Do you also want to live the experience of studying in Spain? I'll tell you how I did it and the requirements to process your visa.
Hello, my name is Monica Ross: Peruvian, actress and alumni of the School's Master in Audiovisual Interpretation TAI (21-22). If you are thinking about migrating for studies, here I tell you about my experience studying in Spain.
You are a little tired of facing the same thing, several doors have been closed and you need to kick open new ones. You have always thought about studying abroad and maybe it is time. Well, that's what happened to me. Taking the long road across the pond starts long before you get on the plane.
In addition, when applying to the university, if you come from a Latin American country, like me, you will most likely have to get a study visa. I'm not going to lie to you, it is a titanic task of paperwork, at least for me it was. You should not only collect documents as if they were album figurines Panini but several will have to be apostilled. This means that the document signature has been verified and is valid for the foreigner.
A little overwhelming? Well yes, but we go in parts.
One of the things that helped me a lot is thinking about how it is a process that many have done before me, so why couldn't I do it? In that sense, my first recommendation is that all the information you collect about the process comes from an official source, the consulate or the ministry or the institution in charge of the procedure.
My second recommendation is that you make a list of all the requirements that you have to meet for the visa, such as: accommodation, criminal record, medical exams, plane ticket, etc. Each country is different and you can verify what you need for your student visa by following the following instructions:
- Enter the page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain (www.exteriores.gob.es) and in the main menu click on Citizen Services → Consular Services.
- Fill in the options according to your country of origin and preferences. Select “visas” and “study visas”.
- All the requirements and steps to follow will be displayed. Read them carefully.
- Once admitted to the university, you should be provided with a certificate confirming your participation in a study program in Spain. It is important that the dates appear. In my case, the University School of Arts TAI He sent it to me quickly.
It is a lot of information, the best thing you can do is do your homework in advance, always checking how long a document is valid for as soon as it is issued. Try to have all the information they give you in writingIf you have to resolve something over the phone, it is a good idea to record the conversations so that you don't miss anything.
Make peace with the fact that it is a tedious process, you just have to accept it. There is always a chance that things will go wrong, but by taking it step by step you can reduce the chances of that happening.
Immigrating to study is like riding a roller coaster on a holiday. You queue for hours, moving forward little by little, you are excited, but along the way you ask yourself, at what moment did I decide to do this? You get nervous, you even feel like leaving the line, but once you get in the cart you are ready for the trip of your life.
Being away from home and almost everything you know is hard at times, but if you ask me, it's worth it. And you will never be the same again. Getting away gives you perspective, helps you get to know yourself, pushes you to generate new connections, friends who inevitably become family.
