882 reviews
4.05 / 5 based on 882 reviews
Useful |
1
stacey z
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
Read more >
Activities, Travel, Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Loved the Cafe Valenciana just in front of the Universitat - also the Bar Estudiantil...We also went to the local Subway on the Ramblas quite a bit when we felt like a taste of home. The Festival de la Merce in the fall is not to be missed. The whole city participates and comes alive - there are costumes, fireworks, parties, no one sleeps..it is amazing to see.
Read more >
Useful |
0
stacey z
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
I liked the independence of being on my own in an apartment. I had already had the experience of living with a host family in my previous year of study abroad in France and was ready to try something new.
Read more >
Personal comments
The accomodations in Barcelona were varied...we were given help from our program coordinator - (Pilar) - but it was up to us to choose where we wanted to go. We were also able to change residences if the accomodations were not to our liking and Pilar also assisted with this. Overall I have no complaints. Looking for the apartment myself was a learning experience.
Read more >
Useful |
0
stacey z
Languages
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: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
In some of these questions there is no oppportunity for me to distinguish between local/language of instruction. Barcelona is a special case because the national language of Spain, Castellano, is spoken, but the regional dialect (which is pretty much a completely different language), Catalan, is also spoken as it is Cataluna. I did not learn Catalan and concentrated all my efforts on Castellano. So I consider the local language the same as the language of instruction - Castellano. The opportunity to learn either was great and I loved practicing my Spanish every day in Barcelona.
Read more >
Useful |
0
stacey z
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
Personal spending habits
I spent more because I was constantly eating out, going out, and traveling - wanting to get the most out of the short time I was there.
Read more >
Telephone, Travel, Food, Nightlife, Housing, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
No real surprises as I already had lived abroad - I knew what to expect. The ebst way to save money is to find people to stay with in other cities when traveling....also skimping on going out to restaurants would be a good move if you are trying to save money - but that takes discipline.
Read more >
Useful |
0
stacey z
Academic
Course recommendations
No real recommendations - we were allowed to take classes outside of the program specially designated for the U of I/U of C students. This posed a problem sometimes as the classes were in Catalan and not Castellano - but people also learned Catalan in order to take some of the classes .....I really enjoyed the classes within our program as they were interesting and geared for the foreign student - (but still all in Spanish)
Read more >
My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Computers were hard to come by and the ones that were available didn't always work that great - but I understand that they don't always have the facilities we do in the US in other countries....
Read more >
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Useful |
0
stacey z
Overall
I wish I had known...
Just wish I had more money saved in order to travel even more!
Read more >
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
None - except to have more computers.
Read more >
During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Study abroad is truly an amazing experience. Everyone should be able to do it. You come back feeling like you can do anything after livinga year in someone else's culture and flourishing in it. I feel like Americans especially should partake in such programs as we tend to be a very egocentric society. It is good to see how other people live and what the possibilities are in life.
Read more >
en 
English
Español
Français