An American Barcelona Experience Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

In terms of academic rigor, this program was very low on the scale. This is not to say that I didn't learn anything and this is not to say either that this is a bad thing. In fact, I think very much the opposite. The classes in the program introduced me to the culture of Spain. It had me learning about my surroundings and the people I was around. The workload and homework was minimal if anything which gave me the chance to get out of a classroom or apartment and explore the city or travel over the weekends.

On-site administration of your program

The program administration were very open if you asked for help and the very first week to get you okay with being out of your comfort zone. But other than that you were pretty much on your own most of the time figuring everything out.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very satisfied. I lived in a 4 bedroom apartment in L'Example and I felt for the most part very safe in the neighborhood and comfortable inside the apartment. It was about a 30 minute walk to class but walking around Barcelona was not something that seemed like a task.

Grocery stores were easy to navigate, restaurants (Bo Da Be, Milk, Bocoa, Cervercia Catalana) were great and not that expensive. Stay away from restaurants on Las Ramblas--its not real tapas and its too expensive.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The culture (especially the forward Spanish men that holler at any American woman) took a little bit to get used to but the people, if you reach out to them, are nice. Even if it doesn't always seem like it.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I cannot say for sure, I did not have any Health Care issues during my time abroad.

There were definitely times I did not feel 100% safe in Barcelona. You should not walk around by yourself at night and you should try to avoid walking around at night at all. I did experience pick-pocketers on the street, out at night, on the metro. If you are aware of your surroundings and not making stupid decisions, Barcelona is a safe place. But you do have to be aware.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

You have to stay smart. If you are smart, not shopping after class every day, you can stay pretty much on budget. It is harder when it comes to traveling because you are eating out all the time, buying souvenirs, paying for a place to stay, etc. So if you plan to travel a lot, plan to pay more.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I tried as much as I could but there was very little focus on the language within the classroom or program.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• How easy they made the preparation.

• More interaction with locals and more focus on the language.