Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Student Review

By | May 1, 2021

Studies (courses, activities and tasks)

I took five courses at UAB :

  1. Managerial Skills for International Business
  2. Human resource management
  3. International Marketing Strategies
  4. International business
  5. Spanish beginner

All courses listed took place on the ‘L’Eixample’ campus in the middle of the city center. Most of the students who took part in the Study Abroad Program came from the USA, Germany, Brazil or Belgium. The courses took place in small classrooms . The average size in the respective rooms was around 20 students. The difference to the general lectures in Germany was enormous, as there was personal contact with fellow students and professors due to the small number of students . By grading, oral participation also promoted group dynamics. Work was often done in small groups and a lot of presentations were made. Every single student was involved in the class during a lecture. This way of working is very different from the way of working at German universities.

Managerial Skills for International Business

The aim of the learning concept was to bring the students closer to behaviors with regard to interpersonal contacts in order to be successful in an international business environment as a future leadership manager . The focus is on the approach of helping students develop behaviors that characterize a leader who maintains his or her own genuine style and personality in multicultural and diverse contexts. In order to be able to resolve conflicts and make your own decisions, outdoor exercises were also carried out in small groups in addition to the theory in the class.

Human resource management

The focus was on teaching students basic communication concepts that mark a successful leader or entrepreneur with ethics, initiative, influence, people skills, accountability and tolerance. There was no written exam. Instead, the students were given the task of designing a marketing plan in which they presented the product themselves. The preoccupation with his short and long-term goals as well as the precise elaboration of the vision, mission as well as values ​​and plans led to the fact that the students dealt intensively with themselves and were able to develop strengths and skills.

International Marketing Strategies

The learning content was presented to the students exclusively in the theoretical way, using PowerPoint presentations. Significant subject areas were the analysis of the price strategy, the economy of the country, consumer behavior, any existing trade barriers, cultural differences , purchase and usage habits of the country, technical development status, number and origin of competing products, geographical and climatic factors and current trends

International business

According to usprivateschoolsfinder.com, the course focused on three main areas : the economic fundamentals of the international economy , the importance of the political, cultural and legal influences that affect business between countries, and the internal factors of a company that relate to international business. The content in this course was also conveyed to the students exclusively in the form of presentations. The latest news on the international economy was discussed weekly.

Spanish beginner

Since this was a beginner’s course, the focus was on very simple and general topics such as introducing yourself, small talk, directions, climate, etc. Professor Xavi Loret always tried to build up a relaxed group dynamic , which he did too was successful through small role-playing games such as memory. In addition to vocabulary queries, the mid and end term also contained gap-filler texts.

Reflection

My personal insights into Barcelona are mostly positive, although there are also some negative points. The search for an apartment in Barcelona has proven to be quite time-consuming, as many apartments are presented better on the Internet than they actually are. Accommodation in Barcelona is quite expensive. For a room in or near the center you should plan at least 300 to 400 euros, but the standard in most apartments is not as high as in comparable apartments in this price range in Germany. There are also many pages on the Facebook platform that advertise great apartments. I also found my apartment through Facebook .

Looking back, I can say that the semester in Barcelona turned out to be a great success and a wonderful personal experience . In my opinion, a semester abroad, no matter in which country or at which university , is a general personal enrichment for self-confidence , independence and the experience as a whole, stepping out of your comfort zone for some time and opening up to new and unfamiliar surroundings. You get a lot of new impressions about culture , people and life elsewhere. I also found it particularly enriching that I made many new acquaintances from all over the world during the semester in Spain have. It was very enriching to exchange ideas about the cultural differences and thus to see again what values ​​you yourself have and what is important to you.

My expectations were completely met and for the most part I look back very positively on the university I chose. With the exception of the “International Marketing Strategies” course, in which the professor was unable to explain certain concepts and facts comprehensively and often seemed very confused, I can only recommend the courses and the UAB. Mostly also those who also want to spend their semester abroad in Europe . The lessons were not predominantly theoretical, as in most German universities, but theories were often presented and analyzed using cases, exercises, presentations or films. This difference to the university system in Germany was also an interesting experience. Barcelona as a big city with many possibilities, good weather and beautiful excursion destinations in the area is of course a wonderful plus point for studying. Looking back, I am very happy to have completed my semester abroad in Barcelona .

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona