IES Abroad: Barcelona - IES Abroad Barcelona Center Photo

Barcelona

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:

Rachel P. (Public Relations, The University of Texas at Austin) on August 31, 2011

Overall Rating

Personal Information

* Start Date: 2011-05-23
* End Date: 2011-07-08
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The staff was very helpful and always available; program size was perfect, each of my classes had about 15 students

* Housing:

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

* 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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I spent most of my money traveling on weekends, which is not part of the program. To eliminate costs of eating out, choose a homestay.

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? None
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

Many people spoke English; communicated with my house mom in Spanish as well as locals at restaurants and bars

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Apartment
  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes 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 did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? Living with a family helped me immerse myself in the culture and broaden my horizons.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

International Marketing

Course Department: IB 350
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: very interesting course; well organized
Credit Transfer Issues: credit hasn't transferred yet
Course Name/Rating:

Elementary Spanish

Course Department: SPS 101
Instructor: Sandra
Instruction Language:
Comments: Good field trips; participated in class more often; very comfortable learning environment
Credit Transfer Issues: