Barcelona changed a part of who I am Past Review
By Meghan T (Communication and Media Studies., Saint Anselm College) for
CISabroad (Center for International Studies): Barcelona - Semester at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
I was able to live in a completely different culture for 4 months, and I'm not sure when I'll ever have the chance to do that again. I wouldnt change a thing about my abroad experience. I'm so happy that I traveled as much as I did and I am thankful that I was able to see so many different places.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really did not like the school that I attended in Barcelona. The grading system is not what I am used to and also does not seem fair. The Professors had a very different way of teaching and it was hard to get extra help. My home university Professors seem to care more about their students and make an effort to help them more. UAB was easier in a sense that we did not have a lot of busy work but our grades were based on 2 tests and a little bit of participation. Although the classes were very small, I felt like I was just a number in the eyes of most of the professors. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program's accessibility was very unhelpful prior to departure. I, along with most of the kids in my group, had a lot of problems with the staff helping us out before we left. They mixed up a lot of information and whenever we would call with questions, they would refer us to other people. No one ever wanted to have to deal with us directly which got very frustrating and came off as being lazy on their part. On the other hand, the staff that were with us in Barcelona were amazing. They were also there when we needed them and made a point to get to know us. I loved my program size and the kids in my program. I wish we were able to take more trips as a whole group but the trips we did take were awesome. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our apartment came fully equipped with sheets, towels, dishes etc. We were a bit far from the campus but overall we were in a very good location. |
| * Food: |
Spanish food was not what I had expected. The good food was very expensive and the cheap food seemed unsanitary. One of my friends that visited got salmonella poisoning from a cheap restaurant that we ate at so I tried to just cook in my apartment for most of the time. I also did not have the money to be spending it on going out to eat every night. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The trips to Granada and Tarragona were awesome with our program. Barcelona is full of things to do and we got to experience festivals and see how beautiful their culture is. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
The city was overall very safe. The only major concern was the pickpocketing but you just need to be aware of your surroundings at all times and it wont happen to you. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50-75 but on the weekends I spent a lot more while I was traveling. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be wise about what you spend your money on. I wanted to travel as much as possible so I saved my money a lot during the week. Transportation becomes pretty expensive and the food expenses always seem to add up, even if you arent going out a lot. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | intermediate |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
In order to fully become fluent while abroad, I think it is necessary for students to live in a homestay. Although I stayed in an apartment, my advice would be to speak spanish whenever you go out. Even if you are in a store and they start speaking english to you, speak back in spanish. A lot of people in Barcelona can speak english and want to practice it but they appreciate when you speak spanish to them first. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | ENJOY IT! Remember how lucky you are to be able to experience something like this. Although I did not have a good experience school wise, I loved every minute of being abroad. I met people who will remain life long friends and I got to see the world, and I tried not to take any of it for granted. I think about being abroad every day and I cant believe how lucky I am for getting to do that. The time really does fly, and students abroad should take advantage of every day being there. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Managing Services |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Jorge Mongay |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was my most challenging course and it was the only class I did poorly in. Although I put in more effort in this class than any other class, I still received a bad grade and I tried multiple times to get in contact with the professor to understand why my grade was what it was. The teacher seemed knowledgeable but it seemed he did not know how to teach the course in a way that would make students understand. I participated less than I would have because he was a very intimidating teacher. He would constantly talk negatively about women, commenting on being divorced for a reason and making jokes that I did not think were appropriate for class. I only missed 3 classes the whole semester and there were some kids that barely showed up and still got a better grade than I did. I was most excited for this course because I want to go into hotel management but this course was the biggest let down and I could not tell you one thing I learned from the entire semester. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | My home university has us receive a grade of a C or higher in order for it to transfer. In the class mentioned above it did not transfer and now I have to take a class over the summer. If I had never gone to class or slacked off in the work, I would be mad at myself for not putting in my full effort but that was not the case in this situation. |
