Barcelona: The Best Decision of My Life Past Review
By Anna K (Environmental Studies., Trinity University) for
IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad
My abroad experience was worth every penny and ounce of stress. As cliche as it sounds, it changed me forever because I gained a new outlook on life: enjoy it. It allowed me to see part of the world that I may never get the chance again to see (Italy, Paris, Morocco, Munich, etc.) and taught me how amazing life can be.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
My host family was one of my favorite aspects of my study abroad experiences. The food was incredible and it really helped my Spanish. |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
Barcelona has one of the highest rates of theft in Europe, almost everyone in my program got pickpocketed at least once. However, there were never violent robberies. The health care system was so much easier abroad, getting a medicine took 5 minutes and was so much cheaper than here in the United States. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The only expense that did not anticipate was the Barcelona club experience. Drinks at clubs were insanely priced, so be aware. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Since it was a large city, almost everyone spoke English. However, I made an effort to speak Spanish to everyone and they appreciated it. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would recommend to anyone to go to Barcelona, I truly believe it is one of the best places to study abroad (amazing architecture, interesting Catalan culture, beach, night life, everything). But I wouldn't recommend IES. Their academic requirements and student-type were the only things about my abroad experience that I didn't like. There are other programs in Barcelona that, looking back, I should have enrolled in. |
