Barcelona SAE Academic Center (SIS) - Semester or Summer

Studying in Barcelona had always been a dream of mine since I was in high school, and Barcelona SAE not only helped me make it come true but it also did it exceeding any expectations I had about it. During my time abroad I was surrounded by a caring and welcoming staff always willing to help make the experience the best one possible, I was paired with the sweetest host mom who made me feel at home all the time, introduced me to local recipes and traditions, and helped me learned more about the city as a local. The almost weekly activities and day trips were one of my favorite parts of the program since they gave us the chance to experience local traditions that otherwise we would have most likely not had the chance to.
In addition, we were offered the opportunity to visit Morocco through a program partnership and it was my favorite weekend trip out of Spain.
If you are looking to get to experience Barcelona as a local during your time abroad, Barcelona SAE is definitely your best option to do so.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Upon coming to Barcelona, I thought it would be a whole different world of weird tales every day. Barcelona SAE made my program feel like home. My favorite element is that it wasn't a program through my university meaning I got to meet so many different people from different schools. This program was pretty inclusive especially with all the counselors, teachers, staff, and weekend trips. It made Barcelona feel like a second home.