I have been to Spain twice (to study Spanish both times), and I can say for certain that learning it here is not even remotely the same as being immersed in it.

I have been to Spain twice (to study Spanish both times), and I can say for certain that learning it here is not even remotely the same as being immersed in it. If you are serious about learning it and learning about the culture, I'd heavily recommend you go live there for a while. There are tons of great intensive Spanish programs both in Spain and Latin America that are cheap (mine was $3000 for four months, including an apartment and 20 hours of class a week). I have maybe eight months total of language education and I already speak better than people I know in their senior year of a Spanish major.