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Barcelona: little world unto itself
CIEE: Barcelona - Architecture and Design
Program Information
Drawing on a wealth of resources in Barcelona, this program at the CIEE Study Center in Barcelona aims to offer students a unique cultural perspective on the history and practice of architecture and design in contemporary Spain. The Architecture track is offered in English. For the Design track, students must ... More
| Provider: | CIEE |
| Location(s): | Barcelona, Spain |
| Year Founded: | |
| Website | Take me there! |
Review By:
Emily D. (Architecture, Wellesley College) on August 18, 2011
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2011-01-19 |
| * End Date: | 2011-05-02 |
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | ESARQ, UIC |
| 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. |
Some of the local university professors were very liberal in their attitudes towards teaching. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very accessible and friendly, quite comfortable. The program is a perfect size-- as large as I would ever want it to be. Issues were things like failure of wifi and leaking walls. |
| * Housing: |
My family gave me lots of space; maybe a little more than I wanted. They were very generous in providing me sheets, towels, etc. and even my own bathroom. |
| * Food: |
So many hotdogs.... |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Calcots hike, guardian angel events, Sevilla & Cordoba. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never had any incidents, but you are likely to get your purse stolen despite a large police presence. |
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* Home Institution Advising:
How well did Wellesley College prepare and support you for your time abroad? |
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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? | about 20-50 euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | My cell phone there was surprisingly expensive. Also, the subway tickets added up. |
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? | 243 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Other students were the most accessible english speakers. |
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
| * If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same program? | Yes |
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | relax, it's spain. You don't need to pack so much. Reeses don't taste the same abroad. |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | Yes. It has changed my view of the world and of my academic field. It is so wonderful to be able to see the world so differently now. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
AHIS -Spanish |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Fernando |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | It was a rigorous, hands-on course, in Spanish. The in-class lessons and field trips were pertinent and interesting, although the tests were daunting. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I don't know yet. |