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Barcelona:WatchOutForPickpockets,and Have Fun :)
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:
Lyndsey R. (Government, The University of Texas at Austin) on September 06, 2011
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2011-05-23 |
| * End Date: | 2011-07-09 |
| 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. |
Workload was heavy at times but manageable, sometimes hard to play the part of a dedicated student and a tourist wanting to experience city to its fullest when worrying about class. Overall learned a lot in both classes, Spanish 302 and Politics in Spain. Took field trips/studies and the professors were very knowledgeable in their fields. Grading system was comparable. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Expectations were all met, had limited interaction with administration apart from my 2 professors. |
| * Housing: |
15 minute train ride to class, was located very close to a Metro stop. Wasn't difficult, our RA was helpful, treated us as a friend. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Costa Brava arranged field trip was great. Nightlife is amazing. Historical sites, food, shopping are all awesome. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
WATCH OUT FOR PICKPOCKETS, AT ALL TIMES. Many students (maybe even majority) lost some possession/ had something valuable stolen. |
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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? | would live with host family to not have to eat out as much. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SPN610D |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
With our professor, some friends, some local friends, and in everyday interactions. At restaurants, stores, malls, at beach, etc. Some spoke limited English. |
| 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?
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? | Dont worry Have fun Be Safe. |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | Yes. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Advanced Grammar and Usage II |
| Course Department: | SPN302B |
| Instructor: | Maria Mejillas |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Teacher was very helpful and instructive, taught more than grammar and language but also cultural aspects of Spain and geographic information (regions and their characteristics). Took about 5 field trips to different barrios in Barcelona. Course material was challenging on tests but she was a good communicator and helpful. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not yet. Talked to 2 advisors who said credit transfer should not be a problem, as long as I placed into a high enough level. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Politics in Spain |
| Course Department: | POS302 |
| Instructor: | Ignasi Perez |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Professor was very knowledgable, course was interesting especially since Spain was going through a series of political riots at the time. Took 2 field trips to historical places around Barcelona and the Universitat de Barcelona to survey locals about their political views. Research paper and 1 exam, extensive reading, articles, 200+ page reader. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None foreseen |