Written by Rebecca Barnes
This post is about my study abroad experience in Block 2 of the summer program at UAB in 2024.
Why did I pick UAB?
I always knew I wanted experience living for a short period of time in Spain. I didn’t think it would be possible now that I have two young children. When I found out that my university offered funding to make study abroad experiences much more affordable, I figured it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up on. In addition, I haven’t visited my family in the UK since 2019 and knew I wanted to go to a place that allowed ease of travel there. Spain ticked those boxes for me, I have studied Spanish (not well) for the past 10 years, and have visited once prior since I have Spanish family. I chose Barcelona over Madrid, purely because I wanted to be near the ocean since I am so far from the ocean now in Alberta, Canada.
Upon picking UAB, I didn’t know much about the university prior, I assumed it must be a big university since my university is not small and has specific partnerships with larger institutions. However it is not the main university of Barcelona (UB), and really it isn’t in Barcelona, it’s about 40 minutes outside. I figured this information out prior to leaving, but I imagine it comes as a shock to many picking ‘Barcelona’ as their destination, especially since it’s literally in the name. The university size or prestige wasn’t so important to me however as I was focused on the location and experience. The application process was honestly confusing. I applied through my university, was accepted….then nothing, for months. I had to reach out to the university several times asking, what’s next? They told me to expect an email a week before leaving. Honestly I wasn’t super thrilled by that, since how else can I know what to expect? Their website offered little information, and there was no information on their social media. Despite there being a group A and B based on arrival, I was in B, but during ‘A’s time’ I also didn’t see any postings anywhere.
Accommodation
Having no idea what to expect, I booked my flights, and was on my way. I did make something of a vacation out of it, not having travelled in so long. I began my trip in Mallorca, stopped over in Valencia, before making my way to Barcelona. I chose accommodation in the city as opposed to on campus. The university offers student accommodation for those coming on a summer program, this can be a good option to be close to class, close to new friends, and to enjoy their outdoor swimming pool. It is not however much cheaper than being in the city, and most rooms don’t have AC. The first place I stayed at I found on booking.com, I had to send them proof that I was studying in Barcelona after booking. I really liked this place, as I had my own private studio. It had everything I needed with a mini kitchen, big bed, nice views, a place to do laundry, and even a swimming pool and gym included. The place felt very modern, clean, and trendy, with students in the common areas, playing pool and studying.
I had decided to split my time 50/50 between Barcelona and Cerdanyola, so I booked an Airbnb for the last 10 days to see what it was like being closer to campus (a shorter bus ride), and in a more ‘authentic’ town. Well, I’ll be honest, it felt kind of ghetto. The apartment buildings were really old and run down, the people a little rowdy, and a lot of elderly. I did not see a single foreigner here, so it could be both good and bad. Of course, not much to do, but it’s nice going to some cafes and small restaurants. I ended up leaving this accommodation a couple days early though because I couldn’t stand the lack of AC any longer, and ended up spending my final nights in a hostel back in Barcelona city. AC is definitely something to keep in consideration, because the heat is absolutely stifling, like it doesn’t move, not even on the 5th floor. Anyway, Airbnb is really not welcome in Spain right now, so the feeling that people may know that I was using it, felt illegal.
The University
On my first day, we were told to meet in an auditorium for a short presentation, it was about 1 hour. I was expecting something more this day, maybe a tour? Instead, we were shown to our classrooms with our respective professors for our first class. I could tell on this walk alone that the campus is very big and impressive. It was frequently described by many as ‘very green’, but I don’t know if it’s because I’m from Canada or because it was the middle of summer, but everything was very…yellow. I think if I wasn’t at constant risk of sunburn I would’ve enjoyed it more. I couldn’t believe this smaller university could have so many libraries and faculty buildings though, it took as long to walk around as my own university, if not longer!
So while I never got an official tour, I did try at the very least to walk from one side to the other one day. Which helped me get an idea of the scope of the size, but unfortunately I didn’t get to see inside most buildings, I wasn’t sure where I was or where I could explore. It would have been nice to get a sense of comparison between different education in different countries. I could see several pieces of gravity supporting Catalunya movements, as the university also teaches in Catalan during a usual term. There were several cafeterias cleverly scattered around campus, as well as your usual bookstore and other services.
My class/Professor
This is likely the best part of my whole experience. You get to choose which class you want to take, and you will take this class Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm. The website lists all the available options and each one has a video by the professor explaining the course briefly. I was very happy by this since I’m very picky about which classes I take on a normal semester and there was no ratemyprofessor.com to refer to. I was very happy with my choice as both my professor and class ended up being really nice.
My professor had perfect English and a great personality, so was able to deliver the course really well, without overcomplicating it. It was like Spanish politics For Dummies, but with some political lingo thrown in that would require some previous politics course knowledge. Luckily I’ve taken a couple classes at this point, but my knowledge is still very basic, and I was able to follow along well. We had readings and essays to complete like a usual course, but again, nothing very demanding. It was easy to keep up with the class while enjoying sightseeing.
My class didn’t meet up too much, especially the first weeks. During the end, people relaxed a bit more and went out sightseeing together or some went drinking daily. It did disappoint me that the university really didn’t organise anything for us to do. Like they had some volleyball thing, one random museum trip, and a language exchange thing. But nothing was well structured into a program where you were inclined to go. For example, when exchange students visit my university for a short time they get a schedule of everything they will be doing, and optional big trips to the mountains and such. This means they get to make lots of friends, and stay together for fun activities and sightseeing. These activities were organised for 2pm….2 hours after everyone’s class had finished, so of course, why would anyone go? There was very little incentive to. So while I really wanted to join in some activities, I found it didn’t make sense for me, when there was nothing to do to pass those 2 hours. I should add that there is nothing within walking distance from the campus.
My own professor however did organise a trip to the Catalan Parliament building, which was definitely worth it. Unfortunately he couldn’t get the english guide like he wanted, but he made the effort to translate everything the guide was saying to us, since most of us could barely speak spanish, never mind catalan. The building was cool, and the trip was most relevant to our class, plus the building is located in a really scenic area, so it was good for people to do activities together afterwards.
Conclusion
Would I recommend this study abroad to other people? Honestly, probably not. The university administration seemed way too disorganized and no one seemed to care about us being there at all. There was no hype, no excitement. Perhaps Madrid would have been a better choice, I spent 24 hours there and can say it felt much more…spanish? I wish I fixated on the beach less, because I honestly didn’t go. My second choice was actually in Korea, I imagine that would have been very different.
But ultimately I picked this because I was trying to find the shortest opportunity (3 weeks), to be away from my children while also visiting my family. I managed to do everything I set out to do, and like anything, it is what you make it. So ultimately I would say it was a positive experience, but I was so excited to get back home in the end.