Semester abroad at the Elisava Barcelona School of Design and Engineering - Communication Design (B.A.)

The decision

I started my studies in the winter semester of 2020, so most of it was online only. I spent a lot of time just in my room, in front of my computer and taking part in Zoom meetings. The social aspect of studying in particular was therefore neglected for me. When I was talking to a fellow student in the cafeteria, the topic of a semester abroad came up and she mentioned that the next semester would be ideal for this. I agreed with her and remembered that I was planning to do the same. I promptly collected my work and drew up my application. Two hours before the deadline, I had everything together and submitted it. I chose Barcelona for my Erasmus semester.

Preparations

As I had studied Spanish at school, I already had some knowledge of Spanish and a certificate of my language level. My priority was to choose a place that looked as different as possible from Germany. I watched a lot of videos about different cities and Barcelona stood out for me. When I then had a look at the Elisava website, it was already a done deal. Although my first choice was Edinburgh in Scotland, I wouldn't swap the six months in Barcelona for anything in life.

It was the first time I was completely on my own, as I had previously only lived with my parents and hadn't even travelled without them. The closest thing to it was perhaps a 4-day bike tour with my friends through the Uckermark or a school trip to England in year 9. So I was pretty excited and didn't know what to expect.

It was my first time in Spain and I was quite confused at first. As I landed there at the end of September and autumn was already spreading in Germany, I wasn't used to the sudden summer weather in Barcelona. When I got there, I stayed in a hostel for the first five days, where I slept in a room with Finnish boxers. After that, my shared room was ready and I was able to move in. I also had to do my colloquium during this time. It was all very chaotic and didn't go well. My feedback from the colloquium was that I should find out which creative subject area I wanted to specialise in and what I should and would use this time in Barcelona for.

In preparation for my exchange, I attended a workshop, which showed me that you should pay particular attention to your own behaviour in order to cope with culture shock and stress. So I started to listen to myself from time to time. I had never done this before and it was therefore unusual for me. But it became a habit that turned out to be very useful for me and I will keep it up in future. Just stop for a moment, see how you feel and look at your own behaviour in the big picture.

Studying at the university

The university there was the Elisava School of Design and Engineering. A private university where everyone has to pay 10,000 euros for their studies. This amount was valid for four years of study. If you have to repeat a course, that's another 1,000 euros. Students there told me that there weren't really any public design degree programmes and that this was their only choice. The only alternative would probably be to study art. Fortunately, as an Erasmus student you don't have to do this and only have to pay the normal semester fee. I got to the university by metro, it was only a few stops and then a 15-minute walk through the really beautiful Gothic quarter. The university is right on La Rambla, a famous street that is usually full of tourists.

The curriculum was very different from the UAS. It resembled a school where you were expected to turn up every day and were simply given what was available. Instead of huge lecture catalogues, you could always choose between two paths. However, the course size and atmosphere were very similar to what I was used to. The Erasmus students were treated very sympathetically and I felt that I was treated well despite my poor knowledge of Spanish. The language barrier was only ever a problem at the beginning. When it came to designing later on, you could simply speak English with the professor and get his feedback. The other students were also all very open-minded and helpful. The daily courses also had the advantage that you always sat with the same people in class, which made it very easy for me to socialise with a few people. As Elisava is organised in trimesters instead of the usual semesters for us, you had the same workload in only half the time. This led to an awful lot of stress, especially at the end of the trimesters, but they taught me to work quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, not everything in the curriculum was really necessary and I had the feeling that some things were only taught so that you had material every day.

The accommodation

I lived in a shared flat with six other international students. Many were very shocked when I told them about it, but I was very happy there. They came from other European countries or from South America. By living together, you often realised that things you took for granted are completely different in other cultures. It was a good atmosphere there. We all became good friends and did a lot of things together. So I had an insight into the international lifestyle that I had been warned about in a workshop. Although it is a very nice experience, you don't get to know much about the culture and people of this country. Fortunately, I also made friends at the university who were all Catalan locals, which gave me a good picture of their culture. They showed me their food, taught me a few words, told me about their families and showed me how to get around the city.

Everyday life and free time

Barcelona as a city is beautiful, the large amount of old architecture and the high influence of Art Nouveau make the city really visually appealing. A stark contrast to Berlin. Its only flaw, in my opinion, is the crime rate. You really have to watch your belongings. Pickpockets know what they're doing and I had my wallet stolen. Most of my flatmates were also pickpocketed, but apart from that I really fell in love with the city.

Conclusion and tips

The friends I made there will certainly not be the last time I see them. I learnt a lot as a person and also as a graphic designer and was able to develop a lot. I kept hearing reports about Erasmus and how great it is. I was sceptical at first, but I can only agree with that. It is certainly a matter of luck how you experience this time abroad, but I can only recommend it to everyone and can proudly say that these six months in Barcelona were the best time I have ever had.