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Spain: a different way of living
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:
catie g. (international relations, The University of Texas at Austin) on September 18, 2011
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2011-01-10 |
| * End Date: | 2012-05-08 |
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | universitat pompeu fabre |
| 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. |
the classes at ies were comparable to small American classes while my UPF classes were a bit harder to adjust to but I really enjoyed them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
my expectations were met. |
| * Housing: |
my host mom was great, very welcoming and considerate. I was treated like a granddaughter. |
| * Food: |
My host mom cooked for me every day and always was open to suggestions. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The trips were ok, but I enjoyed the trips I planned on my own better. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
barcelona does have some sketchy parts, but overall I felt very safe and felt like I could call my program if I needed help. |
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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? | no |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 3 semesters |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
i lived with a host mom so i practiced the most with her and with everyday interactions, shopping, etc. |
| 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 did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | yes definitely |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
art and design |
| Course Department: | ar225 |
| Instructor: | gemma draper |
| Instruction Language: | english |
| Comments: | interesting and knowledgeable teacher |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no i did not. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
contemporary spanish art history |
| Course Department: | n/a |
| Instructor: | porta |
| Instruction Language: | english |
| Comments: | interesting and i learned a lot, but the professor was not the best |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
latin american literary boom |
| Course Department: | n/a |
| Instructor: | hoyos |
| Instruction Language: | spanish/english |
| Comments: | by far my favorite class, there were only 10 of us and i was exposed to so much new literature and new ideas. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |