Barcelona Study Abroad Experience (SAE)

My international experience is unique because I've never left home before. My time in Spain is allowing me to grow as an individual and learn new things about myself. It's nice that I already have a Spanish background so communicating in castellano isn't difficult to do! If you have never been exposed to Spanish than I strongly suggest you study some before you go abroad! This great internship opportunity is going to help me land better jobs because my international experience is going to stand out on a resume. Tip #1: Don't be afraid to explore, even if it's on your own! Tip #2: Always wear comfortable shoes because pavements here are very uneven. Tip #3: Plan things out but leave room for spontaneous fun as well! So far my favorite memories that I've made have been when my roommate and I go on mini adventures and take really great pictures of each other. I'm uncovering my innerphotography skills!

This program was designed so well. I went for a semester with a group from my university. We were greeted by the amazing staff and from day 1 exciting activities were planned. The staff really got to know you and they were very willing to work with my group and professor to fit the program so we would have the best and most fun learning experience. The staff always took time to check in with us. I also took some of my favorite classes during this program. The professors not only would teach us with a lot of passion, they also took us out and about in the city for experiential learning. These were genuinely some of the best months of my life - I highly recommend BarcelonaSAE to anyone!

The classes were a good challange and the staff was very nice and well equipped for their positions. It was an amazing time living in Barcelona and learning about local life and culture. I made a lot of lasting friendships and totally improved my Spanish speaking skills as I was immersed in the Spanish environment. Also, I found the Catalan culture so fascinating with their crazy festivities like the Correfoc, a parade in which people paint their faces, literally swing fireworks around in a crowd and play booming drums. It was so exhilarating!

This program completely changed my world-views and greatly impacted my career goals in a positive way. Throughout the quarter, we were taught to look at subjects such as history and multiculturalism from different perspectives while seeing the history of different places first-hand. Our professor was very negative and I didn't like his teaching style, but the program itself was great. I bonded with my host family and was immersed in the culture of Barcelona, as well as other places that we traveled to (other parts of Spain, Italy, France, and Morocco). After my time in Barcelona, I changed my major from Accounting to International Business so that I can hopefully travel the world as a part of my future career. One of my favorite memories was being lost in Barcelona with my roommate the first week we were there. I was starting to get frustrated, when suddenly I turned around and saw Sagrada Familia. I was in awe and realized that beauty can be found under any circumstance! From that point on, I learned to be okay with getting lost and wandering the streets while finding new sights.

The Barcelona SAE Summer Internship program is a great experience for young students looking to expand their horizons and have an experience like none other. Because of the nature of this Study Abroad Experience is different than any other Study Abroad because it is an internship instead of classes. This experience is not only letting me fall more in love with Spain, but also is giving me valuable and unique job experience.