Mobility specification

Country:Spain

Institution:University of Granada

City:Granada

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2023/2024

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Education / Department of Primary Education

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?no

Does the university offer enough courses in English?manageable

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?It was like high school - we had regular assignments in seminars, we collected some activity points everywhere, we sat in school longer and had classes as one group - no one chose the schedule, at most when somewhere was divided into two groups, but they didn't allow much change. Overall the teaching style struck me as being more "guided" than ours, even the school struck me as more like a high school than a university, but maybe that was just the environment of our faculty.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Yes, it was an orientation day, but it was not helpful. The best thing to do was to ask all the teachers at the beginning about their specific subjects and ask your buddy - we whatsapped.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:15000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?Facebook groups - alquiler de pisos en granada and the like. Agencies often have hidden fees or crazy conditions (for example, when someone wanted to resign and found a replacement, they still didn't want to return the deposit in the form of 2 rentals, etc). I definitely wouldn't send money up front when searching through FB. Call the person, have them give you a tour through the accommodation etc.

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?In the beginning, I had bigger expenses because my room and apartment didn't have the equipment - buying bed linen, duvets, kitchen stuff
Because of the cactus spines, I kept having flats on my bike - the service centre already knew me :D

Do you have any tips on how to save money?There are a lot of cheap shops like Pepco, online bazaar "wallapop", canteen costs about 3.40 euro, organized bus trips with a student travel agency often worked out cheaper than a separate trip, but for more days it is more worth going alone.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?almost without problems

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?On your first days at school, you get a student card, you top it up at the driver's place and each time you drive, you get a credit - I think one ride is €0.31. Get that sorted out as quickly as possible. Google maps is fine for buses. There's also the metro, a bit more expensive but still cheap if you buy a card - you buy that from machines at metro stops (there's only 1 line), buses between cities are pretty cheap but it all depends on when you buy your ticket - you need a month in advance for the best price. Trains are more expensive but supposedly good, but I haven't used them. The blah blah blah car ride app works well here too. I would recommend buying a bike, but for trips around the area rather than moving around the city. It's best to find housing in and near downtown and walk everywhere and take the bus to school.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?yes

How do you rate the availability of healthcare?I've seen better

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Wander through the historic centre, the Alhambra, the streets of Albaycín, the olive groves behind the Alhambra, ideally cycling all around. It's a good idea to go for walks around the city, organised by student organisations - ESN and others - at the beginning of the semester. They'll give you tips on where to go.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Hiking - Los Cahorros - Monachil, Pico de Veleta - Hoya de mora, Cumbres Verdes - Trevenque, Caminito del Rey, Gibraltar
Cities - Cordoba, Ronda, Málaga, Seville
Villages - Benalmadéna, Mijas, Setenil de las Bodegas, Alpujarra - Sporortujar, Capileira, Bubión, Pampaneira, Treveléz
Beach - Nerja

Share your best experience:I used to bike up the mountains around here to the olive groves when the Sierra Nevada was already snowed in, but it was still about 20-25 degrees in the city during the day and read. It was amazing to me there. Not one particular experience, but a series of pleasant moments in a beautiful setting.

Great hiking in the Sierra Nevada and around Granada in general - good accessibility to the starting points even by bus or bike.

Still a great experience were all the hikes, I would definitely recommend going through the small villages in Andalusia.

I also liked the cultural festival in the centre of Granada - flamenco dancing in the street, various traditional "markets", free churros. There used to be events like this from time to time, you need to google when something like this is and come to the centre then.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane
Bus

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Warmer clothes than you would say for such a south - at night in December and January sometimes the temperature dropped below zero even though during the day it was usually above 15 degrees, winter clothes if you wanted to go skiing (but otherwise you can buy them cheaply in the ski shops and they are better than here).

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Long summer evenings in October, history and beautiful architecture, hiking with a minimum of tourists - that's Granada.