API: Experience Barcelona, Spain (Scholarships Available)

Barcelona is full of life. The best decision of my life was to choose this location to study abroad. There are so many fun things to do in this one city, I still have items left on my bucket list! Not to mention how amazing the entire country and surrounding countries are. I took Mediterranean culture classes and lived with a host family, 2 things I highly recommend. Being open-minded took me far on my journey, and I have endless stories I can't stop sharing! It was also fun to constantly be thinking in more than one language.

I chose to go abroad with API for many reasons, including the company's great feedback from former students, the sensible price for what was included, and the selection of coursework that was offered. I selected the International Studies program at UAB because not only did the classes interest me, but all four I enrolled in covered a requirement for me. While abroad I was able to cover a History General Education class through Spanish Civilisation and Culture, a Communication major class through Intercultural Communication, and two Social and Behavioral Science Global Education Requirements through Urban Interventions and my Spanish Language course. Opportunities are endless here, as I was able to see a great deal of Europe between my studies since the Barcelona trains and airport are at our convenience to travel in-and-out of. Living as an international student in a foreign city greatly improved both my problem-solving skills, as learning how to maneuver a new city can be daunting, and detail-oriented planning, understanding that there is a lot that goes into organizing trips. API: Barcelona was a great program for me; no matter what program you decide it is up to you to mold the experience that you want!

I had the best time during my study abroad in Barcelona. I was able to experience the nightlife, have home cooked Spanish meals, go shopping in local shops, and enjoy touristy places in and around the city. I was able to travel to different places in Spain such as, Burgos, Sevilla, Bilbao and Islas Canarias. I was also able to visit Italy and Portugal. This was all done in a short amount of time but has remained as some of my best memories. I met people from around the world and was able to pick up on Catalan. I lived right across from the the Picasso museum, as well as a beautiful park, the metro station, arco de triunfo and the Catedral. I would definitely recommend studying abroad in Barcelona and doing it through API because their staff was wonderful and all of the activities we were able to do were awesome. We were taken to learn how to make Paella, went bike riding in Sevilla, visited the Colosseum in Italy, watched a Flamenco show and so much more!

I spent a semester and summer abroad studying and living in Barcelona. This statement, that I say quite frequently in my everyday conversations, is the most proud sentence I can say about myself. I am so incredibly proud of this part of my life because it has changed and shaped me to be the successful person I am today. Through that amazing period in my life, I grew stronger by becoming independent; moving to a different country where English is not primarily spoken by myself, without any friends or family. Instead of grouping myself in an American crowd, a few friends and I insisted on making friends from other countries and from Spain to emerge in the culture. This was introduced to us as important in the very beginning by the program (API) and I am so happy they did. I still say, to this day, that the education I received abroad in Barcelona was the best education I received in my undergrad program. Not only was I in classes that were relevant to my majors back home, I was being educated internationally which taught me different cultures' way of "doing business". The Spanish classes I was in were tough. They challenged me everyday and pushed me to not only stop relying on English, when I wasn't sure on the word, but allowed me to become fluent in the language. Still to this day, 6 years later, I dream in Spanish: because Spain is where my heart and soul is.

API was very accommodating in the US and in Spain. They made my experience amazing and made me feel like I really belonged in Spain. The whole staff was really helpful and they knew the answers to our questions before we even asked them. I really liked how excursions were organized with the program. It was a nice to go on a trip and not worrying about any accommodations. Also I liked how on campus we had an academic advisor specifically for API students. I liked how API requires all their students to take a language class. If you are studying abroad in an non english speaking country I think this is a necessity. I wanted to change my schedule when I arrived in Barcelona and I did it with no worries because of our advisor. Also I liked how API set up events around the city that we could attend with other API students. Finally I really liked the housing options. All the options were very nice to live in. I would defiantly recommend API.

I studied in Barcelona for 7 weeks this summer. I lived in an apartment with four other girls, and we all were just meeting each other for the first time. A typical day included waking up and getting ready, taking the metro to class, grabbing lunch at the cafe next to our school in between classes, and ending class around one in the afternoon. We spent the afternoons sightseeing, shopping, walking around the city, or at the beach. The nights were spent hanging out with other people from the APi program, watching futbol at the bars, and meeting new people. Barcelona was all about trying new things, new experiences, and meeting new people. Living in an apartment on our own gave us a new sense of independence and pushed me out of my comfort zone. On the weekends I explored new cities and traveled to Germany and Italy. The program also took us on weekend excursions to the beautiful island of Mallorca and Costa Brava. All in all, the program was amazing and the coordinators responded to any type of problem immediately.

API definitely helped to make my experience absolutely amazing! I decided to study abroad in Barcelona and looked into various programs that I could study through. I decided on this one because it was much cheaper than many other programs and I had heard that API was a great provider.

I was able to live in an absolutely beautiful apartment in the Gothic District directly across from the Barcelona Cathedral. It was so amazing to be able to go to my living room window everyday and look out onto a gorgeous cathedral.

The API staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and were awesome people to get to know. Any questions or concerns I had they handled immediately.

Also, a huge perk to API programs is that they include excursions. I was able to go on an international excursion to Rome, and also on another weekend one to Sevilla. We also went on a few day trips and we had many cultural activities planned as well.

Overall, my experience abroad was fantastic! Barcelona is an incredible city with such a rich culture. I met so many amazing people and was able to live in a beautiful city for four months. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life.

I was extremely hesitant about studying abroad because I had never been so far out of my comfort zone. I knew I wanted to go to Spain, preferably a big city so that English wasn't completely impossible to use if necessary. I had a few friends who had studied in Barcelona with API so I decided to give it a shot and apply. From the moment I arrived at the airport in Barcelona, the API staff were there to greet our entire program. They made everything so easy and fun right from the start.

API was always there to help whenever we had any questions or concerns, or just needed help in any way. They brought us on fun and educational day trips, weekend trips, and other various events, and always made us feel safe and excited. They gave us tours around the city, the metro, our neighborhoods, and the school right away. API made the transition from America to Spain so easy and made me feel very welcomed but not smothered, which was very important to me.

I lived in an apartment with three of my friends in la Gracia, a nice neighborhood consisting of many stores, families, and local restaurants and bars. My favorite activity in this neighborhood was to sit in the square on warm afternoons with my friends drinking mojitos, while little children ran around playing soccer.

The classes at UAB were great. The teachers are very aware that study abroad students are trying to do as little schoolwork as possible and never overwhelm you with studying. I walked to school almost every day, enjoying all of the sites as I went along. Each day on my walk to the Sant Pau campus, I would look over at the Sagrada Família and think of how awesome it was to be able to see that and palm trees on my way to class.

Traveling around Europe was incredible and so easy. Of course, we looked for the cheapest flights so they were often at odd hours of the night, causing exhaustion, but it was worth it. Oh, and Ryan Air is one strange experience. I traveled around Spain to Sitges, Valencia, and a few other places on my own, and to Poblet, Sevilla, Cádiz, and Costa Brava with API. I also traveled out of the country to Rome with API, and to Paris and Greece on my own time. Each trip was amazing and has its own unique memories.

The nightlife in Barcelona is the most insane nightlife I've ever experienced anywhere. Our group of friends would head down to the clubs most nights at about 1am and dance the night away until they closed at 6am. I learned very early in the semester that I was going to be constantly tired for the entire trip. Thank God for siesta! There are a bunch of clubs down by the beach, which were always a blast, and there were clubs throughout the city, as well. We saw so many incredible DJs for no more than 15 Euro. Promotors are all over Barcelona to help study abroad students get into every club for free. Although it was exhausting, these Barcelona nights were by far the best nights I've ever experienced.

The four months I spent in Barcelona were easily the best of my life. I met so many incredible people and made lifelong friends through this program. If you have any hesitation about studying abroad with API, don't. Just do it. I promise you will not regret it.