everything Barcelona has offered me from the sites, the food, and the people was memorable Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

In regards to academics, this program was definitely not a joke. The classes I took in Barcelona were definitely on par in difficulty with my regular college classes, if not harder because of the language of instruction. I was prepared to work, but the workload was often very difficult to accomplish and to stay on top of.

On-site administration of your program

The program director here in Barcelona was wonderful. She did everything possible to make the students feel at home and always was available for appointments if you ever needed to talk to her.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My housing was in the Guinardó-Horta district of Barcelona, and I lived right by the Hospital de Sant Pau. My señora was absolutely the sweetest person and did everything possible to make sure I felt right at home in her apartment. I have enjoyed living here so much I will be really sad to leave! <br /><br /> The neighborhood appeared quite safe at night, but I usually took cabs home when the metro wasn't running because it was never safe enough for a girl to walk home alone at night. To get to school, it was usually only a half hour commute in total between walking to the metro, taking the metro, and then walking to school. I didn't live in the direct center of town, but just outside of it, so getting to and from it was never a big issue.

My señora was a great cook and definitely made sure I did not leave the table hungry! I ate a lot of healthy Spanish food including a lot of fish that I generally don't eat at home simply because it's not always available. Although I did not eat out a lot, I did go to a tapas bar on Passeig de Gracia once when my sister was in Barcelona visiting called Tapa Tapa and the food there was great!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I think our Madrid trip was really a highlight for me because I got closer to a lot of people I might otherwise not have as it included all members of our program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I believe the city was overall safe, except you have to use a lot of caution at night. I never carried a purse with me at night especially when I knew I'd be walking by myself to meet up with people and took a taxi home when possible. I only used the healthcare system once because I was very sick and it was easily accessible to get to the doctor and receive treatment. The quality of care was about equal to what I'd receive back home.

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

It definitely helped to have taken some Spanish prior to coming to Spain because the language courses here were very accelerated. If I did not have some proficiency in the language, I would have had a very difficult time trying to communicate with locals for basic things.

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• Host Family

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• Americans