Barcelona: A unique european city Past Review
By Rebecca F (Chemical Engineering, Columbia University) for
CIEE: Barcelona - Advanced Liberal Arts
Everything went well and the program did a really good job at making sure that everything went well.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Barcelona |
| 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. |
I enjoyed that the program was a mix of university classes and program classes. This made it easier because there was still some similarity to the american university system. I found the work load to be very different because there are not many assigments you have to turn in, but there is a lot that they expect you to do on your own to be prepared. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I thought everything was well organized, however our program had too many students which they weren't really able to handle as well. This past semester and unusually high number of students were accepted and this created a different situation for the staff. Overall, they handeled it well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My housing was great. I was very central and the family met all of my needs. It was a very safe neighborhood and I was treated well by my host family. It was very easy to settle in. |
| * Food: |
Breakfast and dinner were with the host family and lunch I provided for myself. I really liked the food with my host family and I often bought groceries for lunch. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The daytrips and weekend trips were interesting and a lot of fun. Also, there was always something happening on the weekend that we could do on our own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There is a lot of pickpocketing. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My knowledge of spanish improved because all my classes were in spanish and I spoke spanish with my host family, etc. The only other language that I was exposed to was catalan. This is actually used frequently in everyday life. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Barcelona is a relatively fast paced city where there is always something going on. Students who are willing to live in a city that is the center of a cultural clash will find the city interesting, beautiful, and enjoyable. |
