Summer in Barcelona UAB with ASA, I didn't want to leave! Past Review
By Mary M (Creative Writing, Florida State University) for
Academic Studies Abroad: Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain
I met a few Catalan people who I consider to be good friends now, they are really friendly and have very interesting stories to tell. So, I would encourage students to get away from the American students and tourists and meet locals.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I was only taking one class in the summer, so it was pretty easy to manage my workload. I went to all my classes, so it was easy to keep up with the pace of the academics. Sometimes it was frustrating when students who were not catching on to the topic of the day were holding us back. Class participation and tests were most important since it was a language class. I ended up moving to a more advanced class, the university and our site director helped me with that and made the transition easy. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Small group size gave us the ability to interact with our site director and tour guides in Barcelona and on our excursions to other cities in Bilbao, San Sebastian, Taragona, Figueres, Costa Brava. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
ASA arranged the housing for me and took me there on the day I arrived. The apartment was in a beautiful building, even though it wasn't a new building I enjoyed have the old architecture and tiled floors. I was within a 5 minute walk to the metro. |
| * Food: |
I purchased my own food at the fresh markets and grocery stores. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were encouraged to check out local festivals and some of our excursions were arranged so that we could attend festivals in other cities. I couldn't believe how many excursions were included in the program fees for a summer program! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Barcelona is a pretty rough city. It has a lot of transient people. You have to be careful about where you go, especially at night. Pickpocketing is very common, I actually caught a lady with her hand in my bag! I was also harassed by men on a couple of occasions (they appeared to be foreigners, not Spanish) following me and my other friends (all girls). Just stay conscious of people and your surroundings. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I took a Spanish language class and participated in outside classroom activities and language exchange groups to help me build my language skills. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think studying in Barcelona is a good option for students who have at least a little bit of Spanish language already. Many students who go on this program in the summer are looking for business classes taught in English and they have them as well as language during the summer. Small group sizes and really affordable when you compare it to other programs for what you get for your money. |
