Meeting new people with different backgrounds and ways of thinking while studying exciting subjects in a foreign university was my motivation for applying to the KI exchange program. I chose the University of Barcelona because it is a top university, with a long tradition in biosciences. In addition, it is a superb biomedical hub in Southern Europe. Therefore, studying in such a cosmopolitan environment and being able to perform a research project was a great idea that could enrich myself in my future career as a scientist.

All the information was cristal clear and easily available online for all who wanted to apply, and I’m pretty sure we have to thank for this to the hard working staff that is behind all those university agreements. Several meetings and continuous emails with useful content made me feel that everything would be just fine.

Neither vaccination nor extra certificates were required.

The arrival was one of the best moments regarding the Erasmus experience. Imagine: almost hundred of foreign students from different countries gathered together for the first day to share information, backgrounds, expectations and laughs, specially a lot of laughs. I am pretty sure I will never forget it. The information given was very helpful, especially where to go for lunch, drinks, museums, etc. All the staff at the UB took care of all our needs.

Living in Barcelona is as expensive as you want it to be. As one can imagine, living in a big aparment in the very city center of Barcelona at the same time as partying every night is quite expensive, however, by sharing an apartment with someone and controlling your budget Barcelona can actually be relatively cheap.
How much can you spend per month? Between 500-800€.

After being able to find a room here at Stockholm, doing it in the rest of the world should not be that difficult (easy busy!). And that is totally true. Even though the UB did not offered any accommodation to me, I quickly found a shared apartment close to the city center. I shared it with two guys from USA and Japan, respectively. The apartment was 42m², with two wide bathrooms and a great kitchen. The only complaint could be its high price (350€ per person/month).

The metro system is very good and it practically connects the entire city, so getting home at night was not a problem! Going to the university/lab was not either.

My overall impression is that the program was cleverly organized according to subjects, with good lectures given by experienced profesor. And this is something you expect when you aim high as a scientist. The lectures were mainly given in English (due to some international students), although they always kindly asked if people prefered Spanish or Catalan. At that moment you can taste the multiculturality of the university. My classmates helped me whenever I had a problem and the professors tried to fix the problems with the intranet of the university.

 The semester was split in different parts, depending on the topic that you previously chose, which means that if you prefer to follow a cancer-oriented study, your lessons are in the hospital in the morning. However, for a more basical research your lectures are at the university main campus. In addition, in the beginning of each we had a week of introductory lectures of the subjects.

 With regards to the exams, I found them highly demanding, relevant and they really tested whether you had acquired the advanced concepts they taught us. In spite of their difficulty, the professors behaved very well when correcting these exams. All of them (3) were written exams based on the theoretical lectures we had along the semester.

 The only thing I missed was a better connection between theoretical and practical lessons, since from the later we had almost nothing. They should improve this as son as possible.

Please, for more information check the blog I created for commenting my exchange experience (Where KI meets BCN): http://kimeetsbarcelona.blogspot.se/

I did not attend any language course since I can speak both Spanish and Catalan.

There was no need for the university to arrange any extra social activities because with those classmates it was enough. It had not pass even a week when they already scheduled a "class dinner" where all the class was invited. From that night on, I made several good friends with who I would go out plenty of nights.

Party in Barcelona is awesome: a lot of nice places for dinner, bars and clubs for dancing, regardless of the style you prefer you really enjoy all of them.

However, if you are rather prefer a more cultural and relaxed stay in Barcelona you will appreciate the fact that Sagrada Familia, Montjuic (Olympic Stadium) and Park Güell are there! Just check in any tourism webpage of BCN to realize how many monuments you can see there!

I'm very glad that I had this chance to go to Barcelona. I broaden my knowledge thanks to the courses, was able to perform a great research project and finally, survived to the highly-demaning lifestyle of this beautiful Mediterranean city. I, withou any doubt, encourage you to apply for it!

In addition, during my exchange studies I created a blog since I was a KI exchange ambassador. You can have more information here: http://kimeetsbarcelona.blogspot.se/

If I had to share one last thought I would tell you that Erasmus is a wonderful experience where you meet new people, improve your skills, mature, and definitively opens your mind, which enriches yourself in a way you will never know. So, go for it and apply!

See you around!