I grew as a person and found new parts of myself that I didn't know before. The symbol of the city is a pomegranate. Granada is spanish for Pomegranate. To serve as a remembrance of the experience, I got a tattoo of the city's symbol on my ankle.
I plan to return to Spain some day because of this program and the experiences I had in it.

The IES Granada program is not only situated in an ideal city for studying abroad, but it also provides an excellent program in its own right that complements the city perfectly. The courses were intellectually stimulating, and I find myself referring back to things I learned abroad in my classes this semester. The weekend field trips were fun, and they provided a good introduction to each of the Andalusian cities we visited. As other reviewers have mentioned, the Morocco field trip taught me a lot and gave a well-rounded look at the culture, especially considering that we were only there for a few days. My homestay was a bit of a walk from the Granada city center, which could be annoying, but it helped me keep in shape despite all of the wonderful food I consumed. The administrative staff and the professors are helpful, enthusiastic, and generally great fun to be around.

My one complaint about the program is that it can be kind of insular. I could have been more proactive about trying to meet Spaniards, but as it was I didn't end up making friends with any. I became good friends with many of the American students I met through the program, however. Perhaps my Spanish would have improved more if I spent more of my free time with Spanish people.

Nevertheless, my time in Spain was a wonderful, life-changing experience. I've been back in the US for two months now and I'm still missing Granada like crazy. I'm even plotting my return to Spain after graduation. My time with IES Granada has certainly been a highlight of my college career and of my life thus far.

IES Granada is a great program for many reasons. The staff is very helpful and the program size (80 students) let's them cater to student desires and needs. One of the things that makes the program so great is the amazingly run trip organization that IES does. One of the highlights of my time in Spain has been the trip to Morocco run through a different program called "Morocco Exchange" in which students actually get to stay with host families in Morocco for a few days. My host family in Granada has been unforgettable and I hope to be in touch with them for a very long time. Granada itself is an amazing place to study. It is definitely a city so it was an adjustment to a new style of living coming from rural-suburbia, but it is a small one. There is a good bus system, but the entire city is very walkable (this is good for the weight you could potentially put on from the food!!) In terms of learning Spanish, the program has great classes set in place and living amongst Spaniards whether in a family or residence hall is a great opportunity to practice. It is very easy to make only American friends on the program which isn't necessarily bad, but it takes initiative to avoid. The work is not challenging in the same way that home university work is, but I have still had a considerable amount and finding time to do it is harder than at home.

I had a great experience in Granada and loved the people on my program and the people who worked for the program.

IES Granada was a wonderful experience! However, this may be primarily because Granada is such an incredible city, and not necessarily a result of the program itself. That said, IES did organize a number of fun trips, including a 10-day immersion in Morocco. The classes were informative, but not particularly challenging, and I had the opportunity to take classes at the local university, which really helped my language ability. I met a bunch of wonderful students, both American and international. Granada is actually the most popular city for ERASMUS students (European study abroad), so I not only met Spaniards, but students from all over Europe. All in all, studying abroad was a fantastic experience, a lot of fun, a lot of learning, and a semester I will never forget.