Tell me more:
Barcelona: A Colorful Experience
IES Abroad: Barcelona - IES Abroad Barcelona Center
Program Information
Study abroad in Barcelona—capital of the autonomous province of Catalonia. The IES Abroad Barcelona program provides students with opportunities to learn or perfect Spanish while studying business and liberal arts.
| Provider: | IES Abroad |
| Location(s): | Barcelona, Spain |
| Year Founded: | |
| Website | Take me there! |
Review By:
Elizabeth C. (Psychology, The Catholic University of America) on September 03, 2010
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2010-01-07 |
| * End Date: | 2010-04-28 |
| 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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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| * Housing: |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
When sick, IES was very helpful in finding an English-speaking doctor in Barcelona. They also continued to check on students when they knew the student had been sick recently. |
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* Home Institution Advising:
How well did The Catholic University of America 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Barcelona was a great deal more expensive that I had anticipated, but it is an affordable location if you plan well. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 101 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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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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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same program? | No |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | I thoroughly enjoyed my study abroad experience in Barcelona. I would not trade the experiences I had for anything. I feel that I returned from Barcelona with a greater knowledge of the Spanish culture and with another glimpse at the outside world. The time I spent abroad influenced me to want to spend more time abroad in the future. While traveling to Italy, I felt that I would have loved to study abroad there, which is why I say that I would choose a different program if I were to study abroad again. |