“Student life in Barcelona is wild in the best possible way”

Every semester, students from our faculty travel out in the world of pharmacy to broaden their professional and personal horizons. They all have their own dream destination to explore, but as we count the applications, the Universitat de Barcelona is definitely among the most in demand. Naturally, a cosmopolitan city that offers pretty much everything is attractive, but what is it like to actually study in Catalonia’s own metropolis?

“Student life in Barcelona is wild in the best possible way. The first thing we did was to join ESN Barcelona, ​​a network for all Erasmus students in the city, which basically opened up a new world for us. Here we met lots of international friends and experienced so much besides our studies: from club nights and hikes to travels in Catalonia. We really lived student life to the fullest and made friends for life. So in one way, our stay in Barcelona turned out the beginning of an entirely new journey,” say Yorgi Sayegh and Kareem Enayeh, who recently returned to Uppsala after a term in the Mediterranean.

The Universitat de Barcelona is Spain's second biggest university and the country's top-ranked university in a number of prestigious rankings. 63,000 students – of whom 7,500 are exchange students – are currently registered at four campuses. The university's 16 faculties employ more than 5,000 researchers and teachers, divided across 243 research environments. The lion's share of the pharmaceutical research is conducted at the university's Faculty of Pharmacy, where even the most prominent researchers take an active part in teaching.

“We took courses in the Master programme in Molecular Biotechnology, where each lecture was unique with a new lecturer from universities in Spain, Europe, the USA and South America. This was an incredibly cool arrangement that continuously increased our interest while also building expectations for the next lecture. The lessons were in English and easy to follow, but we faced fun challenges whenever a teacher suddenly switched to Spanish.”

Barcelona qualifies as one of Europe's most intense metropolises with over 1.6 million inhabitants, but when the city also attracts nearly 30 million visitors per year, competition for accommodation can be tough. For many of Uppsala's students, housing queues are certainly part of everyday life, but how do you arrange for a place to stay in a foreign country?

“We started out sleeping a few nights in a hostel while looking for a trustworthy landlord. This included lots of walking, making it really nice to have a friend by your side. But eventually we found a dream accommodation that was perfectly located to discover everything Barcelona has to offer: beach life at La Barceloneta, paella at local restaurants, walks along La Rambla, views from Tibidabo and Montjuïc, charming neighborhoods in Poble Sec – and of course football, we probably didn’t miss a home game with FC Barcelona.”

Kareem and Yorgi started talking about doing a joint exchange already in the fifth semester of the Master of Science Programme in Pharmacy. For Kareem, the Catalan lifestyle, culture and environment were too attractive to choose another destination. For Yorgi, a FC Barcelona fan since childhood, the choice of study location was obvious. And with hindsight: was the decision to travel with a course mate to Barcelona the right choice?

“For two football-interested, extroverted guys who like warm weather and beaches, it could hardly get any better. And although we both find it easy to make new friends and settle into student life, there were times when it was nice to have someone by your side. Having said that, we have had a fantastic semester where we met hundreds of people who all contributed to making our experience unforgettable with more highlights than we can count.”

In addition to insights in mMolecular biotechnology, world-class football and new friends and memories for life: what would you like to tell all future pharmaceutical experts who are currently figuring out if an exchange semester is really their thing?

“Dreams are meant to be realized and chances are meant to be taken. You may only get an opportunity like this once in a lifetime. An exchange is so much more than studying at another university. It is about stepping outside your comfort zone, meeting new people, discovering a new culture and growing as a person. Prepare as best you can, check out accommodation, courses and other practical details, but also leave room for spontaneity. And most importantly, don't be afraid to make mistakes. That's how you develop. Everything must not be perfect, so dare to take the plunge! You'll thank yourself later! SUIII.”

Text: Magnus Alsne, photo: private, Wikipedia