Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

Travel as much as possible, to as many places as possible, and pack very lightly. Definitely study abroad because it is a life-changing experience and you grow up a lot. Be prepared to have culture shocks and expect periods during which you will be unhappy and frustrated with your host city. Be open and adaptable. Make every effort to meet spanish people because that is a large point of the experience.

Even if you are going there on your own, the first few days can be very daunting. But once at university, you will be making lots & lots of friends. However, as a British student in a foreign country, it is very easy to form social groups with other British students. I would reccomend against this; obviously make some friends of the same nationality, so that there is always people there that you can talk to easily, if you are feeling down for whatever reason. But I would encourage mixing with other foreign students and obviously spanish students, to get the most out of the experience. There are a couple of travel/erazmus/student bars and cafes, find out where they are & hang out there to meet people. Finally, be extra careful of yourself and your belongings compared to England, there is a very high crime rate, and quite a few friends of mine got mugged; so be careful!

Be aware that there are a lot of pick-pockets running around BCN, especially at the touristy spots (Rambla, Pla. Catalunya, Pla. Reial etc.). Nearly everyone I knew had got robbed at least once. So leave your wallets and credit card collections at home and choose wisely what to take with you into the streets. A good idea is to replace your thick wallets by the slim plastic cases (estuches) of the Metro company (TMB) that can be obtained at the TMB offices. Placed into your pocket, their slimness makes them pretty insuspicious. Before arriving in BCN, consider that you most likely will be on the hunt for a flat at first. You therefore will be in need of a youth hostel for a few days. Book in advance! I forgot to do it, and it was hell finding a bed for a night. When arriving in BCN, usually a major concern is to stay connected or to be reachable for others. The best option is to buy a prepaid SIM card for your mobile phone (Amena, MoviStar, Airtel), e.g. at FNAC, El Corte Inglés or any mobile phone store. If possible, don't come by car! Parking is a big problem and a constant struggle in BCN, and even if you found a (legal!) parking space in the street, chances aren't too low you find your car broken up the next day. But after all: BCN is a wonderful, inspiring and international city that is going to absorbe you. Even if you are to encounter annoying problems occasionally, you'll still be in beautiful and charming BCN.

In general I´m really satisfied by chosing this university. You learn a lot, and for example I am in a class of 13 people, with 10 different nationalities! You learn so much of that for your further national career, you can´t express it in words. About traveling, it is a bit expensive to travel whole Spain, but really worth it! Try to have an advanced level of your Spanish before you come here.

Don't get stuck trying to make friends only in Universitat de Barcelona, almost all of my friends over there were guys and girls from all over Spain that studied in different schools in Barcelona. Be sure to meet local people eventhough they seem a little rude at the beginning you'll find out that they are very nice people, and that they do really good and honest friends.

study the language before you come here - it makes it a lot easer. Get used to the word - mañana - if you need something. be open - do what you want - make the best out of it - and try to profit from it. Travelling is pretty cheap - bus is the cheapest mean of transport - granada is a great city - 7000pst. one way - different flair,... madrid is cool too ... but when you choose a hostel make sure it's a decent area - great museum of art - reina sophia ..... barcelona grooves