Application process
MicroEDU made the application process very easy and straightforward. A list is provided with all the documents required. After compiling and submitting this, my contact at MicroEDU checked it for completeness. The submission to the university itself is also handled by MicroEDU. I didn’t have any problems with the application process. A short time later I had my first direct contact with the university, with the promise that I could study there for a semester. With this email came the request for payment of the tuition fees. As part of this application process, you also determine the subjects that you will take in the semester. Visit toppharmacyschools.org to get information about India higher education.
Accommodation
I have decided to look for a room in a shared apartment on site and have therefore taken a room in an Air BnB apartment for a few days. Here I can give you the tip: It’s better to plan a little more time to find a room so that you don’t have a room you have to take with which you are not one hundred percent satisfied. I used both Idealista and Facebook to search. It should also be noted here that both should be enjoyed with caution, as there are many fraudsters around. Therefore, I can only recommend that you do not send anyone a photo of your ID / passport and do not transfer a deposit to anyone as long as you are not there and have seen the room. After visiting around six different apartments, I ultimately decided on a room near the Sagrada Familia. This area is not only very centrally located, but is also considered to be very safe. I paid € 450 a month and also had a balcony, which definitely gave me one of the cheaper rooms. However, the apartment was comparatively old for it,
Some of my fellow students rented their apartments in advance through spotahome and uniplaces. Most of them seemed satisfied and could travel to Barcelona with the certainty of having an apartment straight away. But they had to pay a booking fee for this and the rooms were often a bit more expensive.
Overall, you should expect housing costs between € 400 and € 600 per month.
College and courses
Both locations, where courses of the pre-established program take place, are very centrally located. However, it should be noted that only international students are taught at these locations. Personally, I only had courses on the Eixample and found it to be very modern and well equipped.
In total, I took four subjects with 30 ETCS, which is a comparatively large amount, but I still had a lot of free time. The courses I took were International Economics, Cross-Cultural Management, Strategic Management of the Firm and Spanish (90h). Most of the subjects offered are compulsory and participation in the lectures is included in the grading. The subjects I chose were all taught in a very practice-oriented manner and I can say about all of my professors that they were consistently motivated and taught me a lot. Often the professors work in business and are therefore experts in their field.
In the individual subjects, I took various types of examinations, including essays, presentations, classic exams, but also creating videos. This contributed to the fact that the material was conveyed even more interactively.
Leisure
Barcelona offers an incredible number of offers and activities for leisure. Not only does Barcelona have an incredibly vibrant nightlife with many bars and clubs where you can party until the morning. But there is also a lot of culture to experience. Gaudi’s buildings can be admired all over the city and a detour to the Sagrada Familia is definitely recommended. Park Güell is also one of the classics that you should definitely see while in Barcelona. There are also countless other interesting museums, such as the Picasso Museum. Some of them open one Sunday a month for free.
In summer you can spend your afternoons on the beach and play beach volleyball. A trip to Bunkers del Carmel to watch the sunset is also very worthwhile. From here you can see the whole city.
All over the city there are many small restaurants and cafés that are worth a detour.
Conclusion
Looking back, I can recommend anyone who wants to do a semester abroad to do it in Barcelona. It’s a beautiful city and I’ve had the best experience of my life with it. However, one must also be aware that a life in Barcelona is comparatively expensive.
