How do I secure a place on the course I want to study in Spain?
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Here is Xavier's story:
"The pressure is on. The stress is there. It's November 15 and I still haven't been able to apply to a university in Spain. Which one? It doesn't matter... The important thing is to apply... to be the first... The most important thing, and... everyone told me, is not to miss the boat! The most important thing to study in Spain is to apply early, faster than the others... Everyone told me that. A friend of my parents whose son is in dental school at UAX even confirmed it to us! The most important thing is to send your application as soon as possible. And even the university confirmed this to me! I called UEM, UAX, UCJC, Nebrija, UEV, UEC. I wrote an email to ESIC, ESADE and IED and CEU San Pablo. And absolutely EVERYONE told me the same thing: you have to send your application as soon as possible because otherwise you won't have any places!
So it's decided. I'm going to apply to study in Spain as soon as possible. A little help with my applications won't do me any harm and I've also been told about a serious organization to help me with my study project in Spain: FEEDUC.
I look at their site, their YouTube channel, I subscribe to their Facebook page and it looks serious! Even the Google reviews say so! So I sign up with them. Sure, it's not free, but at least I'll get some help and I'll be able to send my application as soon as possible to all the universities they recommend.
I attend their group meeting and it's weird... They are calm, relaxed, and most importantly, they are the first ones to not pressure me to send in my application.
No matter, as soon as the information meeting on "How to study in Spain I send my request for an individual meeting. And it's true, they are reactive. They answer me quickly and I get my appointment quickly. It's the 20th of November... Will there be any places left in the universities in Spain? I want to study dentistry but it doesn't matter, I can also do physiotherapy in Spain... or pharmacy... I don't really know anymore but what I do know is that I want to study in Spain. Everyone says it's fantastic and much easier than in France!
And now the day of my individual interview has arrived and I connect to the individual videoconference with FEEDUC, the link to which arrived by e-mail (oops, it was in the spam! Luckily I saw it in time!). I took the Spanish test they sent me. The result wasn't great, but after all, my neighbor's son had a much worse level when he went to Spain to study architecture!
I say to myself: finally I will be able to apply. They're going to tell me how to do it!
And here.... It's just the opposite that happens! They tell me to WAIT! But wait for what!!! If I want to leave, I'm sure ! Well... if I have what I want in France, I'm not so sure but...
And after my interview, I'm beginning to understand why I shouldn't panic! The person from FEEDUC calmly explained all the steps to be taken. And while it's true that some courses fill up faster than others, in my case, there's no point in applying now because my level of Spanish isn't sufficient to make me eligible. And I understand my mistake (and no doubt that of many students who, like me, are over-stressed in this respect).
What happens if I apply when the admissions process opens in Spain? These processes generally open between the end of November for the earliest and until February for the latest. If I send my application tomorrow (remember, it's November 20!), what happens?
When I send my admission file to FEEDUC to apply to a university in Spain, this is what happens:
I have to take the admission tests often in a very short time (1 or 2 days for some universities). These tests all include an evaluation of my Spanish level. However, I have not taken any courses and it is my high school level (not too bad according to me but not so good either) that should allow me to obtain the B1, B2 or even C1 level for certain courses, at the result of the entrance test! All of a sudden, I doubt...
And what happens if I fail the Spanish test to get into a private university in Spain ? The person from FEEDUC confirms that I won't be able to retake the test, and that I'll be eliminated from the admissions process (or at best placed on the waiting list!) because I don't meet the university's prerequisites. But the person at the university didn't tell me that... And the famous son of my father's friend who studies at the UAX, I remember he took 3 months of intensive Spanish courses before applying.... So I'll be one of the first to take the admission tests, but I'll also be one of the first to be turned down this year! Taking the admission tests for a private university in Spain without having the required level of Spanish means taking the risk of not having a place because you haven't taken the time to get up to speed in Spanish.
The other option, in the best of cases, is to be admitted ! But what happens if you are admitted to a private university in Spain, whether for architecture, dentistry, business or engineering ? I'm asked to pay an immediate fee to reserve a place (within a maximum of 10 days and a minimum of 3 days). But by November 30, am I sure I want to pay 700€, 800€, 1,000€ or even 3,000€ or 3,500€? for dental courses in Spain or veterinary courses in Spain ? And FEEDUC explains that it's the same in January, February or any time of the year I apply. When you're accepted, you have to pay for a place within a limited time.
But what happens if I don't pay for the seat reservation? Well, if I don't pay my seat reservation, I am eliminated from the process and my seat will be given to someone else who is really sure to go. So I will have done a process and spent time on it for nothing since if I don't pay this seat reservation fee I will definitely give up a seat for the next school year....
What happens if I pay for my place in Spain and I don't end up studying in Spain? The university NEVER reimburses seat reservations. So in the end, if I don't go to study in Spain, I have lost money and my admission options.
So if I've understood my interview with FEEDUC correctly, applying implies taking the admission tests and paying the reservation fee if you're accepted.
And in order to optimize my chances of being admitted to theuniversity of my choice in Spain, they advise me above all not to wait, but to take the time to prepare and apply when I have reached the level of the mandatory prerequisites to be eligible.
So obviously, if I have the level expected by the university in February, it will be better to apply then than to wait until June or July. But while waiting for June or July, there are still places available in some universities in Spain.
FEEDUC, during my individual interview, gave me the following examples from last year:
Dental in Spanish at UEM: Sold out mid-February. This is the course with the fewest places, as the vast majority of places are reserved for Spaniards. What do I need to do if I want to study at UEM in Spanish? Have the required level of Spanish in January! You'll find all the information you need on the FEEDUC website.
Dental in English at EMU: Sold out at the end of April. They then called many students on the waiting list until September.
Spanish dental course at UAX: Sold out at the end of July !!!! I couldn't believe my ears! And I wanted to apply in November... Of course, the FEEDUC advisor told me I didn't have to wait that long, but it put the urgency of applying in Spain into perspective. I do have time.
Dental in English and Spanish at VU: Sold out early April. There's a schedule to keep. At least at this university, it's clear. Everything is indicated on the FEEDUC admissions process. You should also know that many students who have applied according to the admissions timetable and have not been admitted by direct admission are even called up from the waiting list during the summer and sometimes as late as September.
Veterinarian at UAX: Until May, you can apply quietly and there are even admission test sessions until June
Veterinarian at the UEM: Full in April. Most of the French students were taken around March because a B2 level of Spanish was required to join the veterinary program at the UEM and they were able to work on their language skills.
Physiotherapy at the VU: Full at the beginning of April. It's like for dentistry, there are dates and a calendar to respect. This allows us to prepare things serenely.
Kiné in French at EMU: There were still places available until May or June.
Spanish Physiotherapy at EMU: Places were available until July.
Physiotherapy at CEU San Pablo: the program has not filled up because many places are available and a B2 level (work required) is required to enter this excellent Spanish university for physiotherapy studies
Physiotherapist at UCJC : Full at the end of April
Physiotherapist at UAX : Full early July
Physiotherapy at the Nebrija : the program is not full because many places are available and a B2 level (work required) is required to enter this excellent Spanish university for physiotherapy studies.
Physiotherapist at UEC: Full mid-April
Physiotherapy at UFV: Full curriculum in July
And for non-health courses, such as architecture in Spain, engineering in Spain, orbusiness or marketing in Spain, apart from specific programs, there are still places available until June or July in the best universities.
As you can see, this fictitious student is a caricature of what can be said or heard about the admission process in Spain.
"First come, first served" is a rule that only applies to students who have the prerequisites required by the universities when they take their tests to enter a private university in Spain.
And FEEDUC's recommendation will never be to go fast or slow. What FEEDUC recommends for your admissions process in Spain is to show up when you're ready to :
- Pass your admissions test by having the level of Spanish required by the university. If you don't have it, you will not be admitted.
- Paying for your reservation: once you are admitted, you must be prepared to pay what can be a significant amount of money or risk losing your hard-earned seat.
A successful admission process in Spain does not depend exclusively on when you apply, but on whether your application matches the expectations of the Spanish private university at the time you apply.
Spanish universities are no longer waiting for promises of Spanish language training for the beginning of the school year. They now want proof that you understand that to study in Spain, you must speak Spanish and have a record that meets their expectations.
That's whatFEEDUC has been doing for students for almost 10 years. We pass on to you our experience of the Spanish admissions process and the way universities operate, so that your plans to study in Spain are stress-free and have the best possible chance of success.
For all those who have plans to study in Spain in 2022, what to do?
Contact us as soon as possible and let's start working together on your project
It's also in the preparation that FEEDUC brings you its real added value.
Finally, it's our presence in the field that means that at FEEDUC: we know what we're talking about, and we only talk about what we know.
We hope you find this reading useful, feel free to share it if you think it can be useful to others.
You can contact us for any question:
E-Mail: info@feeduc.eu
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Opportunities and preparation for your studies in Spain? FEEDUC of course! J
