Studying in Madrid for the year was undoubtedly the best experience of my life. The new experiences, friends made, places visited and opportunities to learn more about culture and language far surpassed my expectations of what exchange would be like. I chose ICADE because it is a highly regarded Business school within a prestigious University in Central Madrid (La Universidad de Pontificia Comillas). During my time there I really felt that my Spanish massively improved due to immersion, and by the end of the first semester I was able to comfortably understand and speak about relatively complex subjects such as Business Information Technology systems and Strategic Business Analysis. Most importantly, studying abroad allows you to develop ‘soft skills’ such as communication and teamwork, as you will have to interact and work with people from different cultures and parts of the world.

Madrid itself is a bustling, exciting city full of history and beautiful architecture. There are always plenty of events to go to and the nightlife is excellent. I really think that immersing yourself into a foreign culture is one of the most formative experiences one can have. You will learn so much about yourself and I couldn’t recommend it any more highly.

Studying Commerce International means that I have a mandatory year abroad and I decided to attend the Goethe University in Frankfurt based on previous advice I was given and my own research into living in Germany and the best German cities to live in as an international student.
I had the most incredible experience in Frankfurt and got the opportunity to broaden my cultural horizons, meet many new people from all over the world, improve my language skills and have a lot of fun. Studying business in a foreign language was much easier than I expected, and I got to learn and develop new insights about business in Germany and study modules I normally would never have the opportunity to study at home.
Frankfurt was an incredible city to live in, being small and well connected through public transport links made exploring the city very easy. It also has some lovely green spots in the city as well as the River Main flowing through it who’s banks are a summer hotspot. Being an international finance hub, Frankfurt is very welcoming to foreign students and making friends was easy wherever I went as was getting the opportunity to practice and improve my German. Moving to Frankfurt was one of the best and easiest things I’ve ever done and made leaving home for the first time not only unintimidating but also enjoyable.