Studying in Barcelona at IQS -Ramon Llull Past Review
By Krystle D (Business Administration, Fordham University) - abroad from 01/07/2013 to 06/05/2013 with
Instituto Químico Sarria (IQS): Barcelona - Study Abroad in Spain
I loved living in Barcelona. It has such a great culture and the people are really friendly. I also learned more about the conflict between Catalonia and Spain, which was extremely interesting. It was really worthwhile.
Personal Information
| 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. |
Because it is a local university and not a study abroad program, the professors except you to do the work. However, they are very understanding with the study abroad students and are willing to help in any way they can. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt that the International Relations Office was a bit unorganized when it came to scheduling classes. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had to find my own apartment so that was a bit difficult to do and it was very helpful that my father came to help me with that process. The school offered some websites to help, but I do not know many people who used those sites. |
| * Food: |
Since I lived in my own apartment I cooked most of the time, but a lot of the tapas restaurants are good in Barcelona. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living in an apartment definitely integrated me with the local culture. However, most of the study abroad kids stuck together at the school and the local students did not go out of their way to befriend us. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
As with any major city, there are a lot of pickpockets. My advice would be to be aware of your surroundings and don't flash your phone around. Also, don't carry much cash on you just in case something were to happen. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Because I lived in my own apartment, I was able to cut down on food expenses since I did not dine out all the time. But Barcelona is a pretty expensive city where it is easy to spend all that you have on going out. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50-75 euros |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Most of the classes I took were in English, except for one class, in which we were allowed to write in English for the exams and homework. The only time Spanish was encouraged was in most other Spanish classes. All the students and teachers knew English so it was easy to communicate. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Exit Level Spanish at Fordham |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | The best way to practice is to just talk. Find a way to incorporate Spanish into your everyday conversations so that you get comfortable hearing it and speaking it. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew more about the different districts of Barcelona. It would have really helped me pick a better location for my apartment. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
