Why Study Abroad?

As a Biochemistry and Spanish dual degree-er, studying abroad was presented to me as an option during my sophomore year when I declared my secondary major/degree. Originally as a biochemistry major, studying abroad was not an option for me as I knew I would not be able to transfer any credits. However, pursing a degree in Spanish opened up more opportunities for me and I knew that studying abroad would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me. After deciding to study abroad, I selected the USAC Madrid program as it offered language classes on top of a service learning and internship component. I decided this sophomore year spring semester and began the process fall semester of my junior year, with the intent of studying abroad in the spring.

I certainly recommend making an appointment with your study abroad advisor to tell them what type of things you are looking for in your experience. From this, it takes a lot of time and effort to do your research, but it definitely pays off in the end as you are able to choose a program that best represents your wants and needs for your experience.

The most dreadful aspect of studying abroad is the paper work that has to be completed. Some programs offer group visa submissions, where you send in some paper work and your partner program processes it for you; but some programs, like mine, required to submit your visa by yourself. This was the most stressful experience I went through trying to get my abroad materials in line. Here are some of the tips I have for your own application submission for those who need to process their visa through the Spain Consulate of Boston:

1. Book your visa appointment. This was absolutely the worst as it was so difficult to find an available appointment. I found myself checking every day, three times a day for over a month to finally find an appointment. My appointment was the last day of classes, which was the middle of the week. It required me to drive home the night before, attend my appointment and drive back to school right after.
2. Read the website thoroughly. All of the materials needed are listed on the website. I recommend that you fill it out online and follow the videos or instructions your program provides for you so that you do it correctly. For me, I needed: (1) the completed national visa application with a passport photo, (2) the supplemental application, (3) your insurance provided by your program, (4) you program acceptance letter, (5) a series of bank statements or notarized letter (a letter that needs to be signed by a parent/guardian as well as a bank) showing that you will be sustained in your time at Spain, and (6) your passport.
3. Come to your appointment early. I came to my appointment early and they were able to take me in faster, which reduced the wait time. Usually, people end up waiting approximately two hours for the materials to get looked at.

My whole appointment situation was extremely stressful. I had all the materials I needed but did not read the part where I had to include photocopies of everything. So, I went to my appointment and the woman at the desk was nice enough to direct me to a local copy store next to the building. She told me that as long as I get my materials printed, she will take me back so that I can submit my materials. I was so terrified that I would get turned away and have to go through the process of making a new appointment again. Upon arriving to the printer store (this was in the morning), I noticed it was closed. So, I ended up going to the nearest bank I saw and begging them to make copies for me, which they graciously did. When I went back to the consulate, I turned in my materials, sat at the waiting area, and everything was confirmed in less than an hour.

Overall, the experience was not as daunting as I made it out to be. I anticipated that the people working at the desks would be rude and turn me away if everything was not perfect, but that was not the case. In my experience, they were incredibly friendly and understanding. I think it is because they recognize that partner programs are reliable enough and will take care of their students, so getting the visa will be easy. The most important thing I recommend is to have all of your materials and photocopies of them before you arrive. They ask for other information like a flight confirmation or a printout of the flight you intend on taking, or a copy of a drivers license or any state ID license, but they never asked for it. I still think it is worthwhile to bring that information and photocopies of it just to be prepared.

The only thing I would have done differently was prepare for this at least a week in advance. I had gathered materials beforehand, but it wasn’t until the night before that I filled out my applications and made sure I had everything I needed. This was obviously a terrible mistake of mine, but I was lucky enough that everything worked out. It isn’t as bad as I thought it would be and relatively easy to get everything prepared for the actual appointment. I thought there would be interviews involved, but it is simply turning in your documents and waiting. They just tell you that your visa materials were taken in and to email them a certain time frame so they can check if your visa is ready for pick-up. So don’t worry! Everything will work fine, and you should never fear that you will not have your visa in time for your abroad studies. My program starts January 8th, my visa appointment was December 12th, and I will have my visa by the second to last week of December. I was freaking out before that my visa would be the reason why I can’t enter Spain, but everything worked out for the better.