Universitat de Barcelona

Transcription

1 exchange application process You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION My idea to join the exchange program started when I went to the first meeting about this subject given by the International Office Utrecht. After going there I knew it for sure: I want to do this. Then I started checking out the different universities and options. We had to write a motivation letter for our first choice. I also had to give my first and second choice. Luckily I got in on my first choice. counselling & support at Utrecht University The counselling and support at the Utrecht University was very good. Everytime I had a question they answered it directly. The question hours at Studiepunt were very busy, but they handeled it right. academic preparation Regarding to my academic preparation I didn't do any. language preparation I took Spanish classes in Utrecht at 'Fuentes'. It were 3 hours a week, for 3 months long. It really helped me with the basis Spanish language. finances Spain is a cheaper country than Holland, so I did not have to pay very much attention to this. With the Erasmus grant you can really cover a big part of you stay. You have to keep in mind that the first months of the exchange period will be most expensive because you have to start many things from stratch. Such as your room ( and the deposit of it) and your public transfer card. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD There weren't that much English courses that you could join. There were only seven. So there wasn't much to choose. But the courses I participated were very interesting and helpful. The main difference was that they don't work with 'Timeslots' when you are choosing your courses. So it is kind of a puzzle to figure out your classes. academic quality of education activities The academic quality differed from courses. Mostly it was good. The level of English differed a lot as well. But mostly it was good. I had to give many presentations and deliver many essays in English, this helped me to improve my presentation skills and level of English. Eventhough the level of English of some teachers was well, they really appreciate it when you understand and speak Spanish. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The counselling and support was well. The answered the mails quickly and they were nice. The students from the receiving university were also very helpful. The receiving university was really strict about deadline. transfer of credits STUDENT LIFE

2 welcome & orientation programme This was all very nice. ESN organized a lot of activities and because of this I got to know many people from different countries. accommodation My accommodation was really bad. There were many mouses in my appartment at the end. I would really recommand the following students to contact previous Erasmus students from that country for recommandation on accommodation. leisure & culture Barcelona has it all. Nice bars and restaurant, beautiful culture because of great architects, a beach and a great atmosphere. There is always something to do in this city. suggestions/tips Join all the erasmus activities and follow their activities on Facebook. In this way you can easily meet new people. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes, I would really really recommend it. The university is very helpful. The only negative thing was that the level of English of some teachers was bad. However, Barcelona is a lovely city. It has the culture, the leisure, the beach. I am already jealous of the people who will go to Barcelona next semester, because they will have the time of their lives there. The students at the Law faculty were really helpful as well. do you have any additional advice or comments? I would really recommend to contact previous Erasmus students for appartments. Also, it is very helpful to speak (a little) Spanish before you arrive Spain. exchange application process You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION The exchange application process is something you have to do a long time in advance of your actual going abroad. You have to write a motivation letter and to send your CV. I applied for going on exchange in December 2014, and my actual going abroad was in February This gives you a long time to sort your life out before going on exchange! For me, this was really helpful. The University is giving students this way a long time to prepare their exchange, something that is necessary. counselling & support at Utrecht University I found during my preparation that the International Office was really helpful. Its quite difficult to sort out all the courses and you make your Study+Financial plan while your in the Netherlands. For a University abroad, who s site is in Catalan. So I came many times to the International Office and they always gave me good advice. Before I went to Barcelona, I was fully prepared in terms of my Erasmusgrant. I really believe the International Office did everything they could.

3 academic preparation An Academic preparation for University de Barcelona was not really necessary. While I was aready a third year student in Law, the subject I was going to follow where in addition with the thing I already learned in my first years at the University of Utrecht. language preparation In Barcelona, it was possible to follow every course in English. I already had a sufficient level of English for following those courses. What I did was taking a Spanish class in Utrecht already, after all I was going to Spain. The Spanish class really helped in to actual live in Barcelona, but for academic purposes it was not really necessary. finances In advance, it was quite clear what you could expect of your financial situation while going abroad. I was getting an Erasmusgrant (aprox. 250 euro a month), a public transport fee (aprox. 90 euro a month). Besides that I have a student lone so all my finances were pretty easy to sort out in advance. For me, it was not necessary to get an expensive visa and also plain tickets to Barcelona are quite cheap. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD While arriving to the University of Barcelona, i thought I had all my subjects sorted out. But when actually taking the classes, I discovered it had nothing in common with the subjects I like to study (all the names of the classes were in Catalan). Fortunately, the University of Barcelona gives you 2 weeks to try all the subjects they offer so you after that you can make your final studyprogramme. So in advance the content was not very clear, but arriving at the University of Barcelona, they had fixed this problem by giving us 2 weeks of try out. But the whole organization of the UB (and I believe, overall in Spain) was quite disorganized. It takes a long time to get answers on your question, the opening hours are terrible and a lot of people don't speak English very well. academic quality of education activities At the University of Barcelona, the academic quality is not as high as in Utrecht. I discovered this quickly while taking the courses. They also didn't do any education activities. But the courses gave me a very different light on the way I learned things in Utrecht. So for my overall education and development, studying at the University of Barcelona was really helpfull. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The people of the International Office are really nice at the University of Barcelona. Always when I stopped by the office, they helped me very well. But sometimes I had issues, and they didn't know the solution for those issues as well. And afterall: its still Spain. So everything goes a bit slower and stuff to arrange takes a lot longer then in Utrecht. transfer of credits I passed al my courses and I asked the International office of a Transcription of my credits. Still no answer. So I think this is going to be difficult to receive.

4 welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The first day of school, we had this Welcome Session. I ve met a lot of people from all over the world there. The session itselves was mainly in Spanish, which I partly could understand and Partly not. Fortunately we already had a lot s received with information which I could put in google translate. ESN Barcelona also gave a speech and had this whole introduction program worked out. I quickly met a lot of new people, and made a lot of friends. Thanks to ESN Ub, I leaned to know the city and did a lot of amazing activities. accommodation Before coming to Barcelona I already arranged my accommodation in the City centre of Barcelona. Its quite easy to find accommodation and its also cheap comparing to Amsterdam or Utrecht. I rented my room through rentroombarcelona.com a company which I strongly recommend. I had a beautiful, big apartment which I shared with 2 Canadian and 2 French girls. It was amazing. leisure & culture The Spanish culture is one of the most vibrant and yet at the same time relaxed cultures in the world. I adapted quickly to the Spanish way of life. Late dinners, a lot of tapas and sangria. And other then Utrecht: teachers are late to lessons 20 mins! I was never in a rush while living in Spain. suggestions/tips Participate to a lot of activities of ESN UB at the beginning. This way you will meet a lot of international people and once you find your people the real fun can begin! CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would definitely recommend this destination. Barcelona is a city that has everything: Culture, Museums, Food, Beach, Nightlife. It is the most amazing place in the world. On top of that, Barcelona is really affordable. Considering the University of Barelona, I think its the best option to study at this University. I heard terrible stories about other universities while mine was actually quite ok. But for academic purposes I would not recommend Spain at all. For your own development > yes! do you have any additional advice or comments? No. You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION

5 exchange application process The exchange application process took some time. The UU website was very clear about all the information and it was easily to find.you have to plan everything in advance like your subjects, and how you want to fill in the year that you are going abroad. counselling & support at Utrecht University The International office was very helpful. They answered all my questions very fast. It was also very pleasant to pass by, when I needed information about the application forms. academic preparation I did not do any academic preperation. I only needed to to pass some subjects in Utrecht, before I went. language preparation I already had followedtwo months of Spanish classes. When I went to Barcelona, I had the level A2. In Spain I have done a 3 months course. This I really recommend, because you will learn the language faster because you will speak more Spanish. Right now I am in level B2. finances I received the Erasmus grant, and my Study finance. I also saved some money, which I really recommend. You need it because you will do a lot of social activities and you don't want to miss out. In Spain however, the life is cheaper than Holland. But you will also go out for dinner more, have drinks with friends and make trips. Make sure you take that into account. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD The UB works a bit different than the UU. It was sometimes very busy and not organized. To get something done you have to pass by regularly. Also, the website is not very clear as well. So you have to search a bit to find the list with all the subjects. But once you have everything sorted out, it is fine. The UB has several English subjects. I had 6 courses in English. academic quality of education activities The English is sometimes not very good. When there are Spanish people in your class, professors often switch to Spanish. However, most of them are really fond of Erasmus students, and appreciate their level of English. You also have to do a lot of presentations which helped me develop my presentation skills. A lot of teacher appreciate if you are active during the classes and think with the professors. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The Oficina in Barcelona is very busy. They are sometimes a bit messy. In the end they will always answer you, but it may take some time. When you need something, make sure you are clear in what you want. transfer of credits Transfer of credits may take some time to send it. Make sure if you need it to graduate you have to ask it early. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE We were welcomed by the ESN. The information was very clear, and we were updated with new activities all the time. They were very friendly and eager to help you get to know people. The introduction week was a lot of fun. I can really recommend it. You will meet new people for sure! After, when you have your own group of friends you can arrange your own trips and activities.

6 accommodation My flat was in El Raval. Which is a very good location, near by a metro. I lived with two other Dutch girls, which was very nice. I would surely recommend a flat near a metro, so that you can take it directly to university. Also a flat in the city centre is really nice because you will be near all the nice restaurants. My flat had a lot of Erasmus students in it and I had almost no trouble with the landlord or rent. leisure & culture I loved the culture in Barcelona. It is very open and warm. Everyone is welcome, and no one judges you. Every week there is something new to do. And in the summer/spring, there are so many nice festivals and parties to go to. It has become one of my favorite places to live. Especially the nices beaches. The people here are very international. A lot of them speak English. You will meet people all over the world. I met also a lot of expads, and because of that I realised that I want to live abroad as well. suggestions/tips I joined a bootcamp for doing sports. Here in Barcelona it is very common to do it and they do it outside which is very nice, especially in spring. You also get to meet a lot of locals/expats, and make friends outside of Erasmus, which is also nice for a change. Furthermore, I would definitely look for an appartement in the city centre. It is much more convenient. I could walk everything, and the metro's are really well connected. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I most definitely would. Even though it is not sometimes on the same academic level as Utrecht, the experience is what counts as well and I have learned so much. I learned to speak Spanish and made friends around the world. I also learned a lot about myself. This city has so much to offer, because it is so international. It gives a lot of energy and you will experience a lot of adventures. do you have any additional advice or comments? exchange application process PREPARATION I was able to give a top 3 of cities I would like to go to on exchange. I chose within Europe, and mentioned solely cities in Spain; Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona. I had to write a motivation letter for my top 1 city. The international office of my Home University decided on my letter and a few weeks later they called me to inform that Barcelona was available. I immediately agreed upon it. I had to send my personal information and the Learning Agreement and Grant Agreement to the University of Barcelona. It was a quite easy application progress. counselling & support at Utrecht University I could always go to the International office of my Home University for information. They have sent me a lot of information by s and reminded me of all deadlines and other important events, such as lectures especially for Erasmus students. academic preparation I tried to find out what kind of books I would need for my courses at the University of Barcelona. But, as it turned out, most of the time copies or printed Resolutions of The United Nations were sufficient. Teachers

7 were handing out the required folders and other literature. I read all the course descriptions to find out what I should know in advance. language preparation The official languages at the University of Barcelona are Spanish and Catalan. I followed a Spanish language course in Utrecht at Cervantes Institution, level A1 (beginners). When I arrived in Barcelona in September I followed an intensive language course for Erasmus students, which gives you 5 ECTS credits. I was able to speak at level A2. Of course this is not enough to understand Spanish as it is taught in classes. But this was not a problem, because all my courses were taught in English. Nevertheless I am glad I learned the basis of Spanish, it is a beautiful language and quite easy to learn. Next to that, a lot of Catalan people do not speak any English. It is nice to be able to communicate with local (also elder people) people. So my advice is to follow Spanish language courses! finances The Erasmus Grant, Public transport compensation, study finance and a lot of savings is enough for five months studying abroad. Spain is as expensive as Holland, sometimes even cheaper. I worked a lot in summer, 5 days a week in June and July. I could go on a lot of nice trips, for example by train to Girona, and go to all parties! study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD I followed ; International Public Law; Commercial and Company Law ; and Immigration, Nationality and Foreign Status, all three courses of the Faculty of Law of the University of Barcelona. I could also choose one subject from another Faculty within the University of Barcelona, so I chose ; Victimology ; a course of the Faculty of Criminolgoy. They were all located at the same building and the schedule was well organized. academic quality of education activities Because all courses were taught in English, there were a lot of other international students in class. With one course, Immigration, Nationality and Foreign status, this was very useful. We could compare the immigration system of our own country with others. This brought the quality of academic actives to a higher level and made it very pleasant. Also the three other courses were taught at a high academic level. Although the teacher s pronunciation was not one of a high standard, it was not a problem. Most of the Spanish people have difficulties with the English pronunciation. You get used to it and of course we have our own accent as well. With all four courses I was able to follow the continuous evaluation assessment. During the whole semester we had to make exams, plus one big exam at the end of the semester. This was a good way to prepare for the final exam. counselling & support at receiving university abroad Teachers and other stuff were all very kind and willing to help. But the International Relations Office of the University of Barcelona was not so well organized. I had to wait a long time for my student card in the beginning of the semester and I had to wait a long time before receiving my Transcript of Records at the end of the semester. I was told the International Relations Office was missing one employee which led to overtime. Maybe in future this will be better organized. transfer of credits At the moment I am still waiting for my official transfer of credits. I passed all my exams, so I have accomplished all my courses. But the Exam commission of the University of Utrecht is stating that maybe one course, International Public Law, is almost the same as a course I have followed before back in the Netherlands. This may lead to exclusion of this course and this will mean I will have 6 credits short. The Exam commission informed me about this, at the end of December While I was already following this course from the beginning of September So I couldn t change the list of chosen subjects anymore. My Learning Agreement was approved by the International Office of the University of Utrecht, so I always

8 thought my choice of subjects was correct. Pay attention to the Exam Commission and make sure that, in advance, you are certain that all courses will be approved after completion. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE When arriving in Barcelona, an event for all international students was organized. This was nice to meet other students and to know more about the city and the University itself. It was located in the main building of the University in the city centre of Barcelona. The ambiance was great and there were drinks and snacks at the end of the lecture. They were handing out information brochures and a big folder for schoolwork. I was definitely welcomed in Barcelona. accommodation I looked for accommodation on the website of Nestpick. ( It is a good site to search for rooms at a low price. It is also an agency that communicates with the landlords and guaranties the quality and liability of the rented room/landlords. leisure & culture Barcelona is a wonderful city that has everything you need on an Erasmus exchange. Restaurants, parties organized by ESN or others, nice weather, second hand markets, museums, beautiful parks, cheap supermarkets, a beach and much more. I bought a longboard by Wallapop, it is an app for second hand stuff in Barcelona. I longboarded near the beach, there is a long path which is perfect for longboarding. A lot of people use longboards or skateboards to move around Barcelona. You can also buy or rent a bike, but because I am Dutch I preferred something else. When my friend was visiting me, we rented scooters for 2 days. This was amazing, we went to Montjuïc which has a beautiful view of the whole city. You can park the scooters almost everywhere on the pavements or parking lots specifically for scooters, to have a break and sit on a terrace. Furthermore, you should visit La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guël, Camp Nou, el barrio Gótico and much more. I already booked tickets to go back to Barcelona in May, just for 9 days, to visit friends and experience the city again. suggestions/tips Follow a language course so you can communicate with local people. Work a lot in summer, so you have enough savings. Go by yourself, in this way you will meet a lot other people. Just enjoy! CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain For sure, I would recommend the University of Barcelona! As said before, the city is amazing and its language is beautiful and easy to learn. They do speak catalan as a second official language, but this should not be a problem. You can follow courses in English or Spanish as well. Quality of education is good and you will never get in bored in spare time! do you have any additional advice or comments? As said before: Pay attention to the Exam Commission and make sure that, in advance, you are certain that all courses will be approved after completion.

9 exchange application process PREPARATION This process was clearly outlined by the International Office before we had to apply for our exchange. After following these instructions it was easy to be done. counselling & support at Utrecht University The counselling and support at the UU is very good. The communication is good and understandable. Most importantly it is on time. academic preparation I did not prepare myself academically because my courses in Spain were different from my courses before and I started them with not much knowledge. On the other hand some courses were similar to the courses I took at the UU and this was an advantage during my exchange. language preparation Since all my courses were in English I did not need any language preparation. finances Spain is a relatively cheaper country to live in than the Netherlands, so I had not a lot of problems financally. My erasmus grant and study finance were sufficient. STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) My study programme was simple. We had two lectures for each course we took in a week. Beforehand we had to look on the website to sign up for the which time we wanted to choose. academic quality of education activities There were no educational activities in my courses. Maybe this is because all my courses were in English. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The counselling at the UB was good, except for their communication by mail. It takes a long time for the office to respond. transfer of credits I had no difficulties with transferring my credits. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE Unfortunately there was not a broad orientation programme at the university. There was one session of welcome with general information. accommodation Finding an accommodation is very eas in Barcelona, because there are a lot of erasmus students. The university advises some sites to find accommodation. leisure & culture The culture in Barcelona is very warm and nice. It is very enjoyable to walk through the city, see the beach and discover all the parts of it. Barcelona has a lot to offer, historically and as a place to live. There is a very broad international atmosphere where you can meet people from all around the world and go to the same class. suggestions/tips The best thing I did upon arriving in Barcelona was going to the activities the Erasmus Network organizes. Through this I got to know a lot of people and a lot of people from my university.

10 CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would definetly recommend this destination to others, because I had a personal growth on an academic and personal level. I learned a lot on matters and subjects that I wıll use ın my future career. One of the bıggest advantages is the communication and study in English. I improved my English immensly, as I communicated in English with everybody. do you have any additional advice or comments? I would advise everybody to go on an exchange, whether this is Barcelona or not because it is the perfect oppurtunity to develop yourself and broaden your horizon. exchange application process PREPARATION I found the application process harder than I thought it would be. It takes a lot of afford and independence and you shouldn't underestimate it. The information was very clear and that made it easier. counselling & support at Utrecht University The counseling and support at Utrecht University was very good. They always helped me when I had questions or problems with the application. academic preparation The only academic preparation I did was to finish all my courses before so I could finish my bachelors in Barcelona. language preparation I took a beginners course in Utrecht at Cervantes, the Spanish institute. I did the A1 course and this really helped me in Barcelona. In the city center lots of people speak English, but at the university and outside the centre you have to speak Spanish. Also you have a way better "local" experience if you speak the language. finances I didn't save much money ahead of the exchange. I rented my room in Utrecht so I could rent a room in Barcelona for the same amount of money. The rooms in Barcelona are cheaper then in Utrecht, so I could have a better room for less money. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD In my opinion, the program at the law faculty of courses taught in English is very limited. If you want to attend also economic courses at the business faculty there is a lot more choice, because these bachelors are fully taught in English. I really enjoyed the courses at the economic faculty (Economic History of the 20 th century and European Integration) and also the course English Political Science was one of my favourites. academic quality of education activities The academic quality of the English courses at the lawfacultaty is not so good. There are not that many courses availlable and the courses which are available are low leveled. Especially the courses in my interest field (international or criminal law) are not very good. Therefore I attended courses at political science and criminology. These courses are also at the law facutly. Next to these I attended courses at the economics and business faculty. The economic courses are of a way higher English level and the level is more comparable with the Netherlands. I heared that the level of law courses teached in Spanish are better, but I didn't follow these so I can't judge them.

11 counselling & support at receiving university abroad The international office of Barcelona for visiting students is good. They always tend to help you and they have regulary office hours. The only downside was that sometimes it took a long time before they replied on my s. transfer of credits They have the same credit system in Barcelona as the Netherlands. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The welcome and orientation programme of the law faculty is not so good. I also did the welcomedays of the business faculty and those were way better. They had more acitivites and they had mentorgroups. At the law faculty you also have mentor, but I never spoke with him because he didn't reply on my messages. Next to your faculty welcoming you also have ESN. Every university in Barcelona has it's own ESN department. They organize a lot of activities in the first weeks and also during the entire semester you can go on many trips. I really liked the opening week of ESN and met a lot of my friends I still have today. I also went on a trip to Bilbao and St. Sebastian, which was really fun. accommodation Accommodation in Barcelona is quite easy to find and reasonable cheap. I recommend strongly to find your own room and don't live on a campus. There are many facebookgroups where people offer rooms. I found mine via a friend, which was very lucky and I think is the best way. The best areas to live in are Gotic, El Born, Raval and Gracia. Gotic is the very centre of Barcelona and is really nice with small streets and lots of small shops and restaurants. Also it's very close to the beach and there is a direct line to the law department. The only downside is that there are many tourist in the summer and it is very crowded. El Born is next to Gotic and is my favourite area of Barcelona. It is a little less central but also less crowed and it has a really nice atmosphere. Raval is on the other side of Las Ramblas as Gotic. It is an upcoming area with lots of students and vintageshops. Keep in mind that only the top of Raval (so NOT the side of the sea) is nice to live in, because the more down part is a little dangerous by night. Gracia is also really nice and a lot of students life in this area. It is a little more out of the centre and therefore way less crowed and also more Spanish people living there. leisure & culture The leisure and culture is very nice in Barcelona. There are a lot of cultural activies in the city and the nature around the city is beautiful. Also it is easy to do trips to other cities in Spain and travel around. suggestions/tips I recommend to visit the beaches just outside Barcelona, there are very pretty beaches just 20 minutes by metro away. Also you should visit the bunkers Del Carmel, from there you have the best view at Barcelona especially at sunset. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes, I strongly recommend Barcelona as destination abroad. It is a beautifull city with a lot of culture, beach and fun nightlife. There are lots of other Internationals and therefore it's really easy to make friends. The only downside sometimes of Barcelona is the size of the city, I think if you study in a smaller city it is easier to get in touch with locals. All of my friends where other international students. I couldn't wish for a better city then Barcelona to do my Erasmus and I think it is the perfect city to experience

12 an amazing exchange. do you have any additional advice or comments? Please don't hestiate to send me an if you have any questions. exchange application process PREPARATION The application process was quite easy, I had to fill in some forms and and then I had to send them to the Universitat de Barcelona and besides just normal things, the university does not have any special requirements. The International Office there is really helpful and to me it was completely clear what I had to do and what forms to send. Also they are really flexible, when I missed a deadline due to a miscommunication, they were able to solve the problem quickly. counselling & support at Utrecht University In my opinion, the International Office of the UU is really professional, well organized and experienced. If you have any questions they usually can provide you an answer really quick. academic preparation I did not really do academic preparation before going to Barcelona, I am currently in my third year of my bachelor and no academic preparation was needed. language preparation Because I barely spoke any Spanish, I needed to learn some in advance. I followed a three week summercourse and I took a Spanish course at the University. Although the Universitat de Barcelona requires level B1, they never check what level you really are and it is not completely necessary as there were also other Erasmus students who did not speak Spanish at all. Still I would recommend to do some language preparation, because I think it in your own interest to speak some and it can be useful to understand it a little. The Universitat de Barcelona also offers all international students a Spanish course for 42 hours (3 times a week 2 hours class) for 150 euros, which is ofcourse a very reasonable price. The course is followed with an exam and a certificate that you have reached a certain level. I would definitely recommend this course, because although the six hours a week besides your classes is pretty intense, I learned a lot and it is a nice way to meet other international students, also from other faculties. finances Barcelona is as cheap or expensive as you make it. Apart from the ordinairy study finance, the OV vergoeding and the Erasmus grant, I had some savings and I lent every month some study finance. I would recommend to have some savings, because you may want to do some trips or just do a lot of activities here. I went to Valencia, Girona and Ibiza and in Barcelona I was more active than usually in the Netherlands in going to musea, expositions, but also in activities like paddleboarding, having dinner at restaurants, etc. Also Barcelona has a great party scene and during spring and summers there are a lot of amazing festivals and all these things, obviously, cost money. As for a room to live, it really depends on where your house is situated. I thinks most students pay from euros every month. The people paying around are living in the city centre in a really good location. So it is kind of up to you to decide how much you want to pay for your room. Furthermore I bought an monthly metro card, which is about 50 euros and than you can travel unlimited in Barcelona with all public transportation (metro, train, tram, bus). You can also buy a unlimited card for three months, that is even a little bit cheaper.

13 study programme (content and organisational issues) Universitat de Barcelona STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Before going to Barcelona, in the application process for the UB you have to pick what courses you want to follow. This choice however, can be changed until 3 weeks after the semester has started. In my experience, almost everyone changed some courses, so the first 3 weeks are pretty much a try out phase. Almost all classes are in Catalan or in Castellano (that is what we call Spanish), but there are also some classes in English, enough to gain 30 ECTS in a semester if you need 30 ECTS and do not speak any Spanish. Because there are not that many English classes, the choice is limited on what courses you can follow. Even though the courses are in English, some of them are still about Spanish law, such a Spanish company law or Spanish insurance law. This may be a little pointless but because the course are usually not very juridical and very general, it did not really matter. Also because they think it is interesting that you are an international student, they made me do several papers about the situation in the Netherlands on a certain topic, so I learned som more about for instance, insurance law in the Netherlands. Apart from the Law bachelor, you can also take courses from other bachelors in the Law Faculty, which includes Criminology and Political Science and I also took a course from those bachelors. Furthermore, it is pretty easy to take courses from other faculties, such as the Economic Faculty, but there is one restriction, the majority of your courses should be within the Faculty of Law. At the UB, they do not work with more than one period in a semester, which means that you have all your classes the whole semester (almost half a year). Most classes are for 6 ECTS and they are 2 times a week for two hours. There are also courses for 3 ECTS and they are one time a week. This means that in comparison to the Netherlands, you will have more contact hours. I followed courses for 24 ECTS, which meant 16 hours class a week and with my Spanish course for six hours a week, I had quite some classes. In most of the classes you are not obliged to go, but because most courses do not have books and most teachers stand in front of the class talking without a powerpoint, it can be useful to go to class. For all courses you can pick whether you want to do several small assignments during the semester for your grade (evaluation continuada), such as a small exam, a presentation or writing a paper or whether you want to take one big exam at the end (evaluation unica). I did the continious evaluation for all my courses except for one, because I thought it would be easier to pass if you have several small assignments, especially because I had no idea what to expect how hard the final exam would be. What I heard from the other students, most prefered the continious evaluation, because one big test after you had classes for half a year is quite a lot to study. As for the organisation, everything is what I would call 'Spanish'. No one is surprised as the teacher walks in half an hour late, or does not show up at all, everything is very relaxed and deadlines are often quite flexible. It took me some time to get used to this but after a while you just learn to go with the flow if an exam is postphoned for the third time. academic quality of education activities Even though the Universitat de Barcelona is said to be one of the best universities in Spain, there is no comparison on the study level with the Netherlands. The classes are by far not that challenging as in the Netherlands. Usually the study content is pretty general, I already knew a lot from my studies in the Netherlands. They do not work with books or powerpoints, so your notes and some documents on Blackboard are the biggest source to study. Especially the classes taught in English are quite easy, because the English level of a lot of the Spanish students is pretty low and the fact that the class is taught in English is already a big challenge for them. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The International Office is really helpful if you don t understand something or have a problem. But because I didn t have a lot of problems, I have barely seen them apart from the welcome meeting and sometimes to fill in a form or get a signature from them for Erasmus grant things. Even though they are really helpful if you approach them with a problem, they do not really provide clear information on certain things in advance, I think

14 that could have been useful. They kind of expect that you figure out everything yourself. For example, when I went there because I had problems with entering Blackboard, they were really helpful, but it would also be useful if they had explained it earlier, because it was not that hard. transfer of credits I am not yet at the point that I am completely sure whether my credits can be transferred, but I assume that this will not give any problems. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The faculty only has one welcome meeting where they provide some general information, but the organisation for international students (ESN) organised a welcome week with a lot of activities during the day and night. These activities were a lot of fun and really helped me to get to know a lot of people in the first days, so I would really recommend to participate. accommodation The University does not provide any accomodation automatically. Apparently, the UB has some residence halls where they house students, but I do not know anyone who lived there. I just looked online and I found my room before going to Barcelona, but there are also a lot of students who start looking here. There are a lot of rooms available in Barcelona in general, so it is not hard to find a room, in whatever price class you are looking. I chose to live in the city centre 50 m from La Rambla, because I wanted to live in the centre in a place that is close to almost everything. leisure & culture Ofcourse Barcelona is a very beautiful city that has a lot to offer. There are apart from all the touristic attractions always things going on. Festivals in the city centre, music performances, art expositions, football games, protests, etc. Furthermore the weather in Barcelona is great, which made me to spend a lot of days at the beach, swimming in the sea or playing beach volleybal with my classmates. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I would definitely recommend going to Barcelona. You should not go here if you want a very high level of education, but if you want to spend half a year making a lot of friends, see and do amazing things, learn Spanish and get to know the Spanish culture and living in an amazing city, you should go here. exchange application process PREPARATION The application process was quite easy, I had to fill in some forms and and then I had to send them to the Universitat de Barcelona and besides just normal things, the university does not have any special requirements. The International Office there is really helpful and to me it was completely clear what I had to do and what forms to send. Also they are really flexible, when I missed a deadline due to a miscommunication, they were able to solve the problem quickly. counselling & support at Utrecht University In my opinion, the International Office of the UU is really professional, well organized and experienced. If you have any questions they usually can provide you an answer really quick. academic preparation

15 I did not really do academic preparation before going to Barcelona, I am currently in my third year of my bachelor and no academic preparation was needed. language preparation Because I barely spoke any Spanish, I needed to learn some in advance. I followed a three week summercourse and I took a Spanish course at the University. Although the Universitat de Barcelona requires level B1, they never check what level you really are and it is not completely necessary as there were also other Erasmus students who did not speak Spanish at all. Still I would recommend to do some language preparation, because I think it in your own interest to speak some and it can be useful to understand it a little. The Universitat de Barcelona also offers all international students a Spanish course for 42 hours (3 times a week 2 hours class) for 150 euros, which is ofcourse a very reasonable price. The course is followed with an exam and a certificate that you have reached a certain level. I would definitely recommend this course, because although the six hours a week besides your classes is pretty intense, I learned a lot and it is a nice way to meet other international students, also from other faculties. finances Barcelona is as cheap or expensive as you make it. Apart from the ordinairy study finance, the OV vergoeding and the Erasmus grant, I had some savings and I lent every month some study finance. I would recommend to have some savings, because you may want to do some trips or just do a lot of activities here. I went to Valencia, Girona and Ibiza and in Barcelona I was more active than usually in the Netherlands in going to musea, expositions, but also in activities like paddleboarding, having dinner at restaurants, etc. Also Barcelona has a great party scene and during spring and summers there are a lot of amazing festivals and all these things, obviously, cost money. As for a room to live, it really depends on where your house is situated. I thinks most students pay from euros every month. The people paying around are living in the city centre in a really good location. So it is kind of up to you to decide how much you want to pay for your room. Furthermore I bought an monthly metro card, which is about 50 euros and than you can travel unlimited in Barcelona with all public transportation (metro, train, tram, bus). You can also buy a unlimited card for three months, that is even a little bit cheaper. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Before going to Barcelona, in the application process for the UB you have to pick what courses you want to follow. This choice however, can be changed until 3 weeks after the semester has started. In my experience, almost everyone changed some courses, so the first 3 weeks are pretty much a try out phase. Almost all classes are in Catalan or in Castellano (that is what we call Spanish), but there are also some classes in English, enough to gain 30 ECTS in a semester if you need 30 ECTS and do not speak any Spanish. Because there are not that many English classes, the choice is limited on what courses you can follow. Even though the courses are in English, some of them are still about Spanish law, such a Spanish company law or Spanish insurance law. This may be a little pointless but because the course are usually not very juridical and very general, it did not really matter. Also because they think it is interesting that you are an international student, they made me do several papers about the situation in the Netherlands on a certain topic, so I learned som more about for instance, insurance law in the Netherlands. Apart from the Law bachelor, you can also take courses from other bachelors in the Law Faculty, which includes Criminology and Political Science and I also took a course from those bachelors. Furthermore, it is pretty easy to take courses from other faculties, such as the Economic Faculty, but there is one restriction, the majority of your courses should be within the Faculty of Law. At the UB, they do not work with more than one period in a semester, which means that you have all your classes the whole semester (almost half a year). Most classes are for 6 ECTS and they are 2 times a week for

16 two hours. There are also courses for 3 ECTS and they are one time a week. This means that in comparison to the Netherlands, you will have more contact hours. I followed courses for 24 ECTS, which meant 16 hours class a week and with my Spanish course for six hours a week, I had quite some classes. In most of the classes you are not obliged to go, but because most courses do not have books and most teachers stand in front of the class talking without a powerpoint, it can be useful to go to class. For all courses you can pick whether you want to do several small assignments during the semester for your grade (evaluation continuada), such as a small exam, a presentation or writing a paper or whether you want to take one big exam at the end (evaluation unica). I did the continious evaluation for all my courses except for one, because I thought it would be easier to pass if you have several small assignments, especially because I had no idea what to expect how hard the final exam would be. What I heard from the other students, most prefered the continious evaluation, because one big test after you had classes for half a year is quite a lot to study. As for the organisation, everything is what I would call 'Spanish'. No one is surprised as the teacher walks in half an hour late, or does not show up at all, everything is very relaxed and deadlines are often quite flexible. It took me some time to get used to this but after a while you just learn to go with the flow if an exam is postphoned for the third time. academic quality of education activities Even though the Universitat de Barcelona is said to be one of the best universities in Spain, there is no comparison on the study level with the Netherlands. The classes are by far not that challenging as in the Netherlands. Usually the study content is pretty general, I already knew a lot from my studies in the Netherlands. They do not work with books or powerpoints, so your notes and some documents on Blackboard are the biggest source to study. Especially the classes taught in English are quite easy, because the English level of a lot of the Spanish students is pretty low and the fact that the class is taught in English is already a big challenge for them. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The International Office is really helpful if you don t understand something or have a problem. But because I didn t have a lot of problems, I have barely seen them apart from the welcome meeting and sometimes to fill in a form or get a signature from them for Erasmus grant things. Even though they are really helpful if you approach them with a problem, they do not really provide clear information on certain things in advance, I think that could have been useful. They kind of expect that you figure out everything yourself. For example, when I went there because I had problems with entering Blackboard, they were really helpful, but it would also be useful if they had explained it earlier, because it was not that hard. transfer of credits I am not yet at the point that I am completely sure whether my credits can be transferred, but I assume that this will not give any problems. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The faculty only has one welcome meeting where they provide some general information, but the organisation for international students (ESN) organised a welcome week with a lot of activities during the day and night. These activities were a lot of fun and really helped me to get to know a lot of people in the first days, so I would really recommend to participate. accommodation The University does not provide any accomodation automatically. Apparently, the UB has some residence halls where they house students, but I do not know anyone who lived there. I just looked online and I found my