CIEE is the best program to study abroad with!!

I studied abroad the fall semester of my Junior year, and it was truly an incredible experience I will always remember. One of the reasons I had such a great time was because I went with the CIEE program! In my opinion, the best thing about CIEE is the helpful and caring faculty and staff, who are always looking out for their students both in and out of the classroom. I ran into all the stereotypical study abroad issues - broken laptop, stolen wallet, missed flights - but there was always someone (usually Alberto) to talk me through the mess and tell me that everything would be okay.

I do have the disclaimer that I decided to take my study abroad experience in a slightly different direction than many others in my program, in the sense that I didn't spend too much time with the others from the ALA group. I am also not a Spanish major/minor, so I didn't take any classes at UB with the other CIEE students. This was the right decision for me, and I would probably do so again if I study abroad in the future, but the one thing I regret is that I missed out on the many trips and bonding experiences that CIEE provided. Because of my schedule - classes only Tuesday through Thursday! - and because I had a friend whose goals were in line with mine, I spent nearly every weekend away and therefore I can't really comment on the details of the weekly excursions. I can however, say that the multi-day trip to Andalusia I did go on with CIEE was a really wonderful experience, and CIEE planned activities that were engaging and made me want to return again in my own time! Also, the weekly excursions that CIEE plans cater to very diverse interests, from art to Game of Thrones to the outdoors, so I'm sure there is a trip out there for everyone.

In terms of classes, I took one spanish class with the CIEE program, and I really enjoyed it. My professor was kind and passionate, and the small class size made discussions easy and comfortable. I took three art courses with the Universitat de Barcelona, which were different than I expected (side note: Another great thing about CIEE is the freedom to choose to take basically any class you want from UB). Be very prepared to do work on your own without prompting from the professor, because doing only the minimum required assignments won't be enough to get the most out of the classes. The structures of the classes I took were very different from those in the US, and emphasized being pro active and pulling extra hours in order to produce truly great work. Studying abroad is a lot of fun, but I think it's also important to make sure you are being academically challenged, and taking classes in Spanish at UB is a great way to do so!

In conclusion, if I had to describe the benefits of studying abroad with CIEE in one sentence it would be this: CIEE provides you with the support and the freedom to make your study abroad experience whatever you want it to be!