Barcelona is an exciting city with many opportunities for the tourist Past Review
By stefania m (Architecture., Wellesley College) for
Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I was looking for a study abroad program that had architecture classes and preferably Spanish ones, too (since I had been taking Spanish and I major in Architecture). Barcelona is known for its art and architecture history and therefore the course content and cultural events I visited were unique for my purposes. The only disadvantage is the academic quality of the program in comparison to that in the US, however, a student can always make up for that with supplementary readings, visits to museums, friends from local design schools, etc. Undeniably, the trips and cultural activities were an amazing and very exciting part of the study abroad experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2010 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Unfortunately,classes and professors were not as demanding as US professors. There is a large Architecture Center and Library in the city though, so a student could easily find extra information and resources if those lacked in class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
With a few exceptions, most events, classes and activities were well organized and timely. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was first assigned to live in a host family, but it did not work out for me and I moved into a dorm. <br /><br /> The hotel where we stayed is clean and new. Each student has a single room and a bathroom. |
| * Food: |
Although it is generally expensive, there are ways to find both cheap and good-quality food in Barcelona. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Barcelona is an exciting city with many opportunities for the tourist to get to know its culture, art, and architecture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Barcelona is known for the pick-pocketers who are everywhere on the street and many of my friends got robbed. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Many times I would shop and cook in the dorm, other times I would get a sandwich on the go. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Barcelona is an expensive city, so one needs to be careful. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SPAN 242 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
There are many ways to be constantly immersed in the Spanish language- friends, TV, newspapers. The only problem was that all of the students in the program were American, so we never spoke in Spanish among each other. |
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 learned a lot in all 4 classes, especially the studio. However, I had to often rely on my own resourcefulness and friends- the workload of the classes is not as good as those in the US. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Architecture Studio |
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| Comments: | This was the most demanding and valuable of all the classes. I learned a lot and enjoyed working on my architecture projects.It was very time-consuming and the work load was considerably higher than that of the other classes. I would recommend it to other Wellesley students who are looking for one. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
