“I knew I wanted to study abroad since I started college. As a Global Studies and Spanish double major I could basically choose to study abroad anywhere in the world. I’d always wanted to go to Spain so this helped me narrow down my options. I chose the Saint Louis University Madrid program because it offered the biggest course selection and had the best financial aid package.
I was lucky enough that all my financial aid from Loyola transferred over and I also applied for outside scholarships. My scholarships and financial aid ended up covering tuition and room and board. I only needed to cover personal expenses so I worked over the summer and had been saving for a year. It ended up being cheaper for me to be abroad in Madrid then being at Loyola. I stayed with a host family and this helped me save money on food.
While abroad, I took 5 courses. Two Spanish literature classes, theology, Art History of Madrid, and History of Spain. I was lucky enough to only have class Monday through Thursday which gave me more time to travel on the weekends. I traveled to Rome, Paris, London, Monaco, Nice, took a three-city tour of Morocco, and saw most of Spain.
Plane and train tickets were cheap but I had to learn quickly how to budget for food, stay, and transportation while I traveled. To save money my friends and I stayed at hostels throughout Europe. I can’t pick a favorite trip because every place I visited was beautiful. In Paris, I did a night bike tour of the city, Rome had amazing food and I lived out my Harry Potter dreams in London. I rode a camel on the beach in Morocco and walked 16 miles along the French Riviera from Nice to Monaco. Even now, I look back at pictures and can’t believe I did all this.
For me, the biggest challenge while abroad was time management. I traveled on most weekends so I had to make sure I was on top of my school work. I did homework before I left for the weekend, wrote papers at the airport, and studied during the long bus rides. Madrid is also 7 hours ahead of Chicago, so I had to plan when I would be able to speak with my family.
Studying abroad was the best decision I could have made and I encourage everyone who can do so. I traveled throughout Europe and made lifelong friends along the way.”
Juliana’s average GPA is 3.7
Juliana Tamayo
HEAR Class of 2019
Loyola University
George Spaniak Sr. Memorial Scholar