A few months ago, when I took a final decision and study abroad in the city of Barcelona, I knew the classes and the academic environment were going to be different, something different from what I am used to in the United States.
I started asking my friends that have previously studied abroad, questions about how were the classes and how different were they. I got an idea but I was still unclear, that’s understandable because everyplace is different, and the experience studying is unique from the place. I think this is a factor that makes can make a significant difference in the study abroad experience, nobody in a new country would like to just focus on studies, the discovering feeling is active, and everybody urges for the need to explore.
My experience through the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona was great, I feel satisfied with the courses and teaching methods. The classes are smaller which encourages the students to pay attention and participate more. I liked how innovative and modern the facilities are, the support from instructors and the way we learn the material. I can rapidly explain why I enjoyed so much the classes I took.
I’m an international business and marketing major, I enjoy sharing my ideas and also hear the opinions from others, this is key for creating an open, friendly and more dynamic environment for people to learn. I had the opportunity to work in groups multiple times in different classes, give presentations and learn from guest speakers. I would like to emphasize on one of these aspects, and it’s the opportunity to work with other people from other parts of the world, with the same type of interests and other ideas. This is great because exposes the students to more diversity and applies to the academics as well. I loved working from people from Germany, Belgium, Brazil, and others that later on became my friends. Now, I learned what I love to learn about in more dynamic way, made friends miles away from my home country, and had the opportunity to express my ideas and knowledge in class practices.
