Barcelona: the greatest city in Europe! :) Past Review
By Stephanie J (International Studies, University of California - Irvine) for
ISA Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain
Most Definitely!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The work load was not overwhelming. I felt that I still learned a lot as well as was able to still travel and do fun things on the weekend. Some teachers were more difficult to understand than others but overall good. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Sometimes I felt that only one or two people in the office knew everything and the other people were just there |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Everything was provided for sheets, towels etc.. I loved my host family. I got a really good one. I was there for the whole school year and really started feeling like family towards the end |
| * Food: |
My host mom made the best food |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was able to travel to many places around Spain as well as Europe. I even got to go to Morocco! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Barcelona is a very safe city. the worse that will probably happen is that you will probably get pick-pocketed |
| 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? |
with my spanish teachers, and host family. With other Americans we mostly spoke English which I wish we didnt |
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 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 think this program can be good for multiple types of students looking for an awesome study abroad experience. If the student just wants to have one big party, Barcelona is a good city for that and the program is very chill and fun. If the student wants to have a typical spanish experience and whats to really adapt to the culture, the program offers home stays and intercambios (language exchange partners) which can really help with assimilating into the culture. |
