I love Barcelona! Past Review
By A student (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 05/21/2012 to 07/07/2012 with
IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad
I loved it! Barcelona was an amazing city to explore. I learned a lot about myself and loved being independent and experiencing another culture.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My classes were manageable for a summer semester, but I know friends who had a lot of work that seemed more like busy work than something that would help them learn. Resources wise it was great though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no issues but I know friends who were taken care of when they needed medical attention. |
| * Safety: |
We were always alerted of safety issues. |
| 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) |
You could be reasonable, but plan to spend a decent amount of money. Transportation and food add up quick. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $200-300 euro (not including hostels and plane tickets) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan weekend trips ahead of time! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | AP Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Go to more local places. Don't stay in tourist traps. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | 0 |
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? | Plan weekend trips ahead. Keep an open mind at all times! Try and be more local. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Barcelona: A Cosmopolitan City |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Marina Diaz |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I liked Marina and her class was interesting but the readings were way too long. I hardly ever did them because they would take a long time and were not very interesting. Shorter readings that were more to the point on a topic would have been more effective because I actually would have read them and taken away new information. The workload besides that was not bad. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
