For students’ first years on campus, Colgate University’s rich academics prepare students for the tools they may need while studying abroad — and the small town of Hamilton feel may make them ready for a short escape. In a semester-long relocation to Madrid, Spain, Colgate study group students immerse themselves in Spanish culture and language through homestay residences, engaging courses taught in Spanish and individual and group excursions. In becoming truly acquainted with Spanish culture, students broaden their conversational Spanish fluency, connect with Latin arts and culture and gain worldly and linguistic identities while fostering bonds with fellow students.
Students who take part in the group continue their educational experiences through specially-curated classes taught in Spanish while engaging with Madrid’s rich creative culture, giving students real-world opportunities to apply their small-school benefits to a global and multicultural stage. The Madrid program is unique in the rigorous courses students take in Spanish, putting their skills from Colgate to the test. Junior Lucia Domonkos is currently involved in the program and shared her thoughts on her experience so far.
“It has been a great and unique experience overall. Focusing on the language of Spanish, being able to practice it in real-life situations and being a part of an actual Spanish university has taught me so much,” Domonkos said.
The Madrid study group is affiliated with the department of romance languages and literature, both of which play crucial roles in learning Spanish culture more fully. Students advance their linguistic and artistic skills and utilize them as interested citizens of the world. They are also furthering their language skills in their own living spaces through the program’s home stays, in which Colgate students live with families in Madrid, Spain. Junior Natalie Posner shared her experience with the home stay so far.
“I think my favorite part of the Colgate Spanish study group has been living with a host family. It definitely has helped improve my Spanish speaking skills and my confidence when communicating with native speakers. I also feel like I have a home away from home and I look forward to catching up with my host sister every night at dinner,” Posner said.
Outside of academics, students travel on days and weekends to surrounding areas in Spain such as Toledo, Granada and Barcelona as part of the study group, in addition to being able to travel independently.
“Our Colgate field trips have been super cool because I love learning about and exploring old churches and museums. I have had the opportunity to see friends from high school and other friends from Colgate who are also studying abroad in different cities in Europe which has made for some super fun weekends,” Posner said.
The highly-anticipated excursion during the Santiago de Compostela session to the south of Galicia, Spain and the Miño River valley and the Portugal border region marks a pivotal moment in participants’ abroad experience. These excursions reflect Colgate’s commitment to producing well-rounded worldly students academically and socially.
“We started our study abroad time in a smaller town in Galicia, Spain, where we really focused on culture, history and art,” Domonkos said. After two weeks there, we took a train to Madrid all together and we moved in with our home stay families.”
Overall, their experiences have shed light on new aspects of the Spanish language and culture that students can’t authentically experience on Colgate’s campus.
“Learning about the culture, and being able to experience so many new things you would never have the opportunity to do in Hamilton is so great, all while being able to eat amazing new foods and see beautiful sites,” Domonkos said.
Senior Corinne Campbell expressed similar enthusiasm for the unique experiences she had while studying in Madrid during the fall 2024 semester.
“I would say for me the most meaningful experience was having family dinners with my host family, because it was such a great way to fully immerse myself in the language and culture and was one of the factors that contributed to my dramatic growth in Spanish,” Campbell said. “We would often spend at least an hour at dinner and then watch a movie together after, which helped make Madrid feel more like home and allowed me to build such deep connections in my second language [while] creating memories with them that will last forever.”
The Fall 2026 Colgate in Madrid study group will run from Aug. 16 to Dec. 13. Current sophomores interested in learning at the Plaza Mayor instead of Lawrence Hall must apply by Oct. 29.
