A fun and rewarding experience!

The ALA program at CIEE is an incredible and unique experience in the heart of Barcelona. This program allowed me take all my classes in Spanish while splitting my time between CIEE and the University of Barcelona. The program brought together a small group of about thirty students dedicated to improving their Spanish. What makes the program unique is the high level of Spanish shared by all of the participants, something that is hard to find. The program director, Alberto, has a ton of knowledge on how the University of Barcelona functions and helped us integrate into the university with minimal issues. What I did not know before arriving in Spain was how special this program truly is. It is extremely rare for American students to have to opportunity to take classes alongside Spanish students at a European university. Being one of just thirty students made the program extremely special and personally tailored to my needs. I took classes that I never imagined I would. I enjoyed a small seminar on Don Quijote with the amazing professor Elena Losada, which opened my eyes to historical literature that I never would've read otherwise!

The accommodations provided by the program from housing to personal tutoring to academic advising were incredible. I was amazed by my beautiful private room in the heart of Barcelona, just steps away from Plaza Catalunya and Las Ramblas. Living steps away from the University and walking distance of anywhere that I wanted to go made my time in Barcelona much more fun. The small nature of the program allowed me to make amazing and life long friends during my semester abroad. Living in Barcelona was an incredible experience and was made better by the people that I met on the program. The personal support from CIEE staff was helpful as well. We had two interns just for our program who were available to tutor us and help with whatever we needed. I frequently went to them for help editing a paper or to study for an exam. The professors at CIEE were constantly available and willing to help us succeed at the challenging courses at the University of Barcelona. The differences in academics were vast, but made easier by the help of those at CIEE. There was always someone there to help us whenever we were struggling with the differences of the Spanish academic system.

I'll always remember my time in Barcelona and the amazing friends that I met thanks to CIEE. I learned about a completely new culture and was able to experience academics in a truly Spanish way. It was an unforgettable experience, and I can't wait to return to the country that I called home for the last four months!