Which program did you attend?
Global Student Experience
Were there different choices of where to live? Which do you recommend?
The program was all encompassing and provided us with apartments in the
city. We roomed with 2-3 other students. You have the option if you are
traveling with a friend to live in the same apartment with that person or
people.
How close to school are the different accommodations?
The different apartments were scattered throughout the city in different
areas. However every housing location was within walking distance to
transportation. Within a block or two there is a Metro and there is always a
bus system you can take as well.
Did you have cooking facilities in you place of residence? Is there a
cafeteria nearby?
Yes we had cooking facilities because we were renting a regular apartment. It had a kitchen and it had a washing machine. Students should keep in mind however that in Spain people do not spend a lot of time in their homes and eat at local restaurants and bars more often then at home. There is lots less space in European apartments and the kitchen may be only big enough for
one person to maneuver around in.
Do you need to purchase a monthly travel card for city transportation?
Yes the program I went on provided us with a Metro pass to last the entire
time. The Metro is the main system of transportation and is extremely useful
and easy to navigate through the city with.
What are the popular lines/stops around the area?
Barcelona is full of tourist attractions and cultural landmarks. Most of
the Metro stops are affiliated with one of these locations. Barceloneta is
the city beach. Hospital De San Pau is where the 
school Unitversitat
Autonoma de Barcelona is that I attended and Sagrada Familia is the major
sight-seeing location in the city. Also Passeig De Gracia is a popular
location for shopping. Las Ramblas is the trendy tourist street with bars
and restaurants and other night life attractions to the average visitor.
Would you recommend getting a cell phone there?
It can be helpful. My program also provided me with a cell phone, which we
would have to go to a store and prepay for an allotted amount of minutes.
Since students live around the city in various locations it is easy for them
to text or make a one minute call asking them to meet up somewhere.
What was internet availability like on campus? At your residence?
I don't think our apartment had internet capabilities but sometimes you can
pick up signals on people's laptops from other houses. On campus there were
multiple computer labs for internet and school use. You are able to print
papers for classes and research anything at the school.
If you don't bring a laptop are there computer labs on campus? Internet cafes nearby?
Yes there are computer labs on campus. There is always an internet cafe
near every apartment and abundant around the city. The average cost for an
hour is 1 euro to use the internet cafe computers. They are often open late,
until 12 or so and are very convenient.
Do you need to set up a bank account there? If so, what are the steps involved for doing so?
I did not set up a bank account system in Barcelona. I was there long
enough to keep my home account and periodically withdrawal money as needed
from the ATMs around the city. Although sometimes withdrawing from the ATMs
would come along with a relatively high fee ranging up to 10 euros. I
actually would take out larger sums of money and keep it in a safe place in
my house so that I can use that sum as an ATM and manage my use that way.
Where did you do laundry? What was the cost?
Yes my apartment came with a washing machine but in Barcelona because there
is limited space people don't often use a drying machine. There are clothes
lines to hang your laundry to dry on but be careful and make sure they are
secure because they can easily fly off onto neighbor's roofs and make it
very difficult to retrieve.
Is there any clothing to avoid wearing?
It is very interesting because they are very liberal on the beach and some
people choose to not wear any clothes but then in some places around the
city people are more conservative with pants and look at you as if you are
strange for wearing shorts (even if it is extremely hot outside in the
summer)
Did you go on any trips? Where?
The program took us around to different locations around the country. We
went to San Sabastian and Bilbao in northern Spain. We also went to Calella
and Tarragona. Some students went to the running of the bulls and some
students decided to spend their free weekends with trips to Ibiza or
Mallorca. I also went to Paris because it is so easy to fly within Europe.
What kind of accommodations did you use while traveling (hostels, hotels etc)? Any you recommend or any to avoid?
When we went on trips with the program they provided us with a hotel and
often ate traditional dinners in those locations prepared at the hotel or a
nearby restaurant.
What were your favorite bars/pubs/nightclubs? Where were they?
The area of Placa De Olimpico is a row of like 20 nightclubs you can go
from one to the other in a group and have a fantastic time with your
friends. People also liked Catwalk and Peppermint, Dow
Jones and Harlem Jazz
Club. Razzmatazz is a huge night club people liked to spent their nights at.
Favorite places to eat
Once you get settled into your apartment you get to know the area and like
to eat at local tapas bars and other small restaurants. It depends on your
location and your familiarity of the area.
Any particular travel books you recommend?
In my personal experience all travel books are helpful but I used Fromers
and it helped me locate the best places to go around the city. I found a
flamenco show that I absolutely loved as well as the local attractions that
the program does not have enough time to take you to.
Were your classes/tests hard?
My classes were not hard but very, very helpful. They understood you were
there not only for school but for the experience and often there were not
tests but application projects which you did in groups to learn the material
through experience.