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Accommodation

When I received the approval from the UAB, I was able to start my preparations . Since two fellow students were also accepted at the UAB, we looked for an apartment together. The house hunting we have already started end of April, but this proved too difficult. We searched the various websites such as Idealista. Unfortunately this search was unsuccessful. Either the apartments were overpriced, no students were accepted, or the apartments were not rented out for a short period of time.

Then I got a tip from your website – the agency “SH Barcelona”. This is a real estate agency that rents apartments especially for short periods. We found our apartments there too. You have to note, however, that the apartments are usually only online one to two months before renting. I was very satisfied with the agency because the entire process was very easy and smooth. Agency fees have to be paid, which are not cheap, but in my opinion it’s also worth it.

Studied at the UAB

The Study Abroad program takes place on the UAB secondary campus. This is divided into two different locations and both are directly in Barcelona. The Eixample Campus is right in the city center and is located in a modern building. The Sant Pau campus is near the Sagrada Familia . The rooms of the UAB are relatively small and there are individual tables (that is, chairs with a small table that can be folded out). Among other things, all rooms are equipped with WiFi and air conditioning.

The course selection was made when registering. For this you received a list of available courses. I have taken the following five courses: Managing Services, International Marketing Strategies, Managerial Skills for International Business, Entrepreneurship and new Venture Creation and E-Commerce and Online Businesses . In the first two weeks at the UAB, courses can still be changed. I was very satisfied with my choice of course and would take all courses again and again.

The lectures at the UAB are very practice-oriented and interactive . The final grade always consists of group projects, homework, participation, attendance, midterm exam and final exam. So you always had something to do. I had to get used to this type of study first, but I think it’s good because the grade is not made up of a piece of work, but of many small parts.

Stay in Barcelona

Barcelona is a wonderful city to study and live in . We lived in the Poblenou district, which is right on the beach, but about 15 minutes by metro from the city center. I can recommend the neighborhood to everyone to live in. It’s very busy, but it’s not a touristic area. There you can see the real life of the Spaniards . The food and drink is usually cheaper than in Germany. There is a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafes in Barcelona. I loved the tapas restaurants because you can eat so many different things every time and you don’t have to choose a dish.

Everyone who loves shopping will get their money’s worth in Barcelona. There are the big shopping chains like Zara, Mango and H&M (which are much cheaper than in Germany), but also small, charming shops. That is why I recommend not overly packing the suitcase, because it will definitely fill up by itself.

Grocery shopping isn’t a problem either. There were four large supermarkets within a five-minute walk of our apartment. There are also many small mini supermarkets that are open 24 hours. The prices in these mini markets are significantly higher, but in the “normal” supermarkets the prices are comparable to those in Germany.

All in all, Barcelona offers so many options. You have the opportunity to go to the sea, go shopping, do sightseeing or just enjoy the charm of this city .

Tips

Getting around in Barcelona is very easy as the metro network is very well developed and easy to understand. To do this, I recommend buying a ticket that is valid for a longer period right at the start. There is a ticket for people under the age of 25 that is valid for 90 days. This is called “T-Jove”. The ticket is valid for all public transport. It is also helpful to download the “TMBapp” app. There is clearly shown how to get to your desired destination and how long it will take.

The “El Carmel – Bunkers” vantage point is a very nice sight at the beginning, as you have a view of the whole of Barcelona . At the beginning we had booked a round trip with the “Hop – on / Hop – off” buses to get an overview of where the sights are. I can highly recommend the “Barri Gotic” district. It has many bars, restaurants and small shops with a lot of charm. It is very nice to stroll through this part of the city. There is also the “Placa Reial”, which is very nice to have a coffee. The beach in the Barceloneta district is not recommended as it is very busy and there are also many beach vendors. We were always on the beach in the Poblenou district. It’s very clean and beautiful there. There are also many opportunities to play beach volleyball and there are also many nice beach bars .

Conclusion

I can only recommend the semester abroad in Barcelona to everyone. I had a wonderful time there. I got to know a lot of new people from different countries and their cultures. I was also able to improve my English language skills a lot . I can also highly recommend the University of UAB for the semester abroad and would do it again at this university.