Barcelona, a city of personal growth and happiness! Past Review

By (Barnard College) - abroad from 01/07/2014 to 06/30/2014 with

Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was positively amazing.I learned that I am in control of my own happiness and that there is a whole world out there beside america. I dont have to necessarily live in America when I am older. There are so many different cultures that are different but amazing at the same time but at the end of the day so many people have had similar struggles and problems.

Review Photos

Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo Universidad de Pompeu Fabra (UPF): Barcelona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Not too hard. Especially for a Barnard student. I didnt hear anyone complaining actually, except for actual UPF students.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were SO HELPFUL. I probably emailed them if I had a question about a homework assignment (exaggeration, but I did email them a lot even before I got there). Needless to say, they knew me and that really helped my process during registration for classes (which is very confusing)

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I didn't think I had enough information before entering my residential house. If you can afford it, it is fine, but I was paying over 800euros a month for a room the size of a closet, no wifi (they added wifi once I left) and sharing a kitchen with 10 other people. The security was absolutely amazing but I feel like it detaches you from the true abroad experience. I lost my deposit but moved in with Erasmus friends I made and that is the only reason I put a star here. UPFs website did not help me find housing whatso ever. But its hard because in order to get a visa you need to let them know you will be staying in a place for the entire time. But in reality you have no idea what place best suits you until you arrive. Best bet is to start with AirBnB.com and move around from there epending on what vibes you get. I now live with 5 other people who are my BEST friends and it is the best living situation I have ever had. I went from 804€ a month for a peice of crap room, to having a room double the size, great roommates, wifi, for 350€ a month. You may think those are good prices (the residential housing) coming from NY but they are not because on average my friends had rooms costing from 300€-500 euro tops! Their mouths were on the floorrr when I told them how much I was paying. Only rich europeans and americans who dont know any better pay for residential housing.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

All my friends were erasmus, so I had a lot of friends from all over europe. For those of you who do not know, Erasmus is a european program that is their version of study abroad (except they get paid to travel, but I digress). Each school has a division of it and it organizes trips, etc. BE FRIENDS WITH ERASMUS FOLKS ITS AWESOME. I had free housing to every country I visited because I had a friend living there.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I needed to buy one more birth control case and it was super easy. You dont even need a perscription, just bring your case of your birth control (that has the ingredients and its specific amount) and you can buy it over the counter. I had one that was rare in spain because it had low dosages of hormones but after goign to 7 different pharmacies, the final one ordered it for me to come in later that afternoon. It cost less than 6€.

* Safety:

Safety wise its okay but you will get robbed. I didnt believe that until my last month. I got my notebook and laptop stolen because of my carelessness (at my campus, which was the most shoking because it is a pretty well off school). Just be aware. I got it stolen because I was tired and careless. All of my roommates have gotten robbed but it makes for stories in the long hall. Crime wise, I feel that people are too happy to be causing serious harm onto others.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

I saved up almost 7,000 and it was still not entirely enough for my 6 months here. You get money friendly very fast. I was also paying my own rent so that was something that really cost me a lot of money (especially with living in a residential dorm, 804€ a month = 1125$). That was why I regretted living there. If that cost had been paid by my parents I think it would have been managable. I have no idea what the average amount I spent per week but costs greatly eased up once I lived with my friends. We had dinner every night together and since there were 6 of us, one person was in charge of cooking a night and then the rest of the wek you were taken care of. We also had a jar where we put in 10 euro every week in order to buy the basics (toilet paper, bread, milk, etc.)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 10 euro for my flatmates, and maybe like less than 100 a week (I am very frugal)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Buy from fruiterias and NOT FROM CARREFOUR. its the opposite in europe than in america. Smaller stores have cheaper prices. Bigger chain stores are secretly more expensive. example: at carrefour a bag of oranges can easily cost between 3.50€ and 4€. at a lcoal fruteria, I bought a bag of oranges for 1€ until they recently raised the price to 1.20€.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I hate to say it but I dont think that my spanish improved all that much. I am sort of a native speaker so to my friends here I am already fluent. I think to to others with lower levels of spanish, though, it helps a lot. In barcelona, everyone speaks english, though.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Advanced Spanish Level
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? Make friends with other spaniards and catalans and ask them to speak to you in spanish. Join outside programs where others only speak spanish (I joined a volunteering church group and I practiced a lot there)

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Erasmus students
  • Barcelona
* What could be improved?
  • Registration clarity
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Do not stay with a boyfriend while you are abroad. I was with mine for over two years and we were incredibly strong before the program began. But even so, it unfortunately did not work out. You may think that you can survive or that you are sabatoging yourself if you do not even give it a try, but trust me, it will not work. That being said, I am still incredibly grateful and if I had to choose between staying at home with said ex boyfriend, or doing this program all over again, I would choose this program a thousands times over.

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 Networker
An active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume.