Barcelona: Unforgettable Past Review
By Travis N (HISTORY., The University of Texas at Austin) for
IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad
Since returning I have continued to learn Spanish. I learned to be more open minded when dealing with people and situations.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
As far as workload goes, some classes had a lot of work and others not so much. It's kind of a toss up. The grading system is fair. The Spanish teachers are amazing. Some of the area course teachers are a little bland though. There tends to be a lot of interaction within all the classes. While abroad the classes where more interactive and included field studies than at my home university. There are Spanish classes on Fridays (these are the only classes on Fridays) which sucks because this cuts into traveling time and costs more money to travel. (This isn't IES fault though. Some of the American Universities have required IES to have classes on Fridays) |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were always there to help if anything was needed. There should probably some course scheduling changes so the students could enjoy the host country more. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host families were great and the homes were in safe areas. IES took care of all housing needs. |
| * Food: |
Sandwiches are great and there are many places to get a great sandwich. If you are looking for some American food go to George Payne's which is just down the street from the IES Center. Make sure to try the local foods though. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
IES offers a few field trips every semester and it is worth while to take advantage of some of them. Going to a Barcelona soccer game is an unforgettable experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
IES provides emergency information when you arrive and help if you need to buy medicine. I like the pharmacies much more in Europe. It's easy to get what you need and it works. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It is very tempting to go out to eat all the time but it isn't the most economical thing to do. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
They offered language exchange partnerships. Spanish was needed everyday. There were more people than I thought that spoke English but it was necessary to know at least a little Spanish. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't think about it just do it. It will be the best decision you ever made. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
International Business |
| Course Department: | IB 2007 |
| Instructor: | unknown |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The teacher was very knowledgeable. It was an interesting class and prepared me well for the business world. This course was taken at UAB. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Contemporary History of Spain |
| Course Department: | HS 334 |
| Instructor: | Josep Grau |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The course can get boring at times but there are quite a few field studies. There was a lot of writing and reading. A time consuming course. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Intesive Intermediate Spanish I-II |
| Course Department: | SPN 250 |
| Instructor: | Pep Ingles |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | One of my favorite classes and really helped my Spanish. He really knew what he was talking about and knew more about English grammar than I did. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Advanced Spanish Grammar and Usage I |
| Course Department: | SP301 |
| Instructor: | Ata |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | One of my favorite classes. Teacher taught more than what was in the book. Taught us how to get around in the streets (colloquial spanish). |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Contemporary Travel Writing |
| Course Department: | LT 252 |
| Instructor: | Camila Loew |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was interesting but could get a little boring at times. Also this is obviously a lot of writing which can be time consuming if you want to explore the city. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Spanish Civilization and Culture |
| Course Department: | HS3023 |
| Instructor: | unknown |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was interesting and easy. I good class to take if you need a history credit. Teacher could get a little annoying at times though. Course taken at UAB. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
