It had long been clear to me that I wanted to go to Spain for my semester abroad. But in the end I decided to go to Barcelona because my friends and family, who already knew Barcelona, were absolutely thrilled. In retrospect, I can understand that all too well. The city of Gaudi is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen and has so much to offer.
I found out about MicroEDU through a friend and then found out about the organization on the Internet. MicroEDU supported me competently throughout the preparation phase and was available to answer any questions. It was particularly important to me that I wouldn’t be alone when I arrive in Barcelona. They also sent out a contact list shortly before leaving, which could be used in advance to get in touch with other students doing the same program. As soon as we arrived we met and grew into a large and close group during the semester.
At the beginning of the semester, the Universitat Autònoma organized an introductory event in which we were given a rough overview of the semester and the organization. For the event , we met at the impressive Sant Pau Campus. However, I didn’t have any lectures here during the semester, only on the Eixample Campus, which is very centrally located near Passeig de Gracia. Visit toppharmacyschools.org to get information about vocational training in Canada.
I took ” International Business “, “International Economics “, “International Finance” and “The Creative Economy” and was very satisfied with my selection, as I was able to integrate these modules perfectly into my German curriculum. Lessons were more likely to take place in class, which created a personal atmosphere. The experienced professors went to great lengths to help us, passed on many of their practical experience to us and were always open to questions. There were two exam phases, mid-terms and end-terms, for which one was adequately prepared during the lectures. In addition, the lessons were characterized by many group projects, debates and presentations.
I flew to Barcelona without arranging an apartment beforehand and I have had a good experience with it. For the first week I had booked a room in a hostel, from where I started looking for an apartment. I mainly used the Idealista portal and the university’s Facebook groups to find out about available rooms in a shared apartment and spent a week visiting various rooms. Finally, I found the perfect solution for me and moved into a very large and central shared apartment near the port, where we live with five different nationalities to have. This experience alone made my Barcelona experience unique for me. Barcelona in general is a beautiful city that has so much to offer and its very own charm. I lived in the Gothic Quarter, which for me was definitely the nicest. The medieval charm of the district is something very special and even after four months I was still fascinated by just walking through the alleys and experiencing the architecture, the life in the street and the atmosphere.
The proximity to the beach makes Barcelona a dream – going to the beach whenever you want is something I already miss incredibly. Just like the Ciutadella Park, where you can relax perfectly on warm days and sit with friends and have a picnic, for example.
The Spaniards are super friendly, open and relaxed – the attitude to life there was simply more carefree and designed for enjoyment. The nightlife is also special, there is something going on on the street every day, regardless of whether you just meet for dinner – of course during Spanish times, around 10 p.m. -, go to a bar or to party. I felt like Barcelona never sleeps.
In addition to university, I had a lot of time to explore Barcelona and the surrounding area in great detail. We have made many trips to surrounding cities, such as Girona, Sitges, Sant Pol de Mar and Montserrat. We always took the train to our destinations and that worked without any problems in all cases. The surroundings of Barcelona have a lot to offer and make an impression in a wide variety of ways, especially the Costa Brava is beautiful.
I can only recommend a semester abroad in Barcelona at the Universitat Autònoma. I’ve been back home for about four weeks now and I miss the city and life there very much.
