AIFS Abroad in Barcelona, Spain: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)

I cannot even explain how thankful I am that I chose to study abroad with AIFS in Barcelona, Spain during the Spring 2020. This program changed my life and I felt that I grew so much as a person. I took classes like Intercultural Communication which I know will benefit my future. I made amazing friends and Barcelona felt like home instantly. AIFS made the whole process simple and was always there to help us. I would do it all again if I could! I fell in love with Barcelona and all of the people I met along the way. I cannot imagine my life without this experience.

At first, I was worried about going out into the world alone, but I soon realized that I was not alone. The support that I received was one of a kind. The team in Barcelona went above and beyond to make students feel welcomed and well surrounded. My experience would’ve been completely different without them.
Also, my host family was amazing. AIFS truly makes it their mission to provide their students with the best accommodation there is. I am eternally grateful for this experience. I highly recommend AIFS. You will feel safe, heard, and cared for.

At first, I was worried about going out into the world alone, but I soon realized that I was not alone. The support that I received upon arrival was one of a kind. The team in Barcelona went above and beyond to make students feel welcomed and well surrounded. My experience would’ve been completely different without them.
Also, my host family was amazing. AIFS really takes the time to choose the best accommodations for their prospective students. I am eternally grateful for the experience that they provided me with. I highly recommend AIFS. You will feel safe, heard, and cared for.

This trip was my first time outside of the country alone. I was terrified that I would get pickpocketed and that I wouldn't know how to get around. Totally false! I never got pickpocketed and learned the metro and bus system like the back of my hand. AIFS made life so easy for me. They assisted in getting my visa. They arranged the flight and a small stop in London (for a small fee). They made sure I got to and from the airport when I needed and they even set up my stay with my host family. Living with a host family was the most incredible experience. I know for a fact that I learned more about the Spanish culture (and had much better food) than those students who didn't live with a host family. My family was humble and kind and they even welcomed me back when I came to visit the following Spring. Spain is full of kind people and is ultra safe. Do not hesitate to study abroad. And please, try a home stay out. It may very well change your life!

Studying in Barcelona with AIFS was unforgettable! Barcelona an amazing city to study abroad in, as it is easily navigable and filled with tons of fun activities. AIFS was amazing with preparing me before and during my time abroad.
Before leaving for my program, AIFS helped me step by step with my visa, and even had a packaged flight deal that booked both my flights, including a 3 day excursion to London before my program started, which allowed me to meet most of the people on my program and was an amazing bonding experience! This was an amazing experience as I got to meet my roommates before arriving in Barcelona.

Upon arrival in Barcelona, AIFS brought us to out apartments, gave us a city tour, and explained hw the metro and buses worked, so that we were prepared to venture the city on our own. Not only that, but they were always available in their office, which was only 3 blocks from my school, whenever we needed help. AIFS also offered several excursions and activities included in the price, which were amazing! My favorite excursion was to Andorra, which is a small country in between Spain and France, and my favorite activity was a cooking class, where we got to learn how to make our favorite Spanish foods!

Overall, I absolutely loved studying abroad in Barcelona and not only that, but AIFS made sure we were always safe, happy, and if we weren't, they were always available to help. I would 10000% recommend going on this program, it was the best decision of my life!!

I loved my study abroad experience! I chose to go abroad with The American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) because they were very up-front about everything and didn't leave me wondering what my final price would be or what was included or not included. Their website is super easy to navigate and compare locations and programs! For every program, there is one director to help with pre-departure information like visas and class schedules, and once you arrive there is an on-site director that helps with the transition and plans all of the events to meet everyone in your program. Both of my directors were amazing and answered every question I had. Barcelona is an amazing city that is changing every day, literally. The Sagrada Familia is still in construction and has been for over a century. Even unfinished, it is my favorite part of the city and it will be so amazing to go back one day when it is finished and know that I was there during a major time of progress. Overall, I chose the best city for my study abroad experience and chose the best provider to go with!

I had an amazing experience and loved the location and the staff. My homestay mom was great! She cooked amazing food, was such a sweetheart and treated me like if I was her own daughter with so much love! I loved the excursion to Morocco, it was well organized and I had a great experience. Im happy I was able to see Morocco with AIFS because I don't know how I would've travelled their on my own. AIFS offers so many scholarships and made it possible despite of the roadblocks. I was able to win a scholarship of over $6,500. I was a first generation student so studying abroad was really getting me out of my comfort zone since being a student at a university was already an experience. AIFS is very inclusive and amazing! They have so many opportunities for many diverse groups as well!

The staff with AIFS Barcelona made my experience amazing. I recently went back to Barcelona and visited all my professors at the UAB and the staff at the Barcelona office. This office is more of a family. I was abroad for a year and I attribute a lot of the reasons as to why i didnt get homesick because of them. What I also found really exiting and unique about this experience were the catalan classes they offered for students. I took full advantage of those classes and continued to utilize them for anytime I had catalan related questions. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone.
What i found to be the most impressive thing about this program was how much the staff really cared about you. I often found myself in and out of the hospital during my year abroad which should have been a scary experience, but because I had the staff there they made it pain free. They accompanied me to the hospital and were there to answer any questions I had. Although I spoke spanish and techicnally did not need them, they were still always there for me.