Barcelona: Living Life to the Fullest! Past Review
By Chanel P (Media Studies, San Diego State University) for
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona - UAB / University Autonoma of Barcelona: Direct Enrollment & Exchanges
I now know I can travel the world to countries where I am not familiar with the language or the culture and now have the skills to get along great. I would not change my abroad experience in Barcelona for anything in the world. I truly love everything about the city and would move there if I ever had the chance.
Review Photos
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. |
My workload while studying abroad was the perfect amount for being there for education but also left me with enough time to explore the city. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I could not have asked for a better study abroad experience. The advisors were great people and very organized. The program size was perfect, about 35 people. I liked having a smaller group because it really helped me meet and make connections with our advisors and the people in my program... Compared to other programs of people i met in Barcelona who had about 200 people and they barley knew anyone in their program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We had a great central location in the city and in a very safe neighborhood. My two roommates and myself all had our own rooms. One of our campuses was only 4 blocks away. We did not have to buy anything for our apartment except for a garbage can. |
| * Food: |
The food in Spain was somewhat to be desired but whenever I was on an excursion with my program, our advisors always picked great food and maybe sure we tried something new. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made friends with locals in Barcelona and they gave me the local tour of Barca and an experience probably not had by many studying abroad. It was fantastic. With my program we had two great trips to different cities in Spain, which were very well organized. My program advisors also showed us great places around Barcelona and its surrounding cities. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I feel the only major safety hazard in Barcelona was pick-pocketing... There were so many!! I was lucky enough to not have been robbed like many others because I took extra precautions. |
| 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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Eight hours a week I took a spanish course. I also spoke spanish everyday while around the city and made an effort to really learn. |
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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | GSE offered such a personal one-on-one experience that is so hard with other large program groups. Any kind of student would benefit from this program. Wether you are shy or very outgoing, it will either brake you out of your shy shell or give you the opportunity to really emerge yourself in a new culture. |
