Study

Short introduction of yourself
My name is Joep Heusschen and I am studying IEM since 2010. I finished my bachelor in three years and decided it was time to take a rest so I organized the Beta Business days and travelled for a while. Since I started studying I thought that my student experience was incomplete without any foreign experience. I was on the waiting list of exchange for already three years but was only able to do it within my curriculum (without delay) in my masters. So I started my masters with all the elective courses and two mandatory courses of my programme in Holland in Barcelona.

Contact information
Name: Joep Heusschen
Phone: +31681142820
E-mail: joepheusschen@hotmail.com
Might any question occur based on my story and experiences as depicted below, do not hesitate to call me or send me an e-mail. I am more than willing to answer your questions.

Contact information of the university
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Phone: +34 934 01 62 00
Postal address: Calle Jordi Girona, 31, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
(Ask for José Parra, coordinator of international students)

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Practical information

University

When did you study abroad and what program did you follow?
I studied in Barcelona from September 2014 until January 2015. I followed courses from various programs in Barcelona but they all counted as my elective courses for my Dutch IEM programme. Although we discussed and approved (with the study advisor) all courses in advance, we had to change a lot after arrival due to many changes in the Spanish programme.

Which courses did you attend?

• Economy of Transports
• Renewable Energy
• Financial Management
• Industrial Organization
• Debates on Society and Technology
• Modelling of Transport Systems and Logistics
• Robotics, Kinematics, Dynamics and Control

At first it looks like you will have a lot of choice of different courses. But in practice you will probably have to stick to a few which you will be able to attend and which are actually given in the semester or period they promise and in English (as I only attended English spoken classes). It is convenient that you only have to select your final courses after two weeks of lectures, so you have a better understanding of which courses you will attend.

What did you have to do to get a place at the university?
There is a standard procedure through which you apply to be an Erasmus exchange student. Start by contacting the study advisor and the international exchange office a couple of months before you would like to go. They will provide you with all the up-to-date information, forms and procedures. Also, take time to sort out which scholarships you can apply for. There are several and you can apply for several (e.g. Erasmus, Marco Polo). The international exchange office will help you.

Were the credits you gained accreditable?
Yes, all of them, but discuss your courses in advance! Because some of them might not fit your curriculum and will not be accreditable here, which causes a lot of trouble in some cases. You need to be able to convince the exam committee of the courses and their content in relation to your own curriculum. I also followed some courses as replacement for courses in Holland which might be a little more difficult to get approved, so start early with the process.

Did you have language courses in advance or at the destination?
Nope, nothing, only some minor experience of previous travels. But there are language exchange opportunities (organized by ESN) and courses with a discount for international students at the university.

Is there an study association or international community that you can join?
As known: ESN is organizing all your parties and drinks. Besides that, there is not really anything from within the university so you have to find out a lot by yourself, but for major problems there will be some guidance.

Preparation

What were important items that you brought?
Lots of swimming gear.

How did you travel (cheap) and how did you arrange that?
There are many flights to Barcelona, just book in advance, especially when you want to go back to Holland for Christmas, because these tickets will get more and more expensive over time. Traveling in Spain can be done by train or bus. Within Barcelona buy a 100 day ticket for the metro, which is for students under 25 years. It is the cheapest and easiest way to get around. Another opportunity is the VIU BICING in Barcelona, you will see red bikes everywhere in the city which you can take with a special card. It will take some time to get this card (it will be explained on your first day of arrival at the university), but it adds so much to your experience of Barcelona to be able to cycle around or to the beach whenever you want.

Did you need any visa or other official papers?
You don’t need any visa. Just a NIE number, which you have to get there and makes you a (temporary) official citizen of Spain.

Living

Did you arrange a room or place to stay in advance?
Yes, but start early. Due to all the students that will start at the same moment, a lot of cheap and good facilities will run out quick.

How expensive is living over there?
Comparable to Holland, depending on your lifestyle. Everyday groceries are comparable, but the drinks in town at night will be more expensive than the one euro you are used to pay in Groningen.

Experience

How were the first couple of weeks?
All the courses start easy, with not much homework or projects and only some classes to attend. All the spare time was used to enjoy the weather at the beach and discover the new city, we were living in. We had to get used to the pace of life and pace of organization of the university. It might upset you sometimes, but you’ll get used to the ‘mañana’ principle that they practice as their most important believe.

How did you experience studying abroad?
As one can imagine, Barcelona is a great city to be part of for some more days than just a holiday. The people, the food, the pace of life, the beach, the weather, it will fill you with delight to enjoy that all day, every day. The studying was a different experience as the organization of things is nothing like we are used to. To be part of this cultural difference is a great experience for everyone. You’ll understand that there are more ways to arrange things than the way we are used to. The level and content of the courses differs and varies a lot, in relation to the course you pick. Be aware that the technical courses are really difficult for IEM students because you will be part of a totally focused Robotics or Control master. In Barcelona they get a lot more background for those courses than we have in Groningen.

Did you experience a culture shock?
I did, because the weather makes people happier and I have learned to enjoy this fully. We had to get used to it, but learned to enjoy it really quickly. We learned that stress is for the stupid foreigners; just relax. If you are not able to finish it today, you will be able to work on it tomorrow. But don’t get lazy because in your courses they will expect proper work!

How was the food?
Ever heard of Tapas?

What was better than expected?
Because I came to Barcelona after three months of travelling, I did not have any time to start expecting anything. But as a whole the ‘studying abroad’ experience was way more than I could have wished for.

What was worse than expected?
The organization at the university. We had to switch courses many times due to professors which didn’t want to speak English. There were a lot of things you had to figure out on your own. Even after we had left, we had to wait for two months to get our final grading and accreditance for Holland.

City/student life

How was your overall experience with the city?
The city has a lot of cultural stuff besides the main touristic things. In 5 months, you will have plenty of time to discover these. Beside that, you will be dragged in to the pace of life, the enjoyment of food, the beach and going out for many cocktails or (ESN hosted) parties. The city is really vibrant and diverse which makes it able to create an unforgettable experience for any student that arrives.

How was your living place?
We lived on the well-known ‘La Rambla’ where the only drawback was the millions of slow tourists that passed your doorstep. The house was old but cosy and had a lot of space, especially when the location and price in account is taken into account. I loved sharing this place with four fellow students from Groningen, where the sharing of the experience was the major fun of it.

Travel

Did you have any chance to see something of the country?
Due to a lot of visitors in the weekend (all your friends want to use a free hotel in Barcelona) we did not have too much time to travel around, but we went on a ESN trip a few times to see nearby cities.

What are do or don’ts concerning trips?
No experience. ESN is really good, it is relatively cheap and a great way to meet new people on the way.

Looking back

Was it worth it?
I would say that these few months added as much to my student experience as the years before. The excursion to a new city, a new life with new people adds a lot to your personality. And that is even without the courses you might be able to follow.

What do you regret?
I probably should not have participated in as much courses as I did.

Would you recommend studying in Barcelona to others?
Beside the fact that a lot of courses will be applicable for your curriculum in Holland, I think Barcelona is one of the best places to study abroad. Although it is relatively close to Holland, the differences are clear, creating a full experience of being away from home and living a different life in a vibrant and internationally oriented city.

Are you still in contact with your friends/fellow students?
Not a lot of contact with the fellow international students, but a lot of contact and drinks with my fellow 4 students from Groningen which were roommates and became close friends.