CEA Study Abroad in Alicante, Spain

Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I've ever made! I had a great time and learned so much. Alicante is a perfect city - easily walkable, on the beach, not too big but not too small. The people were friendly and their accent is not difficult to understand. I was also able to take a class taught completely in Spanish which was a cool learning experience.

The excursions were all awesome and I was glad we got to travel to other parts of Spain (Valencia, Granada, etc.) In addition, I was able to travel independently around Europe and see truly amazing places.

Studying abroad in Alicante with CEA provided me housing in the middle of a laid-back, beautiful city with a rich history and endless things to do and places to explore. This is a great city to experience the Spanish lifestyle without being overwhelmed by a big-city pace and atmosphere. The University teachers love what they do and as a result, have engaging classes with relevant assignments rather than busywork. With an excellent, quite simple public transportation system both within and outside the region, traveling up Costa Blanca could not be easier. My stay in Alicante gave me the time to get to know myself and discover what really matters in life, and the people I met taught me valuable lessons which I wouldn't trade for anything.

I have found a second home. I loved Alicante, I was able to emerge into the culture and make many friends. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about Spain. I found family in Alicante, i was able to experience different cuisine and change my diet. I walked a lot so walking 50 minutes is not a lot for me anymore. And I love that i am able to walk that much and feel good. My roommates were amazing too, I was placed with two amazing strong women, who are my friends for life now. We were the only 3 Latinas in the program and we were placed together.

I am so happy I decided to study in Alicante with CEA. I liked that the size of the program was small, and we all got to know each other. I met five of my best friends in my CEA program, and I don't think that would have happened if I did not choose this small program. Though things weren't always perfect, like sickness and issues with out apartment, CEA staff was always there to help when something went wrong. Our two on-site advisors, Adriana and Alvaro, were always so helpful. Adriana became a good friend and kind of our mother figure while being abroad. There were so many programs to choose from, and I am definitely glad I chose this one. I do not think I would have gained everything I did out of my experience if I chose another program.

I loved every minute of Alicante. I had never heard of it before choosing to go there. I found it on the CEA website and they were the only ones I found that had offered it. CEA had an immense amount of information to offer the students on their website as well as during my time there I actually worked with CEA to do voice overs for many of their videos. They wanted voice overs in order to make it even easier and convenient for the students to watch and learn the information about CEA and Alicante. Alvaro and Adriana are amazing and were available with support and help with a quick response 24/7. I think more people who want to study abroad in Spain need to consider Alicante because of its gorgeous beaches, beautiful city and of course CEA.

Alicante is not Barcelona, it is not Madrid, and it truly is so much better because of it. Alicante is in a league all of its own. New York is famous; and it is also famous for its New York gruffness and busy atmosphere. ANYWHERE in Nebraska is not famous; and you will not meet a mean person there.
I digress.
Alicante is the most wonderful city to fall in love with and you could not be more prepared by CEA. Never skip a day at the beach. Alvaro and Adriana would gladly do anything for you. Be involved in anything and everything, especially when it scares you. Palmeral is underrated. Succeed in class. Explore all of Santa Barbara. Learn some history. Smile and remember that all the other students are thinking the same thing as you, just in a different language.

Go. Have Fun. Make good decisions, but not great ones.

Before studying abroad, I had a broad idea of what living in Spain, specifically Alicante, would look like for 4 months. As soon as I landed in the airport, I was greeted by a group of other students and my CEA advisor! They made sure to have us set up in our apartments in the best way. My CEA advisors ALWAYS offer new activities and excursions for us to do! Signing up for classes was incredibly easy because we just worked one-on-one with our advisor and he would register those classes for us! Overall, CEA has been SUCH an organized and kind program to work with. Everyone truly just wants the students to have the best study abroad experience that they can have. If ever they think we are struggling or have questions, they try and solve any problem we are dealing with. 10/10 recommend. SO SO organized and involved.

I had the amazing chance to get to study abroad in Alicante, Spain in the spring. I went with CEA which was an amazing program. The people who are apart of this program helped me every step of the way and made me very comfortable and at home during my time abroad. CEA was a great program for many reason, they provided us with different housing options and helped us with everything we needed for our housing. They also included many trips and activities, we got to travel to many cities, go on hikes, take cooking classes, volunteer and much more! My program was not too big which was one of my favorite parts because I got to get close with everyone in my group which was awesome.