Tell me more:
I will always love Barcelona
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:
Liana D. (Latin American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin) on November 23, 2010
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2010-05-25 |
| * End Date: | 2010-07-10 |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
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 |
The program is good, but could do with more culture immersion and more opportunities to meet locals. The staff and professors are great but could be a little more involved with the students. The program could of warned us a bit more of the difference between Spanish and Catalan culture. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
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* Home Institution Advising:
How well did The University of Texas at Austin 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? | Not really, Spain in comparison to other countries in Europe is reasonable. Sometimes it was difficult to keep in mind the dollar to euro exchange rate. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
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| 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?
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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
| * 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? | Go with an open mind and try your best to immerse yourself in the culture and to differentiate that from the other American students that may be in the program. There are many that take it all for granted and just go to party abroad. They do basically the same thing they would have done at home, but just spending more money |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | Definitely |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Politics in Spain |
| Course Department: | PO 325 |
| Instructor: | Don't remember |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Professor really knows his stuff, did his best to make material interesting. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Contemporary Spanish History |
| Course Department: | HS 333 |
| Instructor: | Josep |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Great professor, would definitely recommend any course he teaches |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |