Rewarding. Exciting. Fun. Past Review
By Walker Thornton (University of Mississippi) - abroad from 06/02/2018 to 07/15/2018 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Barcelona, Spain
I, without a doubt, gained some invaluable experience through this program. It also provided me with an opportunity to learn some things about myself that I had not known in the states.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors were great! The classes were a nice change of pace. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were wonderful! Everyone on staff with CAPA Barcelona were so kind and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Besides a few minor initial problems with some of the apartment's utilities, our place was great. It was right in the heart of the Eixample district of Barcelona, so everything I needed was close by. |
| * Food: |
Admittedly, I'm not the best cook to start with, however, the restaurants near my apartment served some good food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It wasn't hard at all to integrate into the culture. The language barrier is present when talking to residents who are older than 50, but generally I had no problems. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not use the healthcare system in Barcelona besides going to a pharmacy for toothpaste one time. CAPA did provide us with insurance and the number to a 24/7 emergency hotline in case we ever did need medical attention. |
| * Safety: |
Like most major cities of the world, there's always a risk of petty theft. Barcelona is no different. I was always careful on the Metro to keep all of my valuables in my front pockets and watch my backpack carefully. I never fell victim, but there were some on my program who did. |
| 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) |
Keeping a budget for food was pretty easy. There's just so many things to do in and around Barcelona. All of these activities can add up if you aren't careful. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Getting a SIM card from a local dealer is the way to go. It's the cheapest way to get unlimited data and talk/text. I wasted more money by upgrading my wireless services from my home provider, but didn't get nearly enough data. Have your home provider unlock your phone so that you can buy a local SIM when you get there. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
