Student report
Name of the University: Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Barcelona
Spain
Exchange semester: Spring 2013
1. Practical information
Before arriving at UPF, I received information on Email. This was helpful in terms of
understanding the system at the school better. The semester is divided into two parts,
so I have had two trimesters. The first trimester started around the 8th of January and
the second trimester the 8th of April. Getting into the rhythm and habits of the school
was a little difficult in the beginning, as everything tends to take longer time in Spain.
However, the international mobility office (OMA) at UPF is very helpful and in the end
you will get all the information you need about your schedule and they will help you
with any questions you might have regarding your exchange (signing Learning
agreements etc)
Because of the trimester arrangement I had two exam periods, one in March and one in
June. My final exam was on the 14th of June, but the semester lasts until the 28th, so my
exchange period has been six full months. I had already applied for courses before
leaving Norway, so when I started, my courses were already in order. In the second
week of school there is a so called “add and drop” week, where you can make changes to
your schedule online. You can drop courses you did not like and add courses you may
want instead. Just remember that you have to get courses that are approved by BI, so
you will get credits for them.
Barcelona is only 3 hours away with airplane, and therefore very easy to travel to. When
arriving in Spain me and another girl had booked a hotel room for two weeks, as we
wanted to look for apartments, rather than book something unseen. We found an
apartment in an area called Eixample, located very close to the center and Passeig De
Gracia, which is a very famous street in Barcelona. It is very safe and quiet, but at the
same time a central area. It took me approximately 20 minutes to get to school by metro.
I would recommend to stay away from the most touristic areas as well as the district
called Raval, where its known to be a lot of thievery and unsafe, especially for girls after
dark. Other than that Gotico is a very nice area to live in, with multiple cafes, bars and
historical views. The area we lived in was a bit expensive compared to many other spots
in the city, but also safer and cleaner. Gotico and Born are great areas, where you can
find cheaper apartments close to school. I found that living close to a metro station has
been very important, as the metro is the most developed public transportation system,
so when finding an apartment, be sure that you are aware of the public transportation
options nearby. I lived together with another Norwegian girl from BI, with only the two
of us. A lot of the Erasmus students in Barcelona chose to live in bigger apartments with
shared kitchen and bathroom. This is a cheaper alternative, and can also be a great way
to get new friends. In terms of housing help provided by the school, they only refer you
to a few websites, which are mainly for student residences and quite expensive seeing
the fact that you only get one bedroom.
Because Norwegians are considered EU citizens, we don’t need a visa to live or study
here. However, upon a arrival, we were informed that it is recommended to get a NIE
card and number. This number has to be obtained at the police station, and can be very
helpful during your stay. Most banks demand it if you want to open an account., which
you might have to do, as many of the landlords and housing organizations require the
money transferred from a Spanish bank account. We also used it to get a card for
“bicing”, which is a rental system for city bikes all around Barcelona. This costs only 50
euros (around 400 NOK) pr. Year and is a very nice way of transportation, especially in
the summer months, as the metro gets very warm and crowded.
During my stay in Barcelona I spent most of my money on rent. Other than this, living
expenses and social life. The culture in Spain is very social and involves a lot of eating
out, going to bars and attending different social events. I had many meals a week at
restaurants, as this is an “affordable” treat here. I never had to buy books, as none of my
courses required me to. The professors post articles and power points online with most
of the curriculum you need in order to handle your exams. I bought metro cards for
three months at the time, at the cost of 100 euros (750 NOK), which is a lot cheaper than
buying monthly metro cards.
When arriving in Barcelona, I was prepared to face some language problems, as Spanish
people don’t learn English from primary school as we do in Norway, and their English is
therefore often limited. However, the students and the professors at the university
speaks English quite well. I have had more issues with the older generation when it
comes to language. Furthermore, Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya, which means that
many people speak Catalan in addition to Spanish. When arriving, I decided to do an
Erasmus language course in Spanish. This costs 90 euros pr trimester, but it is highly
recommended. You have 5 hours a week of Spanish and it gives you 3 ECTS. This is a
great way to learn the basic, and I found it a lot easier to communicate with everyone as
I improved.
The cultural life in Barcelona is fantastic and there are so many things to experience.
Spanish people are very friendly, very helpful and very open, so you feel welcome from
the beginning. There are a few things to get used to at start; the siesta (mid day break
from work and school) the kisses on both cheeks (the first weeks we shook hands with
everyone, and they were slightly offended), people often being late(the professors can
be up to 15 minutes late for classes, as Spanish people are not as time rigid as
Norwegians) and the general cultural differences in behavior. This is more exiting than
it is a problem, and in no time you will find that you have adapted to the Spanish culture.
At UPF there is a great organization for exchange students called ESN. They arrange
social and cultural events, which allow you to make friends from countries all over the
world. Trips to several famous spots and great parties. I highly recommend participating
in their events, especially the welcoming week in the beginning of January. This was a
great way to meet new people.
2. General information about the school
Students from BI will be attending the Campus Ciutadella, which are one of several
campuses at Pompeu Fabra. The location is fantastic, with walking distance to the metro,
the tram and the beach. The main faculty at this campus is the economic and business
sciences. There are students from all over the world studying here, and upon arrival you
will find that there are a great number of Erasmus students. As an exchange student
from BI, it is important to be aware that the school system is completely different in
Spain and in Norway. Here you are expected to participate in class, go to mandatory
seminars each week, do presentations and give an overall impression throughout the
semester. In the beginning, this was very difficult to adapt to, but they tend to be very
nice to exchange students, so you will get time to adapt to the system. The good thing is
that when the final exam is due, it counts for a less percentage of your total grade.
The university is very welcoming in terms of exchange students, and with the OMA office
and the ESN organizations help it is easy to get in contact with other students. The
teaching system sometimes requires you to work in groups, and I have had several
group assignments and projects during my stay. As I found Spanish students to be more
difficult to get to know, this was a great way of making “native” friends. Often the
professor assigns you to a group if you don’t know anyone in class, and this way you get
to meet a lot of Spanish people as well as exchange students.
3. Academics
As mentioned, UPF has a very complex teaching style. Your final grade in each course
will be decided dependent on several factors, such as participation in class, seminar
quizzes and group projects as well as a final exam (often) The professors use a lot of
PowerPoint and articles and books are often not necessary at all. All the material used to
teach my classes where in English, so I had no problems understanding the lectures or
the curriculum assigned. The classes are quite small compared to BI, and the seminar
groups are even smaller. Around 15-20 students, which allows you to have a close
student-professor relationship, and it is easy to ask questions. All of my courses were in
English, and all my professors spoke fairly good English. It is important that you make
sure your courses are taught in English when starting, as several Erasmus students we
meet found that their courses were taught in Spanish, and had to change. The quality of
the courses varies a lot. Some of the courses are very good, while others are not. It is
quite hard to compare the courses to courses at BI, as the teaching methods are very
different. In terms of workload I would say that some of the courses are similar to the
ones at BI, while others are more practical and has less workload.
There is a library at campus, but the seats are rather limited, so if you want a place to
study, you should be there early. Stationary computers with connection to printers are
also available for all the students, and you can buy printing cards similar to the student
cards we use to print at BI.
My courses:
Course code &
name
21140: Operations
management
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisite
s
Basic
statistics
Approved
as
Logistics
Bachelor
2 hour written
exam
None
Elective
Bachelor
40 minutes
multiple choice
None
Elective
Oral and
written final
exam
None
Elective
Oral and
written final
exam
30 minutes
multiple choice
Spanish level
A1
Elective
2 hour multiple
choice
5 ECTS
21245: International
Economic History
5 ECTS
21246: International
Business History
5 ECTS
Spanish level A1
3 ECTS
Spanish level A2
3 ECTS
21866:
Entreprenurship
5 ECTS
Bachelor
Comment
s
Quiz every
week +
class
participati
on (40% of
the total
grade)
One
written
essay (
Seminar
preparing’
s and
participati
on (40% of
the total
grade)
Mid –
term,
presentati
ons,
readings
and hand
ins as well
as the final
exams
made this
a pretty
heavy
course
Same as
level 1
Spanish
During the
course we
had a final
project
(50% of
the total
grade) and
a case
study(30%
of the total
grade) as
well as
seminar
participati
on (20%)
21144: International
Strategic
Management
5 ECTS
Bachelor
No final Exam,
Big group
project
None
Elective
Final
project
was 70%
of the total
grade,
while
participati
on was
30% of the
grade. This
was my
most
exiting
course.
Living in Barcelona has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and these 6
months are something I am going to remember forever. The chance to go abroad for a
semester is so unique; you get new friends, new perspectives and new challenges.
Barcelona has it all, with its fantastic beaches, warm people, amazing culture and
architecture and of course; the worlds greatest football team. If I had the chance, I would
do it all over again