Past Review

By Katie K (SOCIAL SCIENCES., Providence College) for

IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I have completely changed and it was 100% worth the money and time for the whole experience. Just do it and don't regret it. You meet great people and learn a lot while seeing the world. You'll learn more than you think about yourself too. All I want to do is go back- it goes by way too fast.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	I only did IES classes, but there were two other Spanish universities I could have taken classes at, UPF and UB
The term and year this program took place:	Spring 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Classes were actually really intense. It may have just been the classes that chose to take, but I always had work to do. I know some kids that had very little, but I always had something on my plate
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Pre-departure was very easy and very well organized. Once I got over there, things seemed a little hectic in the offices and much less organized. I know they were in the process of moving one of the centers, but it seemed a little less appealing.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Housing was great. I had one roommate and we got along perfectly. My host mom was very sweet and tried to make my transition as smooth as possible. <br /><br /> 3 blocks away from the center.. what more could you ask for? I was close to everything.
* Food:	There was some weird things and too much deep fried, but overall it was good.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	most things related to the program were academic based
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	i felt informed and safe
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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?	missed flights, flight changes. most of these had to do with travel.

Language

Language acquisition improvement?	My Spanish class was great and presented a lot of information I already knew in a different way. It stuck with me a lot better. Also, I lived with a host mother who only spoke castellano, so that also made me practice. IES also had optional intercambios (exchanges with a local) which I participated in, to also further my spanish.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Definitely do it

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Barcelona: The Cosmopolitan City
Course Department:	HS/AH 350? (not sure of the number)
Instructor:	Marina Diaz
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was great. At first, Dr. Diaz seems really intense, and there is a good amount of work involved, but this is the class that I by far learned and retained the most information. I really have a good sense of the history of Barcelona and it all came from this class. I would recommend it to anyone.
Credit Transfer Issues:	This counts as a social science elective. Recommended if you want to learn about the city you're living in!

Course Name/Rating:	Great 20th Century Artists
Course Department:	AH (don't know the nnumber)
Instructor:	Matthew Clear
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Great course, a lot of information is given and overall, its interesting. However, if you don't know anything about art, I would not recommend it because you will have a hard time. Grades are on a comparative scale, which isn't fair when you probably will have art history majors in class with you who already know the basics. Lectures were boring and often ran overtime.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Counts as a fine arts. If you really like art and already know something about it, it would probably be good for you. Otherwise, stay clear.

Course Name/Rating:	Sport and Society
Course Department:	Not sure
Instructor:	Ian Stephens
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was such a great class. There is work involoved, but papers arn't as long as other classes and you pretty much get to write about whatever you like. The first few weeks were kind of boring because you talk about financial stats in the football world, which I didn't care for. After that though, the class was so much fun and really interesting. It is one of the only classes we were really able to participate it.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I think its a social science elective. TAKE IT!