At SYA Spain, each day is a new adventure filled with unique opportunities for learning, growth and language acquisition. Consequently, there is no "average" day. The following schedule provides an outline for the full lives that students live while at SYA Spain during the majority of the academic year. Schedules vary from student to student, and are different during the initial fall cultural orientation, during the final weeks of the capstone project, on extended educational trips and on Fieldwork Wednesdays. Below is a typical class day in the 2019-2020 academic year:
7:15 am
Wake Up
Get ready for your day in Zaragoza, Spain!
7:30 am
Have Breakfast
Enjoy a traditional Spanish breakfast with your host family.
8:00 am
Go to School
All SYA students live a short distance from the SYA campus and walk, bike or take public transportation to school.
8:30 am
Applied Sociology
Classes at SYA will engage you with your surroundings. Start the academic day interviewing locals in Applied Sociology.
9:20 am
Math
SYA students can choose from a variety of math courses (taught in English) ranging from Advanced Algebra to AP Calculus BC. These courses combine in-class and online learning activities in a hybrid learning environment, with a focus on developing independent learning skills.
10:10 am
Spanish Language
In addition to improving Spanish language skills with your host family you will master Spanish language, grammar and culture through SYA's fast-paced Spanish language course.
10:55 am
Break
Check in with teachers about assignments, grab a coffee, or catch up with friends in historic downtown Zaragoza, or go to a nearby Spanish market or café to buy some local treats for a merienda!
11:25 am
Advisory
Meet with your peers and advisor to support one another through the personal challenges and victories that come with living abroad. In your weekly advisory period, your advisor will guide you through the SYA Practicum and support your development of SYA's core competencies.
12:35 pm
Free Period
Complete your homework, meet with teachers, or hang out with your friends in downtown Zaragoza.
1:20 pm
Lunch
SYA Spain students choose to eat at their choice of four neighborhood restaurants for lunch. Pick your favorite restaurant, bring an SYA boleto, or "ticket", and dig in at Fray Juan, Jalos, Memel, or Riconete.
2:30 pm
Macroeconomics
Understand Spain's history through its economic policies.
3:20 pm
English
While electives are in taught in Spanish, English is taught in English by teachers from American independent schools. Using a variety of texts you will further explore globalism and the abroad experience through literature.
4:10 pm
Spanish Theater
Prepare for your upcoming production by preparing the set or rehearsing your lines in Spanish.
5:00 pm
Co-Curricular Activities
Spend your afternoons participating in sports teams, visual and preforming arts, or traditional Spanish activities like flamenco dancing or Spanish cooking classes.
6:30 pm
Head back home
Walk, bike, or take public transportation back home.
7:00 pm
Free Time
Complete homework assignments and spend time with friends or your host family. At SYA you will find yourself on all sorts of adventures like learning to cook paella with your host parents or going to a soccer game with your Spanish friends.
9:00 pm
Dinner
Enjoy Spanish delicacies with your host family!
After Dinner
Work on homework assignments, relax with your host family and get ready for another day in Zaragoza, Spain!
For a full list of available courses at SYA Spain, check out the SYA Spain Academics Page.
To read more about SYA's hands-on academics, visit our Curriculum Page.
Explore the SYA campus in Zaragoza!