From the beginning I wanted to go to Spain and get to know the language and the culture better. Since there is no good program in Spain at my university, I came across MicroEDU relatively through recommendations. Among other things, the Universidad Autonoma in Barcelona was proposed there. I already considered the city with its cultural possibilities and the location (Mediterranean Sea) to be perfect and the university is very respected and well rated. I chose the pre-established program because I didn’t have a good knowledge of Spanish, but also because I wanted to live in the center, but both programs certainly have their advantages and disadvantages. Everyone has to decide for themselves. Now I just had to apply that it turned out to be really not complicated. MicroEDU tells you exactly what to submit and when, so there were no further complications.
Preparation
Since I really wanted to learn the language better as soon as possible, I improved my Spanish with Babbel and with a few courses at the university in the semester before that so that I can at least express myself. That was important to me personally, but in general you can get by very well with English. Sometimes it was just helpful to be able to speak and understand a little. Otherwise I didn’t have to prepare myself like that. If you had forgotten anything in terms of clothing, etc., you could easily buy it in Barcelona.
Accommodation
However, a big topic on the agenda was the search for accommodation. I wanted to come into contact with other people and so I wanted to move into a shared apartment. In advance, I heard from many that it is easy to organize apartments on site. So, shortly before I left, I set up an account with Idealista and arranged to view my apartment. Read more student reviews on Existingcountries.
When I arrived in Barcelona, I first spent time in a hostel. The search for an apartment was not as easy as I had imagined. I had a lot of bad luck and after a few days I had already visited over 20 apartments without success. In the end I found an apartment in a perfect location (Placa Catalunya), albeit a little more expensive. In retrospect I am glad that I did it on site, because on the one hand I was able to get to know the roommates and on the other hand I couldn’t be surprised like many of my friends. It is stressful at the beginning, but you have to go through it.
Study in Barcelona and courses
My studies in Barcelona were very different from what I know from Germany. It was more like school. Attendance was compulsory for at least 80% of the courses. Nevertheless, I had a relatively relaxed schedule. In general, you only had university from Monday to Thursday and I had it twice a week from 9:00 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. and twice a week from 9:00 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. If you have free periods, I would try in the add and drop period to arrange my courses in such a way that they are in one piece, otherwise you cannot relax on the beach but have to pay attention to the time due to the lessons. I have taken the following five courses:
1. Spanish Elementary 45
As already mentioned, I wanted to learn Spanish and took the opportunity to go to a Spanish course. My professor was Chelo Aribas and she was super nice. She was very empathetic and fully engaged with the level of the course. She tried hard to give everyone a good grade. If you have a little feel for the language and have participated a little, you could get a very good grade. I would definitely choose this course again.
2. International Finance
That was my favorite course, but certainly because I also liked the subjects. If math or finance is not for you, I would advise against choosing the course. You should be careful and understand everything, as you can quickly get lost. My professor’s name was Myriam H. and she was also very cool and friendly.
3. International Marketing
Here, too, Myriam was my professor. Like the other, the course was a bit more work-intensive. She builds in various projects and case studies that should be presented in small groups. Everything is not so demanding but still involves work. In the exams you had to learn by heart. If you go through with it, however, you can get very good grades here as well.
4. Managerial skills
It was a little harder for me to get excited about this course. A lot of things were taught that are actually very banal. But I really liked the way my professor Maydo tried to put the material on an interesting level with stories from her own life or with games.
5. Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
I expected a lot from this course because it actually sounded very interesting. I was a little disappointed, but it was also a little bit because it was my only afternoon course. The professor Ortila Driga was very nice, but in my opinion was not able to convey the material in an interesting way.
Leisure
As a city, Barcelona has an incredible amount to offer. I was able to get a bike relatively at the beginning and rode around town, on the beach or wherever with my friends. As in Germany, the train is very well connected, which is why you can also take the train to visit the beautiful regions of Spain on a weekendcan explore. However, this is not absolutely necessary as you never get bored in Barcelona. I would recommend going out as much as possible. At the beginning it is often said that it is advised to be very careful because of the high crime rate. I can confirm that, but I was told so often at the beginning that I thought I was going to a city full of criminals. So there should be no fear and if you are careful and keep your eyes open and don’t go into a dark alley alone in the evening, nothing should happen to you.
Conclusion
In summary, I can say that Barcelona was an incredibly good time for me that I would repeat immediately. I have really taken Barcelona to my heart and will definitely be back often. Although I suffered a bit of a culture shock from the violent independence movements, I felt safe and welcome. I envy everyone who still has the great time ahead of them!
