CHECKLIST: BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

Make sure that you have made all the arragements and that you are not forgetting anything with this small guide

- Please read your EAP Student Guide carefully, as well as arrival instructions and program calendar. Click on each program tab (Carlos III / Complutense) on the menu of this website for further details. 

- If you take medication regularly, bring enough for the duration of the program.

- Bring some kind of money belt (the type that can be worn inside your belt or shirt) or a neck pouch to keep your important documents and money (don't bring high amounts of cash in dollars). Be aware of pickpockets! 

- Bring an ATM card and a credit card (or better yet, a few of them), and make sure that you have a four-digit code for them (otherwise go to your bank and change that) – Spanish ATM machines will not accept five-digit codes. We recommend that you find out whether your bank in the U.S. has any kind of partnership with any banks in Spain so that you are not charged ATM fees when you withdraw money.

- If you have a phone plan with T-Mobile or Sprint, your US data plan can carry over internationally and allow you to have free international texting services (make sure to contact them for more information). Otherwise you may have to purchase a SIM card for a Spanish number once in Spain if you want to use your phone for calls and text messages.

-Please remember that you may lose your phone or it may get stolen, so relying on your phone to store all personal and financial information may not be a good idea. 

- Make emergency photocopies of your passport, send yourself an email message with important information, including emergency phone numbers. That way, if you lose your smartphone, wallet, purse or backpack, all you will need to do is go to the nearest Internet café and get that information from your email account.

- The weather in Spain may be hot in the summer, but it does get very cold in the winter, so bring some warm clothes, or at least be prepared to buy some here.

- Bring an open-minded, flexible and patient attitude to Spain, so that you will adjust more easily to your new environment. This will be key to a successful first month in Spain. Typically the first month is difficult for anyone trying to get accustomed to a new country. It will gradually get easier after the first weeks.

Be ready to live the experience of a lifetime!