CIEE College Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain

My study abroad experience is so special to me. I had never been to Europe before nor had I left the United States very much, so coming to Barcelona for a whole semester was a big deal for me. I loved how supportive the staff and faculty were, and they were always inspiring me to make the most of my study abroad experience. I learned so much about the culture and about myself in Spain. I felt like I grew as a student as well as a person. I came back feeling more confident and inspired to travel. I will forever be grateful for the time I spent in Spain.

Studying abroad was the best three months of my life. Traveling on the weekends to cities like Florence, Amsterdam, and Budapest was amazing and being based in Barcelona was a ton of fun on the weekdays. The classes are very manageable, but sometimes they are confusing because of the language barrier. You have to study abroad and Barcelona is an amazing place to do it. CIEE was helpful with classes and provided nice housing as well as day trips on the weekend for those who stayed in town. The hall I was in was insanely covid conscious which led to many inconveniences, but did not ruin the experience. Try not to be placed in Garbi Residence hall.

The CIEE Barcelona Study Abroad was the best experience of my time in college. Even though it was just three weeks, I was able to see the whole city and have so much fun. 10/10 recommend. I went completely by myself as well and met so many other people in the same situation. It was so easy to make friends quickly. The professor was very helpful with telling us where to go in the city and how to spend our days. I also went when covid was still an issue and there was no worry about being left in the dark should I test positive.

I really enjoyed my time studying abroad through CIEE. The best part was the activities they planned for us, including Montserrat trip, tapas class, and Cava / Sitges trip! Although I got stuck in an apartment very far from the school, I enjoyed learning the transportation in Barcelona. The city of Barcelona is a beautiful city with the most kind people in it. I loved being able to go grocery shopping and getting my coffee at the same cafe every morning. I was able to form connections with people in my living community and that was one of the highlights.

My experience with CIEE in Barcelona was unforgettable and invaluable! I lived in an apartment just a 15-minute walk away from the class building and a metro stop away from La Sagrada Familia. I had 4 other roommates, and even though the living spaces are generally smaller in Europe than in the U.S., we had plenty of space and loved our apartment. We attended classes four days a week. The classes were so interesting, and it was great to be able to take so many that counted towards my major. In this specific program, all of the teachers, although native Spanish-speakers, taught the classes in English. The classes were challenging but not so difficult that I had to spend all of my time on work. All of my professors were really knowledgeable and passionate about the topics they taught, and they were so supportive and welcoming. CIEE also has other support staff available for questions and help unrelated to classes, and they are all so helpful and kind as well. They are always willing to help students, whether it’s an issue with their apartment, or health-related, or even just wanting something as simple as restaurant recommendations. They also put together so many events that allowed students to meet each other, to meet locals, and to get to see parts of the city that they hadn’t before. Having a three-day weekend was so exciting. Every weekend, I took advantage of the time that I had and explored Barcelona, other cities in Spain, and even made a few trips out of the country. I loved getting to explore the places that I had never been before and getting to learn about the different parts of Barcelona, some of which I did on my own and some of which I actually did through class field trips. Overall, I absolutely loved my study abroad experience with CIEE! I had such a blast getting to practice my Spanish, live on my own in another country for a few months, learn from my professors and the locals, meet so many people, and get to experience so many incredible places.

My time in Barcelona with the Language + Culture program through CIEE was an experience that I will be forever grateful to have had. There were organized trips multiple times a week and 24/7 resources in order to feel comfortable in a possibly uncomfortable change. I was quickly emerged into both the Spanish and European Culture(s), to the point where I did not want to leave- and to this day want to return back. My amazing time in Barcelona is largely owed to benefits of traveling with CIEE, the amazing people I met, and the beautiful places I was able to see along the way.

My experience in Barcelona through CIEE was incredible! I had the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture, meet amazing friends, and go on numerous adventures. I lived in an apartment of 6 people and we all loved the experience. The guidance and information provided to us allowed us to quickly adapt to the new city.

The CIEE programming was organized and the staff was very friendly. The courses were all exciting and allowed me to learn a lot, while still leaving time to explore the amazing city. I was able to travel to several new locations and CIEE offered programming events that made it easy to meet people. I appreciated how I could quickly reach CIEE staff for any questions and concerns.

I made so many amazing memories and would definitely recommend the experience. I loved the independence of being in an incredible, new city, while also feeling very supported and comfortable.

During my experience traveling on the CIEE program: International Marketing in Barcelona, Spain, I felt like it was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, experiences abroad. When leaving for my trip, my flight was canceled many times which caused me to feel anxious about future problems that might occur once getting to Spain. I do not speak any Spanish, but was relieved when arriving to Spain, because there were many people, who spoke some English, willing to help me find where I needed to go. I was living in a homestay, which I was excited to learn about the different aspects of the culture in Spain, as well as sharing my personal experiences back at home. Once I finally arrived to Spain, I felt a wave of happiness come across my body when I was driving in the taxi on the way to meet my host mother. The views were beautiful, and as someone who loves to travel, I was ready to begin my journey. This trip was a unique learning experience for me because I met many different types of people, learned the importance of understanding different cultures, and became extremely close with my roommate and host mother, which is never something I would have experienced without taking the opportunity to study abroad with CIEE. My unique experiences included: touring Sagrada Familia, which is the largest unfinished Roman Catholic Church, becoming friendly with, and getting to know the workers in the cafe where I would get my morning coffee, and the weekend trips to places in Spain, such as Menorca, provided by CIEE. I was able to come away from my abroad experience with a new set of life skills, an understanding of cultures that differ from my own, and create close connections to different people, which I still stay in contact with today.