IES Abroad: Barcelona - IES Abroad Barcelona Center Photo

My favorite country in Europe, Barcelona, Spain

A Study Abroad Program Review For

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:

Kritika D. (Government, The University of Texas at Austin) on December 08, 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? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The staff at IES was very polite and helpful.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I have no complaints, they were always very helpful.

* Housing:

* Food:

The staff in the dorm were rude.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The fieldtrips were very cultural and helpful!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

watch out for pick pocketing, the staff at IES was always there to warn us and keep us aware

* Home Institution Advising:

How well did The University of Texas at Austin prepare and support you for your time abroad?

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

The residents in my dorm, the faculty, people on the street, friends

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

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? Although I have only studied abroad here, I have traveled in Europe. Barcelona is the best city to study abroad in. Not only is it cultural, it is a good city for college students to have a great time in.
* What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? The experience was life changing. I feel more confident about traveling as well. I am glad to make such a good friends during this trip and I hope to keep in touch with them. I also hope to keep the experiences I had with me because they were awesome.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Intermediate Spanish

Course Department: SP 202
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Helped me improve my speaking skills more than writing.
Credit Transfer Issues: No
Course Name/Rating:

Politics in Spain

Course Department: PO-325
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The teacher gave us the reality of the politics, very insightful.
Credit Transfer Issues: No