Location

The exciting and stylish city of Barcelona is a feast for the eyes!  From the intricate architecture created by the world famous Antoni Gaudí to the modern buildings of El Puerto, Barcelona is an art and architecture lover's paradise.

The program takes place in one of the best and safest zones of Barcelona. The modern campus is located next to Avinguda Diagonal, the core of Barcelona's shopping district, and Francesc Maci and Maria Cristina squares, both vibrant parts of the city. This area is also home to several universities and is commonly referred to "Zona Universitària".

Housed in a beautiful modern campus, the classroom and residence facilties are close (200 meters) to a supermarket, stores, public swimming pool, pharmacy and only 300 meters from the local subway.

Program

Lessons are taught in Castillian Spanish, not the Catalan that is spoken by the locals. Please note that although Catalan is spoken by many native speakers in the area, most people understand and speak standard (or Castillian) Spanish. Classes are normally held in the mornings Monday to Friday. Depending on how intensive you want to make your studies, you can choose from 20 or 30 lessons per week with both options offering sports and cultural activities as well as full and half-day excursions to a variety of places of interest.

Level Placement

On the first day of school a placement test is administered to determine the student's level of Spanish. This way, students can start lessons straight away after they have been placed at the appropriate level. If a student is an absolute beginner, they do not have to take a test, and they can start lessons immediately.

Teachers

The teachers are all native Spanish speakers and many teach in the local high schools during the school year.  They bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the classroom and design each lesson to focus on speaking and listening skills with appropriate attention paid to reading and writing.

Supervisors/Monitors

The program supervisors and monitors are all over 21 and have an amazing amount of energy! Their goal is to make sure that you get the most out of your program and they do this by being available 24 hours a day to answer your questions, provide guidance and look out for your overall safety and well-being. 

Activities and Excursions

After classes are over for the day, our program allows students plenty of time for cultural, leisure and social activities. Each week students particiapte in one full-day excursion to nearby places of interest such as the Medieval town of Rupit and the seaside resort of Tarragona. There is also a half-day excursion planned to places of interest such as Las Ramblas, Parc Guell and Port Aventura water park.  In addition to this, the program includes 4 additional cultural and leisure activities such as museum tours, swimming at the beach and Spanish movie nights.  Two of these activities typically take place in the afternoon and two in the evening. You can also sign up for one additional half-day excursion at a cost of 10 to 15 Euros (approx. $16 to $24 US).  It's a full and interesting schedule but it will still allow for at least one free afternoon each week to explore Barcelona with your new internatioanl friends and a few evenings to do the same!

Accommodation

Students live together in air-conditioned, shared twin rooms which offer a wardrobe, desk, chair, private en suite bathroom, Internet connection and safe box.

Each student has a personal key to their room. Students are under constant supervision at the residence, as the monitors will stay on the same floor as the students. Most of the Spanish classes will take place on campus and students can use all the campus facilities including sport track, a gym, football field, volleyball nets and tennis courts.

Meals

Breakfast and evening meals are enjoyed in the residence cafeteria. Breakfast is buffet style offering milk, cereal, toast/bread and jam.  Lunches are packed and usually consist of sandwiches, fruit and bottled water. Dinner is buffet style and consists of hot entrees, salad and dessert.