Planning:
At the beginning of 2012 I decided to do a semester abroad in the following winter semester 2012/2013. I came to the UAB through stories from friends who have already done a semester abroad. Since this is not a partner university of my home university and you had to go as a so-called “free mover”, I came across MicroEDU. Their website is very extensive, from which I was able to find almost all the relevant information for the application process. After I submitted my complete application to the MicroEDU team and they checked it for correctness and completeness, I didn’t spend any more time. The application was submitted by MicroEDU at the time when the application period began at UAB. My experience with MicroEDU has been extremely positive. The whole application process went smoothly and if you had a question, the nice employees were always available by phone and email. Because of this, I would recommend that anyone who would like to spend a semester abroad be processed through this agency. Visit toppharmacyschools.org to get information about Portugal higher education.
I started looking for an apartment from Germany immediately after my acceptance at the UAB. There are tons of websites that offer temporary furnished apartments in Barcelona. At the beginning I was very skeptical whether this could be organized from Germany. Most housing portals charge a “brokerage fee” of one month’s rent, which is unnecessary if you stay for just under four months. Finally, I came to the website “Barcelona Home” (http://barcelona-home.com/de), which offers apartments free of commission. In retrospect, I was very satisfied with this organization. There were no complaints about reliability and helpfulness. With the binding booking of the apartment, a deposit had to be paid as a deposit.
My apartment was in the “Eixample” district. The location is okay, as most places can be reached in a short time thanks to the well-developed metro system. However, in retrospect, I would look for an apartment near Passeig de Gracia, as the UAB can be reached on foot from there in a very short time and you can avoid the sometimes totally overcrowded metro.
Regarding the apartments, it is still important to say that one cannot generally assume German standards. Noise-insulating windows, heaters and duvets seem to be a foreign word for Spaniards. Since it gets colder at night from mid / end of November, I recommend buying a heater and a duvet.
Furthermore, I advise against any party with a too loud noise level in the apartment, as the neighbors show little understanding and immediately call the police. This takes rigorous action with heavy fines.
UAB:
The UAB building for the study abroad program is on a side street off Passeig de Gracia. In the courses you sit with about 25 other students. The whole system is very schooled. Attendance is compulsory, although with the small size of the course it is immediately noticeable if you do not appear. In addition, you have to do some homework and make at least one detailed presentation in each course. The other factors that are included in the grading are participation in class, mid-term exam and final exam. 2/3 of the students are from the USA, the rest came from Germany, Brazil, Asia. So whoever hopes to establish contacts with Spaniards at the university will be disappointed, as the main campus of the UAB is located outside of Barcelona. Of the courses I have taken, I can recommend the following: international business, international finance, international marketing. I also took international economics. Economics was difficult to understand and the lecturer could not shine with fluent English.
Fortunately, the course rooms are air-conditioned. Otherwise you would die from the heat. However, there is clearly no library to learn.
Life:
Barcelona is a city with a very high quality of life. The location is particularly impressive. On the one hand, you have a big city in which there is a lot to explore, and on the other hand, the location by the sea. When it gets cold in Germany, you can still go swimming in the sea in Barcelona.
If you don’t know Barcelona yet, you have a lot of opportunities to get to know interesting places. For this I recommend going on a sightseeing bus tour. These start at Placa Catalunya at very regular intervals. You get a good overview of the city and can get off at any stop, look at something and later continue the bus tour.
The nightlife in Barcelona is really unique. There are tons of very good clubs out there. Especially in the Sutton Club and the Opium Mar Club you will never be disappointed. However, in Spain everyone starts partying much later. It’s not worth going to a club before 2 am.
Often one is warned to be particularly careful, as Barcelona are very criminal on many points. However, if you pay attention to a few things you will never get into a threatening situation. This includes: Put your wallet in your front pocket, do not cover long distances on foot alone at night and prefer to take a taxi instead of the metro, do not allow people to speak to you at night, do not necessarily linger on the beach promenade at night.
If you keep these points in mind, you will have an unforgettable time in Barcelona and then this city is really fun.
