My Exchange at Esade Law School
My exchange was the most memorable and enjoyable experience of my life to date. I was enrolled at ESADE in Barcelona, Spain and finished my law degree in pure bliss. I found out about the 360 exchange programme through one of my law seminar professors who stressed how amazing the opportunity was to study abroad. I am so glad that I listened to his advice and went through the exchange process. Albeit time-consuming, the process was seamless, and everyone from 360 was really helpful in facilitating my exchange.
I travelled around Europe prior to starting my course as well as right after. However, Barcelona was my favourite place I visited because I got to be there for an extended period of time and fully immerse myself in the culture. The lifestyle in Spain was so relaxed compared to New Zealand which revealed to me how stressed I was back home. The food, the people, the nightlife, the cafes, the beaches and the weather were all top-tier. Barcelona was also a very international city, and it was easy to get around with just English, so the culture shock was significantly reduced.
The host university was small but beautiful. ESADE was the most ideal university for what I wanted out of an exchange. I studied hard but I still felt like I was on holiday whilst doing so. The courses were interesting and I was in a group of over 200 exchange students in my semester so meeting people was not an issue. I made lots of friends from an a multitude of countries purely because others were in the same boat as me. The housing situation was quite difficult to find a place in, especially as there are a lot of scammers in Barcelona. Therefore, I settled for a long stay at Airbnbs with my partner. However, the cost of living outside of my Airbnb prices was significantly cheaper than in Auckland due to lower grocery prices. If you are looking to have a chill semester to finish your degree and you study law, you should definitely consider ESADE and Barcelona. It has changed my outlook on life and I will never be the same.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
Major highlights of my time at ESADE include:
– lots of arranged social events hosted by the school (including nightlife)
– trips away to Costa Brava with the school
– the courses of Negotiation Skills and Sports Law
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I recommend travelling as much of Spain as possible. It is beautiful and warm all year round. In particular go to San Sebastian, Costa Brava and Madrid from Barcelona.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
1. Apply for your Spanish Visa way earlier than 360 International recommends (the embassy is a nightmare)
2. Do your due diligence with accommodation. it is quite difficult and lots of scammers. try using a trusted site such as AirBnb or HousingAnywhere.
3. ESADE is built for exchange students so don’t worry about not making friends. (not really a tip but advice is there is no need to be anxious going into ESADE)
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
We budgeted $40,000 for 2 people (my partner and I) for 6 months. We found this was enough considering we did a lot of travel over this time and to expensive/touristy places. You could travel on significantly less but ideally around $15,000 to fully enjoy your experience.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
Life is intended to be fully experienced and embraced. The acts of working and studying serve as conduits to enrich our lives. This concept is profoundly understood by the Spanish, who masterfully balance their professional endeavors with the art of living, embodying the philosophy of working not merely for the sake of it, but as a means to truly live. Also, travel shows you that nothing is that catastrophic. Things may go wrong (which they definitely did for us!!!) but everything turns out okay in the end. Don’t stress too much because it robs you of joy.