This article reports on the results of undergraduate students that studied abroad (SA) and primary underlying factors behind their successful language study. The 189 participants were undergraduate students that studied abroad (Spain, Peru, and Honduras) in one of three advanced Spanish language semester-long programs through a Midwest four-year liberal arts college from spring 2011 through spring 2014. Each of the participants had completed at least one upper level course in Spanish prior to the semester abroad. In all three program locations students lived individually with local host families and enrolled in one or more classes with students from the home university, and most had at least one class with native students in the host university. The data collection tools included three components: a web-based survey (pre- and post-program), the Versant Spanish language test (pre- and post-program), and a post-program follow-up interview. Students acknowledged that successful interaction with native speakers required sustained personal effort. They also remarked about the value of intentional L2 communication with NNS peers.