Barcelona: el tiempo ha volando Past Review

By Rachel L (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., The University of Texas at Austin) for

IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My study abroad experience was definitely worthwhile. It broadened my horizons and made me more independent. As a result, I am more confident. I also think that I might want to work or volunteer abroad to continue traveling and enriching my cultural knowledge.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The workload was manageable. There was not much regular work in my classes, except for Spanish. In Spanish, we had daily homework assignments and weekly quizzes to help us stay on track. In the other classes, there were a couple exams and a big final paper, project, or test which most of the grade depended on. This was overwhelming at the end of the semester, but that's how it is at my home university as well during finals period.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The program was very supportive academically and non-academically. I had to go to the doctor a few times and IES made it extremely easy to make an appointment and get my problem solved. The class size was very small compared to my home university so it was nice to develop a better relationship with my professor and classmates. All of the professors were very knowledgeable about Spain and Barcelona and were enthusiastic to spread the knowledge to us.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	My homestay mother was a wonderful cook! She understood what Americans eat and when they typically eat so she tried to accommodate us in that sense while still feeding us with typical Spanish cuisine.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	We took a school trip to Valencia which would have been much better if it wasn't raining the whole time. However, I still learned a lot and enjoyed the trip.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	You must be aware of your belongings in Barcelona because of pick-pocketing. Other than that, Barcelona is extremely safe.
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)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	I would eliminate any program aspects. I would plan my trips to other countries better and make sure to prioritize where I want to travel too before I make any plans.

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?	4th Semester Spanish
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?
Language acquisition improvement?	Most people spoke English. I was really forced to speak Spanish all the time in my homestay because my homestay family didn't speak any English. This aspect was the most beneficial for my Spanish skills.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	If you really want to learn a lot about Spanish culture and get the most out of your program, make sure to talk with your teachers on a regular basis and ask them about their lives growing up in Spain - it will teach you a lot about Spain's rich history and culture.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Internship Seminar: Service Learning and Education
Course Department:	ED395
Instructor:	Alistair Charles
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was helpful to have a place to reflect with other students who had internships on issues that we were having. I learned a lot about the differences between the workplace in the US versus Spain. I think this class should have met every other week instead of every week because most classes felt like a waste of time.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Intensive Advanced Spanish and Usage I-II
Course Department:	SP350
Instructor:	Laura Vasquez
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	My Spanish professor was wonderful. She was very helpful and always willing to spend the extra time to explain a concept again if somebody in the class didn't understand. She made the class educational and fun! Spanish was my favorite of all my classes and obviously the most useful.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Language, Culture and Communication: The Spanish Perspective
Course Department:	CM327
Instructor:	Xavi Alcon
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:	This course was interesting, but it was kind of all over the place. The field trips were all fun, but some of them were not really relevant to our class discussion. The professor just wants you to show interest in the class and he is very passionate about communicating "the Spanish perspective." I learned a lot about the Spanish people from observation and from this class.

Course Name/Rating:	Barcelona: The Cosmopolitan City
Course Department:	AH251
Instructor:	Marina Diaz
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course is listed as an architecture course, but it is more of a history course. The professor was wonderful. She was very friendly and clear on her expectations for us. The course was very interesting. I loved learning about the history of the city of Barcelona as I was exploring the city. The field trips in this class were always very relevant to what we were studying in class.
Credit Transfer Issues: