en 
753 reviews
Recommended by
89%
4.11 / 5 based on 753 reviews
Useful | 0
Brian A
Student lifeDescribe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
Read more >
Nightlife, Travel, Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Activities
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Personal comments
Stay away from Las Ramblas for nightlife. As you will hear from native Barcelonans, no Spanairds go to las Ramblas. There are much better places to go in Gracia and all around the city. There is so much to see and do in Barcelona that you could spend a year there and still not cover everything. Definitely spend a day relaxing at Parc Guell, a daytrip to the beaches of Sitges, walk down las Ramblas during the day (watch your wallet), take the bus tour (its expensive but well worth it), see Sagrada Familia, go up to the castle at Montjuic for some beautiful views, watch the light show at the fountains on the base of Montjuic on Fridays or Saturdays around 8 o'clock at night, etc. Other than that, just walk around and soak in all the beautiful architecture.
Read more >
Useful | 4
Brian A
HousingType of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: A room exchange
Why?
I chose to live with two Americans, thinking that it would be convenient and the easiest option. Looking back, I regret not living with Spanish-speaking roommates because my Spanish did not improve as much as some of my friends did whose chose to live with native Spanish speakers.
Read more >
Personal assessment
Cost
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Personal comments
The residence hall was ridiculously overpriced - more than twice the price of what I paid at the apartment (including what we spent on food) and for half the size. I saw no reason to live there at first and I know that two people who originally lived there moved out because they were completely unsatisfied with their accomodations.
Read more >
Useful | 0
Brian A
ExpensesMain source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits
I spent a little more on most things because the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and the Euro is so bad. I was paying 1.3 as much for everything. Traveling was cheap compared to flights in the states and food, even with the exchange rate, was very reasonable. You get a lot of food for your money in Spain, whether it is at a fancy restaurant, a cafe, or the grocery store. Drinks at clubs are extremely overpriced (5 euros for a beer, and 6-10 euros for a mixed drink).
Read more >
Housing, Telephone, Overall, Nightlife:
was more expensive than at home.
Food:
was the same price as at home.
Travel:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Personal comments
If you are truly concerned about saving money, keep track of what you spend your money on every day. If you take 10-20 minutes out of your day figuring out what you spent money on, it will help you budget yourself. I kept track of all my expenses in excel and I was able to see my average daily and weekly spending was and it helped me to know exactly how much I could spend.
Read more >
Useful | 1
Brian A
AcademicCourse recommendations
You have to choose 4-5 courses from a list of about 25 and half of them conflict so your options are very limited. Most teachers love to interact with international students, but a few can be hard to contact and unhelpful. Local students prefer to interact with other local students for the most part, therefore the international students interact with other international students. All of the international students are extremely friendly and very open to making as many friends as possible while studying there.
Read more >
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
Variety of courses
Access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
I thought the grading was unfair in two of my five classes. When I tried to contact the teachers for the grades that I received they were hard to get in touch with and didn't explain their grading procedures sufficiently. I was disappointed by the amount of subjective grading in those two classes, but the other three seemed reasonably fair.
Read more >
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Useful | 6
Brian A
OverallI wish I had known...
Looking back, there's so much I wish I would have known. But if I would have known it, I don't think it would have been the same experience that it was. I think everyone wants to know a lot before they go to a different place, but it's almost good to go there without knowing everything, because then you don't know what to expect. If there's anything I would suggest, make a list of things that you want to do, and make sure you do them. Plan them either before or after you get over there, but be open to change. For once, go with the flow and see where it takes you. Other people will know of great things to do as well, so don't be set on doing everything that you read in travel guides. You may find something even more amazing. And odds are that if you're doing something in a travel guide, everyone else who reads that travel guide is going to be doing it too.
Read more >
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Academic reasons
3
Culture
4
Costs
2
Activities
3
Campus life
3
Party / people
4
Weather / location
4
Personal recommendation
I recommend studying there and living with native Spanish-speakers. Meet international students and try to interact with the local students as well.
Read more >
During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
3
Traveled
3
Improved language skills
3
Met people from other countries
4
Became more independent
4
Partied a lot
4
Experienced a change in life
4
Advanced my studies & career
4
Final comments
Travel throughout Spain. You can go to other European countries later in life. There is so much to see in Spain, so you might as well see it while you are studying there. Go to the major cities. Go with international students. Hang out with international students. Everyone has different views and opinions but deep down we are all just students who are looking to have a great time before real life begins. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. People who went there love talking about the experience and can recommend tons of things to do.
Read more >
Useful | 0
Brian A
LanguagesLanguage of instruction: Spanish
Was learning Spanish a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Spanish
How much did you improve your Spanish?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Social
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Personal comments
I had very few language problems toward the end of the term. The only thing that was frustrating was when I was mugged and I had to go to the police station and explain what happened. I had a very dificult time explaining what happened and the police officers were quite rude and seemed as if they didn't care what had happened. It may be too much to ask, but it would have been nice if there was one person who spoke English, or at least understood it.
Read more >
English
Español
Français