| Reviewers Male / Female |
Recommend Yes / No |
Number of Reviews | Classes & Instruction | School Facilities | Accomodation | Cost & Expense | Total Average Rating |
| 1 / 0 | 1 / 0 | 1 | 9.00 | 8.00 | 7.00 | 10.00 | 8.50 |
| Date Submitted: | February 18, 2011 |
| Language School: |  Tía Tula |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Salamanca, Spain |
| Classes & Instruction: | 9 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 8 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 7 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Review of Tia Tula Spanish School in Salamanca Back in September 2010 I decided I would come to Spain for half a year, to travel around, yes, but first and foremost, to study the Spanish language while being fully immersed. This being my first time studying abroad, the myriad of options overwhelmed me some days. Also, with me doing all of the searching from my home in Los Angeles, CA, USA, I had to lean heavily on brochures, emails, and the midnight conversations I had with language school representatives (the larger the school, the higher likelihood they will have an 800 number that you can call from the States, or anywhere in the world) due to the time difference between Los Angeles and Spain. Given all of this, I compared the language schools using some specific factors: perceived quality of teaching available (simply: will I learn Spanish?), professionalism (organization, communication, timeliness), location (as important to picking a language school as it is to real estate in my opinion), and last but definitely not least, price. After comparisons, I chose Tia Tula Colegio de Espanol, here in Salamanca, Spain, and I can honestly say that I am happy I chose the school. The type of quality teaching, intimate attention and overall experience I am gaining here is something I doubt I would’ve received had I chose a larger program. First off, Tia Tula is located here in Salamanca, Spain, which is about 2.5 hours west of Madrid. Very clear Spanish is spoken here, at the school, in the streets, in the restaurants, etc. Salamanca is a historic city where, amongst other things, Christopher Columbus presented his plan to geographers at the Universidad de Salamanca (the 2nd or 4th oldest university in the world) regarding sailing to what we now know as America. Stone streets, preserved buildings, and a place full of students and locals. You have a local feel with an international reality here in Salamanca. Tia Tula being located here in Salamanca is significant, and the school takes after the city, with the facilities having that authentic Spanish feel; wood floors, chalkboards, and an overall well preserved interior bodes well for a rich Spanish experience. The quality of learning both in and outside the classroom is top notch here at Tia Tula. The first thing that compelled me to choose Tia Tula, however, was the professionalism and organization that I witnessed all the way from Los Angeles, and it was all done by email and regular mail. When I emailed Tia Tula, they responded timely. I had one person communicating with me the whole time, so I didn’t have to retell my story through email the way you often have to when you get transferred to different people when you call the customer service line for many companies. As they needed things from me, and I from them, we got it done together with little problem. What I loved about Tia Tula, even before I started at the school, was the feeling that people were over on the other end with a vested interest in getting everything situated. Even when I changed my dates of study more than 5 times, the school was very flexible. I definitely had a million questions for Tia Tula, and they fielded them with honesty and kindness. They also set me up with a decent accommodation. You can go the family stay route, or the way I went, the ‘flat’ (small apartment) route. They’ve also been good with pointing me to city resources, and offer extracurricular activities almost every day. I decided on the Intensive Spanish Language Course, which consists of 4 hours of instruction 5 days a week, with 2 hours dedicated to grammar, and the other 2 dedicated to conversation. Grammar wise I will take away much more from 5 weeks here than I did in 4 months when I studied at my local junior college at home in L.A. Moreover, one of the beautiful things about Tia Tula’s approach to teaching is that it is very effectively surrounded around you. Meaning, you develop your language skills by conversing organically amongst your classmates about the same things you’d talk about were it in your own language; all while being guided by your teacher and by the different activities that can be found in the workbooks. What’s more, Tia Tula commits itself as a school to immersing you language-wise into the Spanish culture. What this means is, one day you could be discussing the dynamics of Spanish Television, the next you could be debating, agreeing or disagreeing with new policies implemented here in Spain (which we did today). Other schools delve into Spanish culture I’m sure (or I hope they do), but I can definitely say that Tia Tula does a great job of it. This coupled with how your own life is integrated into your learning process makes for an effective acquisition of the Spanish language. You learn the expected way, through textbooks, and listening to the teachers, but inside the Tia Tula classrooms you also stumble upon a deeper ability to speak the language, just as you would when you are out in the city. Plus, the teachers genuinely care about you learning. My teacher and I had a discussion about Spanish books and theater, about the importance of reading and speaking the language. He asked me if I knew of a certain play, told him I didn’t, he was shocked, and he brought me the DVD the next day. Little things like this I really appreciate. Great teaching. Better people. With professional and intimate attention, and a great teaching method, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if it cost more to attend Tia Tula, but the school is definitely affordable. Intimacy is infused into many of the aspects of the school, including their having only 60 or so students at one time, thereby maintaining their smaller, intimate feel, thereby making Tia Tula affordable. To study right in the heart of Salamanca (about 3 minutes walking from the Plaza Mayor) having paid such an affordable price, I feel very fortunate to have found Tia Tula amidst all of the options available. I value the intimacy of Tia Tula Colegio de Espanol, and if personable, flexible, intimate and affordable are things you are looking for in a Spanish school in Salamanca, Spain, I highly recommend them. This is not to say that Tia Tula is perfect. I would’ve preferred a number to call them when I was getting everything situated. And there are other schools with more students studying at one time, though my class of 9 currently has students from 4 different countries. I also would’ve loved to have weekend excursions to other places in Spain, but by studying in Salamanca you become a ‘Salmantino’ for a time. Some of the bigger schools have these things. But if you want a straightforward, high quality and effectively immersive experience as you learn the Spanish language, you’d enjoy Tia Tula. You won’t get everything perfect here, but you won’t get lost here, all the way from when you first begin the process to your last day in class. And most important, you’ll have a great opportunity to truly learn the Spanish language, affordably. Comments [ 1 ] |
| Submitted by: | MMills 24 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Los Angeles, CA, USA |
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