For Choate students there are several special orientation sessions offered during the last weeks of the term preceeding the program. Classes are held five days a week in a local school. The courses are taught by the Choate Rosemary Hall faculty member leading the group and by local Spanish faculty. The course work consists of five classes, and upon successful completion of the program students receive three term credits in Spanish, one in art, and one in history. Students from other schools are encouraged to check with their school registrar concerning the transfer of credit.
All courses have both midterm and final examinations.
In addition, a final project or paper on one aspect of Spanish culture is required. Language includes a complete review of Spanish grammar, giving special attention to the subjunctive and other problematic areas for American students of Spanish. Vocabulary building and the use of common idiomatic expressions are also important components of this course. Literature is an introduction to and general survey of some of the best known Spanish authors and their works from the XVIth century to the present. The course deals with the lyric, narrative, and theater genres, as well as with the characteristics of the various movements.