A Great Semester in Barcelona

Today marks the end of my Fall 2025 semester with Barcelona SAE. Through the program, I was able to live in a homestay and attend classes at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona.

Living in a homestay has meant the world to me. I lived with a mother and her 16 year old daughter, as well as another girl in my program. I ate dinner with them almost every day which helped my Spanish immensely and also meant I got to learn more about Spain and its culture. It also helped me save money because I was provided dinners, breakfasts, and had my laundry done for me weekly.

I loved my classes at UAB. I took the Seven Wonders of Spain, where we went to a new architectural site in Barcelona every class. I also took Spanish 4 days a week, which was my favorite Spanish class I have ever taken. I also took Spanish Civilization and Culture, where I was able to learn about Spain’s history from pre-history up to today. Finally, I took Politics of the Developing World, which I loved so much that it inspired an independent research project I will be starting next semester.

However, because I was both in a homestay and going to UAB and not SAE’s academic center (SIS), I didn’t get to know many students in my program. All of the friends I made were through the school I went to instead. It worked out fine for me, but for someone who is more introverted I would not recommend this program if they are planning on doing a homestay and going to another university. But, from what I have seen, the people staying in the apartments and going to the SIS center were able to create strong friendships with other people in the SAE program.

At the beginning of the program, SAE took us to a Cava tasting and Sitges. It was a fun way to get to know the people in my program. However, I do wish they had given us a better guide of Barcelona. As some of my friends in other programs were taken on a bus tour and to famous sites in Barcelona. Then throughout the semester they offered Friday excursions. I went to Montserrat with SAE, which was so incredible. I am so thankful for being able to go on that day trip. I also was able to go to Girona and Calella through SAE. There are many programs that included a one weekend trip as a part of their cost, however SAE did not include this as an option. I think this would have been a nice way to meet more people in the program.

Another issue I would mention is that all of the universities we went to started on different days, however everyone in the program came at the same time. UAB started a full week earlier than the rest of the schools, so we were given a lot less time to adjust, learn about the culture, and get to know people in our program before jumping into classes.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time here in Barcelona and would 100% recommend this as a destination for studying abroad. While there is nothing SAE did wrong, it doesn’t necessarily stand out to me as the best program provided, especially when compared to the experiences of my friends in other programs.