The climate in Salamanca is excellent for studying. At 800 meters (half a mile) in altitude, the mornings are usually cool and the temperature does not usually rise much before 1 p.m.

There are classes for all levels. The levels, which are explained below, help the student to select the most appropriate one for him or her.

In the classrooms of the CI, you will find a wide range of students, from the secondary school to the university level, drawn from all over the Spanish world and abroad.

Grouping of students. Students are grouped together in accord with the level that is selected, the number of years that they have studied Spanish, age, and their personal interests, as indicated at the time of registration. The ongoing evaluation of the students by the teachers in the several classes, individually and also at the request of the student concerned, make it easy to change from one level or group to another. The information center can also help to determine which course is appropriate to a given level.

Times: The CI, aware of the importance of an intense learning experience, offers four hours of classes in the morning, and cultural and sporting activities in the afternoons.

The number of students in each group is strictly limited: it may vary from five students to a maximum of 15. The diploma, along with the evaluation by the teacher, is awarded to the students at the end of the course.

From Monday to Friday the activities of the students are arranged in the following manner:

From 9-12 am, classes in the Spanish language in three sessions of 55 minutes each.
From 12 to 1, there is the practical drama workshop, the purpose of which is to improve oral expression and comprehension. Here, the students learn to adapt, stage, prepare costumes and construct a set for, rehearse, and present publically a dramatic work in the Spanish language (July only).
From 4-7 pm.: swimming pool, selected sports, and special activities. From 7-8: the fifth hour of instruction, dedicated to cultural activities, talks, classes in popular songs, dance classes, review of movies with commentary, and art history.

Types of classes. Because the groups are small, the time allowed for actual conversation, promoted by the teacher, is greater during this short stay abroad than over the course of the entire school year at home. Moreover, it is continually enriched thanks to daily contact with the people of the city.

 

Levels. Elementary, intermediate, advanced, college level.

Elementary. This is for students who have minimal previous experience of the language (zero to one year). There is a special focus on oral expression and comprehension.

Intermediate: for students who have had two or three years of Spanish.

Advanced: three or four years of Spanish.

College level: Although the CI specializes in younger students, it also continues to have as one of its main goals language instruction for university level students, with the object of deepening their understanding of the culture in all its aspects. The CI can help meet the nees of students with various special career interests, for example teaching, business, tourism, research, and so forth.

Even though there is a wide variety of students, especially at the university level, the courses are tailored to the individual student, taking into consideration their previous knowledge, areas that need further work, their specific professional and other ambitions, and any other needs they may have.

In line with this highly individualized attention, we invite each student, from the moment at which they register, to specify the subjects (such as grammar, litearure, history) that they most want to puruse during their time at the Colegio. We hope to meet these requests within the framework of four areas of study: one hour of grammar, another for literature, a third dedicated to culture, and the fourth for translation or theater (dramatic expression, enunciation, and above all intensive oral conversation with the teachers).