Spanish Gap Year

I absolutely loved my experience on the Future Leaders program. In Madrid I ramped up my Spanish and built foundational business/entrepreneurship knowledge, and I loved settling in in Barcelona with my internship, our classes, and then some free time. Our weeks were definitely super busy, but I loved building a lifestyle and feeling like I was living somewhere, especially after moving around a ton on my fall program. Between our Spanish classes, business concept lessons, hands-on entrepreneurship activities, internships, and official entrepreneurship competition, I learned a TON in areas I hadn’t known much about before. I definitely got lucky with a solid internship and great boss, and it was in a field I had never worked in before (fashion), so I really enjoyed it. In general, this program was super important for my pre-professional development. I also made amazing friends and had tons of fun - our free time was really what you make of it! Especially considering this was a pilot program, I’m so impressed by how well put-together and genuinely professional everything was, and I’m so grateful for Arantxa, our mentors, and everyone who put all of this together. The Spanish Gap Year team is truly the best!!!

From attending Spanish class in a beautiful old building with stained glass to pitching to a panel of investors on the 25th floor of amazing building in Barcelona, this program covered all the bases. We had the freedom to explore Madrid and Barcelona and find our favorite cafes and corner restaurants but were still kept busy with morning internships and afternoon entrepreneurship classes. I felt really supported by our mentors who are all extremely knowledgeable and always ready to lend a hand. Arantxa, the program manager, personally checked in on all of us constantly and made sure everything was going well. It was comforting to have such support while being in such a flexible program with time for whatever adventures we came up with. I loved this program and am sad to leave my new friends and Barcelona.

This is a really great program to travel, learn Spanish, and get to know a culture. The staff is very caring, I loved Sagri and Arantxa a TON! We lived in about 10 places (including hostels), so be prepared for a lot of travel. The social aspect could be difficult for me because you’re in a small group for 3 months, but there were great moments as well. It’s a very packed schedule, but there’s a lot if fun activities, and you get try so many new things. I would definitely recommend! Especially if you want to learn the language and culture all together.

Spanish Gap Year was an amazing program and experience. The mix of travel, home stays, and cultural immersion was the perfect balance. The hostels were great for learning how to co-live with others and budget for food. Cooking and food was an amazing aspect. Train travel was nothing like I’ve experienced and I love the adventure. I have met some of my closest friends on this trip. Arantxa and Sagri are both wonderful and make the program an incredible experience for gap students. I learned a lot about Spanish history, culture, art, and myself as a student through experiential learning.

I had so much fun with SGY! I made a lot of amazing friends and am so grateful that I was able to visit so many beautiful cities and do so many wonderful activities. Sagri was the BEST LEADER EVER, I would come on this trip again just to hangout with her. She was patient, caring, supportive, and made everything so much fun. The Granada classes were a lot of fun, I loved Juan Luis and being able to explore the city with him and Sagri and learn about the Spanish history. I would also highly recommend SGY for anyone who loves food, there are so many amazing dishes and desserts that I was able to try along the way!