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author
philipp ritzinger
philipp
ritzinger
faculty
Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
academic year of the stay
2023/2024
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author
philipp
faculty
Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
academic year of the stay
2023/2024
traineeship
study stay
short-term mobility
other
CSIC Material Science Institute of Madrid
How does philipp rate their stay?
university
city
accommodation
financial demands
about university
What made your university special? What were the facilities where you studied and the university equipment like?
About the equiment: I am a theoretical physicist, so I just need a computer and a desk. This looks pretty much like everywhere.
The institute is at the Cantoblanco campus, which is a little bit outside of Madrid. A train connection ("Cercanias", comparable to Metro) is available and brings you there. The campus is quite green, the buildings are in the style of the 70s. People at the Institute were really friendly and welcoming and everyone helped me if there was something to resolve. Also, I enjoyed working with my colleagues.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your "adoptive" university? What made it special? What were the premises where you studied and the university facilities like?
I definitely would recommend the place to other interns. I was an intern as a research assistant / PhD student, as a part of my PhD project here in Prague (voluntary stay). My position as an intern was just normal like you would expect an intern / guest in science institutes. The entire team was very nice, welcoming and helpful and enjoyed working with them.
What is student life like at university?
Did you study in English or in the language of the host country? What language requirements does the university have?
The work in science in general as well as at the institute in particular is in English. I also speak Spanish, so that would have not been a problem as well. In Spain, it is generally recommendable to speak a bit of the language.
about the city
What was your impression of the city? How would you describe it? What is interesting to see here?
Madrid is one of the best cities I have ever been to, I would always go back and had a hard time accepting that I need to leave. It has both cosmopolitan and small town vibes, is both busy and one of the most relaxed cities I have ever seen. The Madrileňos seem genuinely happy to life their lives. While the metropolitan area of Madrid has 6 mio people, you do absolutely not feel the size. It is clean and safe (in contrary to Barcelona). While it gets quite hot by the end of spring, the climate is super dry and there is AC everywhere (only the metro is an oven). There are a lot of concerts, cultural and social events, you don't run out of things to do - and when you do, you can just travel to another city. The only advise I have to say against Madrid is that you might miss it too much once you leave
about finances
In your experience, how far does the scholarship go? What percentage of your expenses did it cover? What is your opinion on prices in the country in general?
Madrid is an expensive city. Even Erasmus dorms can cost up to 500-600€. Finding a cheap room in a flatshare in the city center is almost only possible if you stay long term. The life in Madrid is comparably cheap (- even super cheap if compared to Western European Capitals), but life still has its costs, especially since the inflation. Madrid is a bit more expensive than Prague for going out. In my case, I managed to secure some additional payment and use some of my savings, which helped me covering the costs effortlessly.
Please advise your classmates on how to save money—Where to shop? What services can be used to save money?
Public transport is super cheap in the abbonement, but expensive for tourist: A monthly pass costs ca. 26€, but a weekly (!) pass for tourists 42€. The problem is, that for a monthly pass you need a personalized transport card ("tarjeta de transporte personalizado") which you need to apply for (online) and then they send it to you after some weeks. It would be wise to do that before you go. They will send it to some address in Madrid and you need e.g. a Spanish phone number - ask your future colleagues for help, they will gladly help.
Otherwise, accommodation is a huge factor. If you want to live centrally in Madrid, you gonna pay for it. Cheap shared rooms are hard to find for a short term stay. Ask your colleagues for some help and perhaps start early on searching - or easier: save some cash and just pay the price.
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about accommodation
What type of accommodation did you choose? Would you recommend it to others? If not, what type of accommodation do you think is best based on your experience (dormitory, private apartment, private dormitory, shared room, etc.)?
I chose a private studio via AirBnb. On AirBnb you can get some 40% discount for long-term stay. That's still more expensive than renting, however has some advantages: 1) Renting via an agency will usually make you pay 1 month rent as "agency fee" - Airbnb doesn't have it. 2) They are going to ask for 1-2 months of deposit, which they might steal later from you, fully or partially. AIrbnb does not have a deposit. 3) Electricity costs and water are always covered in an airbnb, often you have to pay in a normal renting.
I chose something centrally located. There are also shared AirBnbs (something like a flatshare, which are cheaper. It can be useful, to only take the accommodation for one month (to get the 40% discount - there is no further discount if you stay longer) and then ask the landlord if they would rent you the room after - often times they do and will rent it cheaper to you than it would be even with the 40% discount.
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
Madrid has an excellt Metro network and there are high-speed trains in every direction: 3 hours to Barcelona, 2.5 hours to Sevilla and 2 hours to Valencia. The airport of Madrid is also huge.
I went to Lisbon by plane (1 hour flight), Valencia, Barcelona and Basque country by train. Basque country, especially Bilbao, is my personal favorite. There is so much to see in Spain, I am still missing the south and also did not have time for "the camino de Santiago"
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
I spoke quite well spanish before I went there. Spanish can be difficult in the daily life, because there is a lot of different dialects, which differ in pronunciation and wording sometimes heavily from textbook language. In general, language is not a problem though, because people are very nice and encourage you to speak Spanish. If you don't get it, they will repeat it in Spanish instead of switching to english. I don't know about the general english proficiency, since I tried to speak as much Spanish as I could. However, it is a big city and you can get around with english I guess.
My studies / work was in English.
Yes, I definitely improved my Spanish.
Cultural differences: People are quite nice and less hectic - sometimes too much, in a way that everything is "maňana", which literally means tomorrow, can however also mean next week, month or never. People show up with some delay, sometimes a couple of hours. Of course, no always and not everybody, specifically because Madrid is a capital city and not a small village. The Spanish customer service is really bad (slow and forgets things) and you need to complain to them often times - they will, however take the complaints usually and help you then. In general, I did not have any "cultural shocks". Spaniards are very chill, the culture is pleasant and easy to get in and the previously described aspects are more details than gravity problems.
final rating
Why here? What makes this location special? Why would you send your friends to your country/city?
At this point I would everybody I get randomly to know at a bus stop advise to go to Madrid -and never come back. The city is really amazing, people are nice and chill and happy to be alive. There are a lot of amazing people and a lot of things to do.
My institute had a great team with warm, welcoming and helpful people, who also show a great work ethic (sometimes in science, PhD students are just "working animals" - the contrary was the case here, everybody is super nice and is a very good work environment with a great team)
live-saving tips
If I went again, I would definitely remember to pack...
It's a capital, you just can buy what you forgot
Before leaving, I would like to know that...
...to apply for the public transport card beforehand. They took some time to send it to me and that was unnecessary spending.
What surprised me most was that...
by how much I like the city.
The hardest thing for me was...
to leave.
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