Exchange at Pompeu Fabra
I spent the spring semester of 2019 in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe - Barcelona, studying at the University of Pompeu Fabra.
Barcelona is a very diverse city, this is the case when you can combine the incompatible. The sea, beautiful beaches, mountains, ordinary city life - here you will find everything except the open shops on Sunday. Yes, here, as in the whole of Europe, shops on Sundays do not work. Despite the fact that Barcelona is the most tourist city in Spain, here you will also come across a siesta - a Spanish break during the day. Many stores close for several hours at lunchtime, and in the end, in most cases, they work from 10 to 14 and from 17 to 20. Of course, you can get used to it, but the system is unusual.
Barcelona is a very beautiful and atmospheric city, but I advise you to come to the choice of housing responsibly. If possible, choose the central areas - firstly, it’s safer there, and secondly, you almost don’t need to take the metro - everything will be within walking distance. My student residence was 10 minutes from the university and from the city center, it was about 200 meters from the sea. For a foreign student, residence is an excellent chance to be among students not only at the university, but also outside. It seems to me that where I lived has also influenced my impressions - there were always cheerful tourists and cheerful Catalans around me. All this allowed me to fully feel the beauty of being in this city - I was at the center of the city life.
University life is as nice as the city itself. Pompeu Fabra is a fairly young university, but already considered one of the best in Spain. It is modern, and they even have a local LMS. Good teachers, competent in their subject, friendly Catalan and foreign students, student organizations preparing different trips and excursions, a university library working until one in the morning, and during the examination period almost 24 hours a day, the location in Barcelona – this is everything you need for a pleasant study.
Even before coming to Barcelona, you will need to prepare an IUP by selecting courses on the university website in your account. My advice is to choose them the same hour of the opening of the record, because the places for popular and interesting courses end quite quickly.
Barcelona is a special city, which became native for me during mobility. I hope you will feel the same.