View of the rooftops of the Spanish town of Calatayud (an Atlantis site).
View of the rooftops of the Spanish town of Calatayud (an Atlantis site).
A view of the Plaza de Santa Maria Square, near Calatayud (an Atlantis site).
A view of the Plaza de Santa Maria Square, near Calatayud (an Atlantis site).
Students standing at a lookout over the city of Calatayud.
Atlantis students standing at a lookout over the city (Calatayud, Spain, 2019).

Spain

Calatayud

$2,899 - $5,999

Overview

Calatayud is a municipality in Zaragoza within the autonomous community of Aragón. It lies on the Jalón River and among the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. The city’s roots began with the Roman Empire, and it has Moorish and Jewish influences. It is located northeast of Madrid and about 3 hours south of the French border. It boasts some of the most well-preserved Mudéjar architecture in Aragón, and some of its monuments are part of the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Destination Information

The City

The Old Town of Calatayud treasures interesting monuments like the palaces of Aragonese style, of the XVI and XVII centuries, or churches such as the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, which has an impressive plateresque façade made of alabaster that leaves everyone open-mouthed. It is a World Heritage Site since 2001 and inside it has a spectacular cloister of Mudejar art.

About 4 kilometers from Calatayud are the archaeological remains of what was once the Roman city of Bilbilis. There is evidence that there was a great activity in the first century, at the time of Julius Caesar Augustus.

From Calatayud, it is easy to visit the Monasterio de Piedra, an authentic 13th-century Cistercian monastery where history is present in every room, as well as a spectacular 19th century Historical Garden Park, with countless waterfalls and lush flora.

Dates & Availability

  • Summer Break 2023

Dates

Price

Availability

May 13, 2023 - May 19, 2023 1 week

$2,899 from $112/month

closed

May 20, 2023 - May 26, 2023 1 week

$2,899 from $112/month

closed

May 27, 2023 - June 2, 2023 1 week

$2,899 from $112/month

closed

June 3, 2023 - June 23, 2023 3 weeks

$5,999 from $286/month

closed

June 24, 2023 - July 14, 2023 3 weeks

$5,999 from $286/month

limited

July 15, 2023 - July 21, 2023 1 week

$2,899 from $112/month

limited

July 15, 2023 - August 4, 2023 3 weeks

$5,999 from $286/month

limited

You may pay over time, fundraise, consider scholarships, and more. See more on the financing and aid page.

Dates may be subject to change, in rare cases, depending on hospital availability. Students may transfer to another program or receive a refund up until a pre-defined amount of before the start date. All fees include an initial $900 deposit, which is non-refundable. Accepted students or their parents are welcome to apply for financing through Uplift (up to 24-month terms, with a 4% to 36% fixed APR based on creditworthiness). Monthly payment amounts are for those paying via Uplift and are for illustration purposes only.

What’s Included

Atlantis programs include ~20h/week of shadowing, housing, some meals, transportation, health insurance if traveling abroad, and more. Airfare is not included but can be very affordable.

Hospital Overview

The Ernest Lluch Hospital is a public hospital located outside the city center of Calatayud and near the river Jiloca. It opened in 1985 and is a small-sized hospital with around 120 beds and a workforce of over 600 people. The hospital has developed a reputation of efficiency and closeness with its patients. It has also put a focus on modern medical equipment in the areas of ultrasound machines, laparoscopy towers, and EKG monitoring.

Alumni Favorite

Mudéjar Art

Have you ever heard of the Mudéjar art? It is a style which is native and unique to the history of Spain and it was born as a result of the blending of Moorish and Christian styles during the Moorish invasion and Spanish reconquista. In Calatayud you can find some of the best preserved Mudéjar architecture in this part of Spain, such as the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor.

Students in front of the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor.
Atlantis students in front of the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor (Calatayud, Spain, 2018).

I have no doubt that I will forever remember this experience. Outside of the enriched clinical component, I learned a great deal about myself while immersed in a culture so different from the one I have grown accustomed to.

Students standing in front of a waterfall.
Atlantis students in front of a waterfall on a program excursion (Calatayud, Spain, 2019).
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Excursions

Our excursions are designed to offer a deeper look into your host culture, for both the educational benefit and the pure enjoyment of exploring a new place with others who share your interests in travel and medicine. If you happen to make travel plans outside of your city for a weekend, and thus your travel plans conflict with the events your Site Manager has planned, we ask that you notify your Site Manager several days in advance so that they’re able to plan the excursion accordingly. Excursions range from historical tours to culinary and cultural explorations. Your Site Manager will inform you of the different excursions they have planned during your program orientation.

Atlantis students on a program excursion.
Atlantis students on a program excursion (Genoa, Italy, 2019).

Clinical Experience that Stands Out to Schools

Medical schools want 3 things: healthcare exposure, GPA/MCAT, and certain competencies. Uniquely, “360 Shadowing” gives you the best version of the 1st, frees you to focus on the 2nd, and cultivates/shows the 3rd to medical school admissions.

Two students walking out of a hospital wing.
Atlantis students in a hospital wing (Lisbon, Portugal, 2019).
Students tubing in the ocean in Greece.
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Watch the Atlantis Experience

Language Skills Not Required

Almost all alumni have not spoken the local language. English levels vary within the hospital, but no knowledge of the language is required for Atlantis to be valuable. There is English ability in enough places in the hospital for participants to benefit, as you can read in our testimonials. Moreover, a program in an English-speaking country would take away some of the value of Atlantis, particularly the intercultural perspective that Atlantis participants gain, in a world where many of your future patients in your career later on will not speak your language and will come from a different cultural background. Any possible language barrier you may encounter at Atlantis, even if slight, is also an opportunity to develop “resilience and adaptability,” one of the 15 AAMC core competencies for entering medical students.

Funding Your Future

The cost of Atlantis isn’t too dissimilar from the cost of many study abroad programs that you may find. And we’re here to help: from our extensive fundraising guide to flexible payment plans and financing options, we make the process simple and easy, allowing you to focus on what really matters.

An Atlantis student smiling while shadowing abroad.
An Atlantis student on an excursion experiencing culture while shadowing abroad (Athens, Greece, 2019).

Hear More Directly From Our Alumni

Hear more from them on their experiences during and after Atlantis.

An Atlantis student standing outside the hospital where she is shadowing.
An Atlantis student standing outside the hospital where she is shadowing (Barcelona, Spain, 2019).

Bring a Friend

Consider bringing a friend to the same program you’re applying to. Although the vast majority of Atlantis alumni have gone on programs without knowing someone in their cohort, bringing a friend allows your experience to be shared in a unique way, while still allowing you one of the benefits of Atlantis: meeting new pre-health friends from across the country. Consider sharing this idea with your friends.

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students walking and smiling.
Atlantis students exploring together on a program excursion (Athens, Greece, 2019).

Med School Interview:
Atlantis Alum vs. Typical Pre-med

Compare a possible medical school interview of an Atlantis alum with that of a typical applicant by looking at responses to common questions.

Greek ruins on a sunny day.

Gain the Exposure, Stats, and Competencies that Med Schools Want

  • The vast majority of alumni accepted into med/PA school said Atlantis “strongly” or “very strongly” impacted their admittance
  • 81% of alumni accepted into med/PA school said Atlantis impacted their passion for medicine
  • 93% of our pre-health alumni progressed on the AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students