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Studies > Spain > San Sebastian > Universidad del País Vasco > Review by BastianSander
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Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU)

Universidad del País Vasco, Vicerrectorado del Campus Julianategi, Pº de Arriola, 2, 20018 Donostia, Gipuzcoa, San Sebastian, Spain
4.20 / 5 based on 138 reviews.

Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
90% of students recommend
138 reviews
Housing
4.2/5
 All experiences (138)
Student life
4.5/5
 5 stars (66)
Academic
4.0/5
 4 stars (42)
Languages
4.3/5
 3 stars (30)
Expenses
4.0/5
 2 stars (0)
Overall
4.5/5
 1 star (0)
“Enjoy your time. The Basque country is very beatiful and there are lots of places to go.” Read Review
BastianSander, Germany

Universidad del País Vasco review by BastianSander

Review by BastianSander, Hanzehogeschool, Hogeschool van Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Business Studies, Erasmus
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why? On campus, doesn't exist. I haven't heard anything about living with a family or a room exchange either. So, there seems to be no other choice.
Personal comments:
As far as I remember there is an accommodation service but I had been told that this is very expensive and that would be very easy to find a place to stay. The "problem" of using the service is that you will be placed with other exchange students. This isn't a really good way to improve your Spanish which was at least my main objective. Better is trying to find something with another Spanish person. I have to admit that this is quite dificult because Spanish students tend to live at home with their parents. But you'll never know unless you try.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Activities, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Bilbao has basically two main spots where you should go. This is on the one hand the "Casco Viejo" which is the old part of the town and "Pozas". These two places are full of bars. I personally like the "Casco Viejo" better because it offers more alternative bars. But there are so many small bars that you will find out for yourself what you like.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       2.5 / 5
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
none

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language 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: Basic phrases
My level after: At ease in most situations
Personal comments:
My main reason to go to Spain was to learn the language of the country. In my opinion Spanish is of the best languages to know. However, in the beginning I only knew very basic phrases and didn't feel well prepared through my Spanish courses at my home university. For example, I couldn't even order things without any problems. I had master dificulties. But with the help of my Spanish friends which I partly already had met at my home university I learned really fast. I hardly was in contact with any other exchange student and tried to live the Spanish way of life. I think that is the best way to really absorb the language.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't want/need to work
Personal spending habits:
In general life was a bit cheaper than at home.
Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone, Housing: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
none
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
No. I think sometimes it is better not know everything. You have to be very indepedent and you learn a lot.
In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Studying at this university is quite hard since they don't use any textbooks at all. You really have to learn everything by heart and make your own notes.



FINAL COMMENTS

Enjoy your time. The Basque country is very beatiful and there are lots of places to go.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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