I may have become, unintentionally, biased. My very first trip out of the country happened to be an SPC study abroad trip to Salamanca Spain. Everyone should be so fortunate as to have THIS trip – or one like it – as their first international experience. Everything – from a planning standpoint – was very well thought out and very well planned. Beyond the few elements that I had to take care of on my end – such as acquiring a passport, booking the flight, and packing my bags – virtually everything else was organized and arranged so that I was able to simply show up at the right time and the right place, relax and enjoy the broader experience as a whole.

After the flight, and a bus ride from the airport in Madrid, our group stepped off the bus into a new (to us) world and culture markedly different from our own. And, because of the tremendous planning and organizing efforts on the part of the SPC team, we really had to worry about very little else for the duration of the trip. We were first introduced to our hosts, who would be our surrogate family for the following 3 weeks. Then we walked to our homes away from home. We had a bit of down time to relax and a brief meeting, a good night’s rest – ready to hit the ground running on Monday morning. For the next 20 days, I was able to simply enjoy the experience of being abroad, and specifically, abroad in Salamanca Spain.

Each day, we had enough directed activities before and after class to provide plenty of opportunities to immerse in the culture and history of the city, without really having to plan much. On the other hand, however, there was enough “down-time” to allow us to explore on our own. The combination of all of this created a very well-rounded and satisfying study abroad experience. I am so appreciative of the entire experience, and especially grateful for the scholarship that helped offset some of the expense. I truly cannot recommend enough this – and other – travel abroad trips like it through SPC.

– Scott, SPC Spain Study Abroad Program, June 2026