Program Reviews

My experience with Barcelona SAE during the fall 2022 semester was amazing. Between the awesome activities and the interesting classes I took at UAB, I had one of the most unique experiences of my life. Choosing classes was easy and pretty straightforward, so that eliminated a lot of stress. Meanwhile, the Barcelona SAE staff was always very helpful and a great resource that improved my stay in Barcelona. As I explored the wonderful city, the cultural agendas carefully crafted for each week made me feel like I got the chance to dive deeper into the magic of BCN and experience the city like a local. I attended local festivals and tried local Catalan traditions such as Castellaers, which enriched my stay and understanding of the culture.
The housing I was placed in was in a nice neighborhood, and I felt comfortable walking around at all times. I lived in a student hotel in Poble Sec. The neighborhood was lively because of all the nearby restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, and the metro stops were within a 5 min distance, making transportation easy and comfortable.
I stayed in Barcelona for four months, and of course, there were ups and downs, but overall I am very satisfied because I met a lot of amazing people, and I was part of a program that ensured we got the most out of the city and felt at home away from home. I would recommend this program!

I stayed in a home stay for the 8 week program for the months of June and July. The staff at Barcelona SAE made me feel extremely supported, and I knew I could contact them if I ever had any issues. They did an amazing job at making me feel welcome, comfortable, and safe during my time in Barcelona. The staff genuinely cares about the students wellbeing and provided many opportunities for me to learn more about Barcelona and explore the city. I had an amazing time, and met a lot of great people.

I enjoyed my experience very much in Barcelona through BSAE. It was a great opportunity for me to grow as an individual and to be independent in a new city! Barcelona has so much to do, I visited so many attractions but still could have gone to more after I had to leave. The weather is sunny and hot, but it is great. I would also recommend Barcelona if you are into night life. Bars and clubs stay open very late so there is always something to do, and there are so many diverse restaurants around every corner!

Overall, the experience of completing the SIS + Internship through Barcelona SAE was great. The staff was friendly, helpful, and supportive. The placements were very well organized and matched me very well. I found the classes to be interesting and fun. The professors were all nice, as were my internship mentors.

The program did an excellent job of orienting me in the city of Barcelona. The tours, cooking classes, and other activities were all incredibly interesting, showed a diverse range of barrios in Barcelona, and were great ways to meet new friends.

This program has been an incredible experience. They made me feel comfortable when I first arrived and helped me create a sense of independence in the process. They set me up with the most amazing homestay which helped me improve my Spanish as well as connect with a local. The excursions especially were out of this world; not only did they take us around Barcelona but they helped us explore around Spain to Costa Brava and Tarragona. I recommend this program to any student with a love for traveling!

This was an absolute amazing opportunity, where I was able to learn an abundance of different things that I can now incorporate into my future jobs. Everything was very easy to use and the website was a breeze to navigate through making the whole experience very user friendly. Everyone made sure that I was doing great and they were always asking If I had any questions or if I needed anything at all. Even when something was needed and it was not very important there was always someone to reach back out to you in a hurry making it very easy to communicate.

I came on this program by myself and was initially nervous about coming to Barcelona, but knew it would be worth it. This program completely exceeded my expectations. I made lifelong friendships, had the most wonderful homestay family, and got to experience Barcelona as well as other parts of Spain like a local. I would 10/10 recommend this program. It includes several day trips, field studies in classes, and weekends away that are all included in the price of the program. All of this really made it feel worth the price. On all of these trips meals were included as well. Not to mention they also have scholarships available. The staff was friendly, supportive, and always available when needed. There was a 24/7 emergency line as well, which added an extra feeling of security while there.

At the beginning of the summer, I knew nothing about Spain, but that all changed because of Barcelona SAE. I feel like they provide a great balance between cultural/in-field activities, enlightening classes taught by teachers from all over the world, and overall daily immersion (especially in the homestays). These all contribute to creating an environment where you really feel like you can feed your curiosity and develop your interest in Barcelona and the rest of Spain, without getting sucked into viewing it from a single perspective. I also loved the group activities Barcelona SAE planned for us. They helped me grow closer to my peers and provided their knowledge as locals to give us the best quality experience possible. I also appreciate that they did this without being suffocating.

This was my very first time stepping foot in Europe, let alone living abroad for six weeks. My apartment, although on smaller than what Americans are used to, was conveniently located in the city center and a few hundred meters from Las Ramblas. I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to intern at a hostel, which helped me not only gain valuable international experience in the hospitality industry, but allowed me to meet travelers from all walks of life and various countries. There was so much to explore within Catalonia alone that I didn't even venture out of Spain like I had originally intended, but it would be very feasible for the adventurous ones who would like to.

Barcelona SAE takes care of everything - from airport transfers, internship placements, housing, first day introductions, Spanish or Catalan lessons, to fun excursions. They do their absolute best to help make each student/intern's experience as seamless as possible. With an open door policy, should you need anything, we were all welcome to visit the office and talk to any of the staff.

It really comes down to how much you put into it, because that ultimately plays the biggest factor in your takeaway from your time abroad. All of the opportunities to get involved and stretch your comfort zone are totally there!

My experience with SAE was awesome. I took classes at the UAB and I thought they were challenging but really interesting. All of my professors went above and beyond to make sure we not only learned the material in class but learned all about Catalan traditions and culture. I feel like I learned much more with them than I would have at any other school. The staff at SAE was also amazing. I felt comfortable approaching any member of the staff with any problem I had. The staff always made sure we were well informed about the places we were going and always had the best recommendations for things to do. I cant imagine my experience in Barcelona without all of the resources provided by SAE. If you're considering going to Barcelona, definitely apply for a program with SAE, you will be happy you did.