CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Barcelona, Spain

Overall my experience with CEA was great and I am so grateful for this experience. As I explored the beautiful city of Barcelona I always felt safe and aware of what is happening day by day in the city thanks to CEA. I think CEA did a great job at welcoming us during orientation, as well as making us know how to stay safe during our time abroad. I also think the teachers at CEA were very helpful as well ensuring your time abroad is a memorable one! The only thing I would recommend to CEA is their absence policy, because I feel that 2 absence is not enough especially while overseas. I would also recommend to take a class at UAB or UVic that is offered through CEA because the attendance is more lenient and you get the opportunity to meet a lot of locals and students from all around the world. In all my experience in Barcelona was amazing and would recommend studying abroad here!

CEA was the perfect program for studying in Barcelona because they provide you with all the support you need to succeed in your education and experiencing Barca. They make available multiple activities so you can immerse yourself into the culture. They also have an incredible staff that makes sure you are happy with your classes and housing. CEA was located in the heart of Barcelona making it central for students to explore before and after class. Overall, CEA definitely enhanced my experience abroad!

My experiences in Barcelona are second to none. CAPA provided me with an excellent internship, rewarding classes, and fantastic guides to the city. I spent six weeks in Barcelona working, taking classes, and exploring all the city had to offer. Six weeks really was not enough time to see everything I wanted to see, so I'll definitely have to go back.

The CAPA staff were so nice and helpful that I never felt alone, even though I was thousands of miles away from home. They treated us like adults, helping us when we needed it and leaving us alone when we didn't. I've been abroad with other programs and it's nice to feel like you aren't being hounded. Additionally, the other students I roomed with in the city kept the days lively. This aspect of the trip gave me the most pre-departure jitters, but after a few days of interacting, when became great friends.

I would recommend this program to anyone. Go explore what they have to offer. You're probably going to like the options.

Not to sound clichéd, but my summer abroad in Barcelona was a life-changing experience. And it is all thanks to CAPA!

I loved my courses! Learning about Barcelona from local professors really enhanced my overall experience. The CAPA directors in Barcelona were an amazing help and were always there if I needed anything. My host family was incredible! The food in Barcelona is amazing, and my host mom always made new local dishes for me to have for dinner each day. My favorites were all of the fresh seafood and definitely paella!

Interning at a local nonprofit and staying with a host family were really immersive experiences. Not knowing Catalan made it apparent that I was a foreigner, but everyone in Barcelona speaks Castilian Spanish, so I was able to communicate pretty well with everyone. I spoke Spanish in my internship and homestay, but I took my courses in English, so most of the time I was speaking with locals in Castilian Spanish. I was taking the metro and living pretty much like a local for the whole summer!

My advice if you are traveling to Barcelona: The city is extremely safe, with the only real danger being pickpockets. Make sure you guard your phone, wallet, purse, backpack, etc. at nighttime and on the metro. Never put things in your back pocket or out on the table! Also, don't eat or shop in the touristy spots if you can avoid it! You shouldn't be paying more than 1.50 euros for a café con leche, for instance, but touristy areas will charge you 2 or 3 euros! You can find a sandwich and a drink for around 4 euros if you know where to go. Barcelona can be an expensive city if you stick to just the tourist areas, but if you ask around you can find the places where locals hang out. That is where the reasonable prices are!

Everything about my experience, from the language immersion, to my internship, to my engaging courses, to my local friends, to the individualized tailoring that CAPA offers, was outstanding. 11/10 would recommend, and I would 100% do this again in a heartbeat!

I was greeted by CEA staff from the moment I arrived at the airport to pick up my bags. All throughout the semester, the staff showed unconditional support in academics, housing, and even travel tips. Professors are very knowledgeable in their subjects and courses offer field studies which allow for learning to take place outside four walls.
CEA also offers Experiential Learning Activities which involve activities within the city in addition to trips to Sitges, Valencia, and even Madrid! No matter where you end up going, you learn so much about the culture, language, and the people.
There's always something to do and somewhere new to go eat. Barcelona itself has SO much to offer that there's no going wrong in choosing Barcelona as your study abroad destination. I don't regret my choice and would recommend it to anyone wishing to study abroad!

I had the most amazing semester in Barcelona thanks to CEA. The program staff was always available and helpful and the professors were knowledgeable and approachable. I was placed in a lovely apartment close to the program center, as well as many restaurants and shops, and CEA was able to accommodate all of my roommate requests. CEA offered a great range of courses and the professors are knowledgeable and truly care about their students. Overall I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to explore Barcelona!

I am studying abroad for the Spring 2018 semester. I only have about one month left in Barcelona and it feels like the time flew by! I have had a great experience studying abroad with CEA. The support of the staff and professors is very helpful. Communication is great and if I ever have questions or concerns there is always someone at CEA who can help.

My favorite parts about CEA are all of the included activities we can participate in. The other day a group of us went on a hike to Montjuic, which is a big mountain in Barcelona. It was great to have a CEA staff member as our guide. Activities like this make my study abroad experience exceptional. Not all study abroad programs are as involved and supportive of their students. CEA does a great job with this.

I would highly recommend studying abroad through CEA to anyone!

In the months prior to studying for four months in Barcelona, through CEA, the process was so easy. Between my parents and I, the forms were easy and the class options were exciting and interesting. CEA staff were extremely helpful with moving in to our apartment once we arrived in Barcelona, and all of my professors were kind, interesting, and caring. I loved practicing my Spanish with them, and taking the class trips all over the city. CEA planned weekend and day trips to cities like Madrid, Besalu, and Girona, all of which were well-planned, educational, and still lax and fun. Studying abroad in Barcelona was the best four months of my entire life and I would do it over again if i could. My advice would be to seize every opportunity: visit Camp Nou, see as many museums as you can, use your Spanish (or learn Catalan) as often as possible, try every restaurant, and wander around by foot any time you can!