{"id":11306,"date":"2025-07-02T14:51:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/?p=11306"},"modified":"2025-07-02T14:51:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:51:57","slug":"my-madrid-exchange-at-uc3m-unpacked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/2025\/07\/02\/my-madrid-exchange-at-uc3m-unpacked\/","title":{"rendered":"My Madrid Exchange at UC3M Unpacked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jade – University of Carlos III of Madrid – Spain<\/h3>\n

Semester 2, 2024<\/h4>\n

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)<\/h4>\n

Studying abroad at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) was one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made. From the moment I arrived, I was immersed in a vibrant culture, made lifelong friends from all over the world, and explored breathtaking places both in Madrid and beyond.<\/p>\n

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Making Friends from Around the World<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the best parts of my exchange was the people I met. It was amazing to meet people from different walks of life and experience all these new things together. The friendships that I built really made the experience so much better and it wouldn\u2019t have been the same without them. Don\u2019t worry about not being able to make friends, there\u2019s so many students in the same position. I think UC3M said about 30% of their students are exchange students.<\/p>\n

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Traveling Near and Far<\/strong><\/p>\n

Madrid\u2019s central location made weekend trips so easy. There are high speed trains that can take you to a beachside city in 2 hours or I would definitely recommend renting a car and taking a drive to the Basque and Asturias regions. Take advantage of your weekends and travel to Portugal or Morocco as well.<\/p>\n

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Of course, I also fell in love with Madrid itself. There\u2019s always something happening the city is really alive, and I loved it. The city is so picturesque, the metro is amazing and there are so many museums free for students.<\/p>\n

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Embracing Spanish Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Spanish way of life was definitely a big change from Australia. They have super late dinners meaning that some restaurants might not open until 8pm and they also have their siesta time around 1-3pm where smaller shops are closed.<\/p>\n

For national holidays they almost always have a parade or event in Sol which I recommend it\u2019s such a fun way to see everyone getting together and they go all out.\u00a0 I went in our second semester where I saw Spain\u2019s national day, the 3 kings day and more.<\/p>\n

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Study Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

Engineering subjects are all at the Legan\u00e9s campus and others at Getafe. In my experience we had a lot of mandatory attendance practical\/ laboratory classes, but the tutorials\/ lectures were not (this can change by teacher). In comparison, UC3M course structure was not as defined as QUT and I often found it hard to navigate partial exams and assignment due dates. All of the teaching staff that I interacted with were really helpful and understanding. Exchange students have the option to do their exams in 1 week before Christmas, which was very challenging as there was no break between exam week and end of sem.<\/p>\n

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Tips for Future Exchange Students in Madrid<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re planning your own adventure in Madrid, here are my top tips:<\/p>\n