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Other names:
Universidad de Barcelona
Contact: +34 93 4021709 (Int'l Office)

Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

Universitat de Barcelona, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
3.97 / 5 based on 744 reviews.
Description:
The University of Barcelona (UB) was founded in 1450. The present central building was inaugurated in 1871.

Today the university has four campuses, in different parts of the city. The UB is the oldest and largest of the six universities in Barcelona, and of the ten in Catalonia.

It has 74.000 students --more than half of the total student population of Catalonia-- and is the second largest in terms of students number in Spain.



Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
88% of students recommend
744 reviews
Housing
3.9/5
 All experiences (744)
Student life
4.4/5
 5 stars (234)
Academic
3.7/5
 4 stars (318)
Languages
4.2/5
 3 stars (174)
Expenses
3.5/5
 2 stars (18)
Overall
4.4/5
 1 star (0)
“Be aware that there are a lot of pick-pockets running around BCN, especially at the touristy spots (Rambla, Pla. Catalunya, Pla. Reial etc.). Nearly everyone I knew had got robbed at least once. So leave your wallets and credit card collections at home and choose wisely what to take with you into the streets. A good idea is to replace your thick wallets by the slim plastic cases (estuches) of the Metro company (TMB) that can be obtained at the TMB offices. Placed into your pocket, their slimn...” Read Review
kenji, Germany

29 3-star reviews of Universitat de Barcelona

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21 to 21 of 29 
Review by Ken, Medizinische Universitaet zu Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
Medicine, 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 - I had no other choice
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why? Your own apartment, preferably shared with some other exchange students or even better some locals, gives you the maximum of independance and makes you feel more like a real citizen of the city.
Personal comments:
Like most of the exchange students to the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), I was referred to HabitatgeJove for the difficult quest for accommodation. This doesn't have to be the best choice: While I was very lucky with my flat, I heard of other misfortunate students who only found housing in sleazy suburbian flats. Therefore it may be more advisable to engage into the tiring and sometimes frustrating search for flats yourself. Take a look at the blackboards in the Central University building of UB where usually a lot of flat ads can be found (watch out for dodgy ones, though!) and at newspaper stands for buy & sell journals.
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
Activities, Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
The XAMPANYERÍA in C/ Reina Christina is not to miss: cheap, good-quality cava in a unique (over-crowded) atmosphere. SAGARDI in El Born for great Basque tapas (pinchos). CAFÉ MUEBLES NAVARRO in C/ Riera Alta for a great living-room atmosphere on old furniture. LA PALOMA in C/Tigre: club in old dance hall combined with house music (on Thursdays). CAFÉ ROYALE (C/ Nou de Zurbano) for easy listening and house music in cool lounge setting.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC    
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:
It's a good idea to obtain the Medical Conversation Guide which gives interpretations for terminology and medical expressions in Catalan, English and Castellano from the Servei de Llengua Catalana office at the medical faculty. It's very handy in order to get along on the wards and during the classes.



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: Catalan
Was learning Catalan a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your Catalan?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Did not speak it
Personal comments:
At the UB, both Catalan and Castellano are used as official languages, while Catalan is clearly preferred by most students and staff. It is claimed that every teacher and student would unhesitantly swap into Castellano if asked for that, but my experience was that many (by far not all) teachers ignored the presence of ERASMUS students and kept talking in Catalan, making classes impossible to follow. Of course, the bigger the number of exchange students present, the bigger the pressure for the teacher to stick to Castellano...
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:
Personal savings
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits:
Telephone was expensive due to the constant use of pre-paid mobile phone cards. Visits to concerts and operas are more expensive than at home.
Nightlife, Telephone: was more expensive than at home.
Food, Overall, Housing: was the same price as at home.
Travel: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
If you happen to be in possesion of a Deutsche Bank account, don't forget to take your ec card with you: There a heaps of Deutsche Bank ATMs throughout the city, offering you to withdraw money with no extra costs.
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...
If you decide to go to Barcelona before the start of the semester, e.g. in August, keep in mind that many university and administrative offices and even shops will be closed or at least open for only minimal hours due to vacations. Keep in mind that you're not really awaited: You'll experience lots of problems concerning accommodation and living that during the first two weeks you might want to go home immediately (some did!), but don't give up or you'll miss a great time!
In my opinion:
Most people loved it.



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:
Don't forget to attend the Castellano courses for ERASMUS students at the UB! They only cost appr. 40€ for 36h of classes instead of 400€ as the regular price. It's good quality, usually good fun and a perfect opportunity to get to know other European exchange students.



FINAL COMMENTS

Be aware that there are a lot of pick-pockets running around BCN, especially at the touristy spots (Rambla, Pla. Catalunya, Pla. Reial etc.). Nearly everyone I knew had got robbed at least once. So leave your wallets and credit card collections at home and choose wisely what to take with you into the streets. A good idea is to replace your thick wallets by the slim plastic cases (estuches) of the Metro company (TMB) that can be obtained at the TMB offices. Placed into your pocket, their slimness makes them pretty insuspicious. Before arriving in BCN, consider that you most likely will be on the hunt for a flat at first. You therefore will be in need of a youth hostel for a few days. Book in advance! I forgot to do it, and it was hell finding a bed for a night. When arriving in BCN, usually a major concern is to stay connected or to be reachable for others. The best option is to buy a prepaid SIM card for your mobile phone (Amena, MoviStar, Airtel), e.g. at FNAC, El Corte Inglés or any mobile phone store. If possible, don't come by car! Parking is a big problem and a constant struggle in BCN, and even if you found a (legal!) parking space in the street, chances aren't too low you find your car broken up the next day. But after all: BCN is a wonderful, inspiring and international city that is going to absorbe you. Even if you are to encounter annoying problems occasionally, you'll still be in beautiful and charming BCN.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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