Barcelona: A Great Experience Past Review
By Tyler B (Spanish, SUNY - Stony Brook) for
SUNY Oswego: Barcelona - University of Barcelona
Living in Europe for 6 months allowed me to travel and experience history and culture which has helped me become more well rounded and It has left me with a different outlook on current events and world views
Personal Information
| 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. |
I loved that all the classes were taught in spanish, complete immersion was really a great experience and I learned a lot. |
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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? |
I loved my host mom, most of the students I studied with loved their family's also. Public transportation was so easy to go to and from class. |
| * Food: |
I don't want to make generalizations but a lot of the food I ate in spain was fried or carbs (alot of breads, rice etc.) which Im not used to eating so I found that a little difficult but the program is very accommodating to vegetarians, allergies, and so forth |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Tons a things to do and see in Barcelona, Spain in general. Night life was great. 24 hours public transportation. Bars, clubs, you name it, they have it, so much fun. Tons of museums, parks, easily accessible to airports, train stations, busses for traveling. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe, police in the metro, always walking around on streets at night, lots of plain clothed police also. A lot of robbery, you have to be very aware of your bags and what you carry on you-the school sent out warning emails and advised to be careful with our belongings. Went to the pharmacy which are on every corner, for some minor health problems (sore throat, allergies) and they were always helpful. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
University of Barcelona facilitated an inter-cambio in which you were able to sign up to be assigned a partner (generally a native spanish speaker) who wanted to practice their english while helping you with your spanish-I thought this was a great idea and many of my classmates participated. Because Barcelona is a large city, it can be very touristy and there are lots of people that can speak english but most people speak spanish and catalan and spanish is very useful in everyday interactions. I lived with a host mom and she didnt speak english so I got to practice a lot at home with her as well as in class. |
| 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live 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? | Make the most of the culture and proximity of things-> Travel-through sprain and europe if possible, make an effort to meet new people, and enjoy living a totally different life for a few months. |
