Name: Nicholas Allen KilduffExchange: ESADE Business School: non-MBA master’s, focus in marketingTerm: Spring, 2008E-mail: nkilduff@sbcglobal.net@CSOM: M.A., Human Resources & Industrial Relations

Academic Experiences at Partner SchoolGeneral Academic Structure

I think the best way to explain the courses I took is to compare them philosophically to CSOM courses. At CSOM, in my experience, you’re taught using theory and tested on how well you remember the theory and if you can generally apply it all the while using academic or professional research and/or a simulation. At ESADE, in my experience, you’re taught using existing examples from the business community about the topic of the class while focusing less on theory and more so on the opinion of the professor, guest speakers, and members of the class that have had work experience. Many of my classes were a bit disorganized and sometimes didn’t always follow the syllabus (or the syllabus was a mess from the start). At CSOM, there would be an uproar about that; at ESADE it’s normal and it actually helps you cope with change better in the end. Also, professors are often late to class, students are often even later, and class doesn’t get started until 15- to 20-minutes after it is supposed to but always ends on time. Classes are mostly “organized” via the ESADE intranet which contains all course documentation (if you have a professor that updates it). There are no books to buy, you get copies in packets.

Also, some of my classes had up to three professors (most very influential in their field in Spain or Europe currently – as a professor – and while practicing); most of my classes had at least two guest speakers (some very influential individuals in the European and global business community); and, interestingly, many of my classes were ultimately “taught” by the students themselves with the guidance of the professor through presentations. Most, if not all, professors ask that you call them by their first name and not “Professor XYZ” which was hard to do at first.

Of great importance for someone in the MA-HRIR program to know is that at ESADE, you will be taking classes that are both undergraduate-level and master’s-level (though you probably won’t notice the difference because most classes are somehow in-between). You need to know that you will not be taking MBA courses in the MBA program, which is what I had thought at first when choosing and accepting at ESADE. This means you will be intermixed with undergraduate students mostly from the U.S. and Canada; some CEMS students (sort of a European advanced, half bachelor’s-half master’s degree); some Spanish undergraduates taking electives but earning, perhaps, a degree in Engineering; and the rest will be students in ESADE’s master’s in marketing or international business programs. I think most students were between 19 and 26 years old. Also, because I experienced this annoyance a few times, the CEMS students are always busy with their big project they have to do as part of the CEMS program. Therefore I recommend avoiding partnering with them because some tend to care only about the CEMS-related work. Working with undergraduates wasn’t bad though, and most of them came from top-notch schools in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Singapore and most are not in their last semester of classes so most were very smart and generally dedicated. They’re just younger.

Classes Taken and How They Compare to Courses at CSOMI took Design Management in English with the husband-wife team of Jordi Montaña

Matosas and Isabelle Moll Mendoza. Their English was excellent. Jordi is actually one of the

individuals that was charged with branding the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona (i.e., the logo, slogans, and other marketing). Guest speakers in this class included the guy who headed external design of the newer high-speed trains in Spain. I don’t so much think that CSOM, as a typical U.S. business school, would even have this class (I don’t know for sure though). I would suspect at the ‘U’ that you’d find this class in an art or design engineering department rather than the business school. There was very little lecture and about 60% of the classes were group presentations about a certain topic related to design management. My grade was based on participation, the presentation, and a 15-page paper expanding upon the research of the presentation. I’d say this class was easy enough that it was de-motivating (mostly because of the weeks of presentations) but it still was interesting.

I also took Supply Chain Management in English with Cristina Giménez Thomsen. Her English was excellent. This class had numerous guest professors/speakers including Laoucine Kerbache from HEC Paris (one of, if not the, best business schools in Europe). I found this to be my favorite class partly because of Cristina being easy to learn from and interesting, partly because of the interesting visiting professors/speakers, and also because I found the class to be very valuable for any profession. This class, in my opinion, was similar in caliber and difficulty to an undergraduate-level supply chain class at CSOM and the most organized and predictable out of all my classes. I’d say this class was easy but still motivating because work is spread out throughout the class and not heavily bottom-loaded like most of my other classes. My grade was based on weekly group assignments, participation, a final group project, and an open-book final exam.

I also took Motivation, Values, and Commitment (MVC) and its sister class, Leadership in English. Both of these classes are fluff human resources classes. I had a very hard time taking MVC seriously and was generally unmotivated but others may have found the class interesting. I don’t recommend taking it but decide for yourself. Leadership was a far better class and I recommend taking it because you profile your leadership skills, find your areas for improvement, and the professor I had was very good (and from Chicago) – but it is still a fluff class. MVC was taught by the trio of professors: Conxita Folguera, Jaume Filella, Esther Sallent and their English was good. Jaume basically invented the class, so I understand. Leadership was taught by an American by the name of Amy Leaverton and her English was perfect, obviously. Both of these classes were easy but MVC was annoyingly disorganized, sometimes we talked about the same things as we did weeks before, and, in my opinion, the class could have been accomplished with half as many meeting periods. My grade in these classes came from final papers and in the class of Leadership, also a final exam.

I also took Key Accounts & Sales Management. I enjoyed this class because I am interested in sales and it enlightens you to the modern sales force structure, including the use of Key Account Managers. It was taught by three upper-level sales managers (not professors) by the names of Victor Noguer Castellví, Oscar Aragón, and Carlos Puig. All of their English was good, but they often explained things “better” in Spanish and never translated to English. They were obviously salesmen; they have that sort of personality about them. Unfortunately, this class seemed to be thrown together, but the men obviously enjoyed sales and teaching the profession. Each teacher taught about two or three of the courses but they were never together except on the day of the final, which exacerbated the disorganization I noticed. The professor that taught the meatiest portion of the class was, in my opinion, a poor teacher and it was difficult to understand what I was learning. Most of what was taught was obvious to anyone who’s worked retail or done sales before (or with a basic understanding of psychology) but the points that weren’t

obvious were brushed over in class very quickly. We were told the final exam would be multiple choice only, but it was fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice (where you can select more than one answer), and there were math problems involved. Many, including me, felt duped and, though I liked learning what I learned, myself and many others found the class to be a least favorite mostly because of the teacher switching and the seeming lack of coordination between the three. My grade came from class participation, two case study projects, and a final exam. The cavalier teaching style of the three teachers makes the class seem as if it is easy, but it’s just a trick and it is actually difficult, especially the final exam.

I also took Marketing Services in English. It was taught by Ferran Blanch Colino whose English was just okay. He is a Ph.D. student and Academic Assistant, not a professor. Had his English been better, this class would have been far better. He was a very slow English speaker and often made up “English” words which made the class a bit boring. He rides a Harley Davidson though, so that makes up for it. On the plus side, he was an extremely nice guy and obviously knew what he was talking about. We also had the pleasure of having guest speakers in from Publicis, ClickAir, Cirque du Soleil, and other companies and all were very good. One speaker unfortunately only spoke Spanish but it was a fun challenge to try and understand him. Most of the class spoke Spanish so it didn’t matter much anyway. My grade came from a two-part group project, associated papers, and participation. I’d say this class was easy overall and I recommend taking it if you are interested in marketing and want a different perspective than just selling products but rather services.

Finally, I took two Spanish language courses taught by the wonderful Silvia Rovira. The first class was before my other classes started and was a free immersion course for international students during the last half of January. We started with about 30 students and ended with 15 dedicated students because, I think, it became apparent it wasn’t required, wasn’t for a grade, and therefore students just decided to travel or explore Barcelona instead. If you study a lot, you’ll learn basic present-tense Spanish quickly in this class. I also took advantage of the 50% discount for exchange students offered by the ESADE Language School paid €300 for a second Spanish class with some friends where we progressed beyond just present-tense verbs. If you study a lot in this optional class, you’ll have a good grounding in Spanish.

AdvisingIf I had to rate the advising, I’d say it’s there if you need it – probably pretty good, too –

but you probably won’t need it. The mandatory orientation we had the first week was disappointing, honestly. The individuals in charge of international students simply introduced themselves to us and then left the room. Our “main” advisor, Jura Zymantas, who was in charge of everything other than academic advising gave us a nice presentation on where to eat, where to work out, bank accounts, registering into the census in Barcelona, cheap airlines, etc. Jura is great, but I rarely ever utilized her help other than for one medical issue via e-mail. She offered advice quickly and I think she is a great resource. We were also given a two-hour presentation during the first week on Spanish and Catalan culture and history. It was very interesting but honestly didn’t provide much useful information for the here-and-now, mostly the history and explanation of why Catalunya is different from the rest of Spain. Some students didn’t go.

The downside to the academic advising is that Araceli Domenech only meets with students in the morning in a two-hour window and in the afternoon in a two-hour window. I always had class when she was available. Otherwise it would have meant a nearly 30-minute trip on public transportation to see her on days I didn’t have class and usually I was travelling or

generally unable to go had I needed her for something. Luckily I didn’t and could generally work with her via e-mail except for the signing of our compulsory “Learning Agreement” and filling out the paperwork necessary for our student IDs.

Surprises & Comparison with Academic Environment in the U.S.Like I said in the first part of this section, classes are taught a bit differently here. It is

difficult to be the person that never says a word in class because classes, even if they are large, often erupt into large discussions. I was not necessarily surprised, but instead happy that I got to experience a different type of teaching style with a different conveyance of values. If anything could have surprised me, it would have been the fact that there were often two or three professors for one class. I wonder how ESADE pays for that! Also, be prepared to organize yourself and not necessarily depend on a syllabus and also get ready for group members that sometimes do the bare minimum at the very last minute. The Spanish students have a self-admitted reputation for being like that, but also the exchange students who are in CEMS or who do a ton of travelling will tend to be this way as well. I think this “issue” is typical of an exchange program and even of group work in general, so it’s not anything to fret over.

Logistics at the Partner SchoolOrientation/Arrival

Please see my description of the orientation above. When you get into town, you are supposed to immediately go to the Registrar’s office in Building #2 which is the window to the left that you’ll see when you pass through the second set of doors if coming into the building from the front. You’ll need to get some paperwork filled out and provide them with three passport-sized photos. I took my photos in a photo booth in one of the Metro stations. It was embarrassing because everyone was looking at me but then again, Spanish people always stare. You’ll get an orientation program and you’ll be told to go to numerous compulsory meetings. I recommend going to them but you won’t be entertained and they aren’t as fancy as CSOM’s orientations or “Orientation Week” at some other exchange programs I’ve heard about. For example, nobody plans a “get to know each other” party, which I think would have been nice.

HousingI found my housing before I came by using Jura’s listing of housing listings she sends to

all exchange students to their @alumni.esade.edu e-mail address. I basically e-mailed everyone with an e-mail on the listings, explained who I was, and ended up with a few leads. They won’t respond back to you for days or even weeks. The Spanish aren’t e-mail obsessed like we are. I didn’t call them because I don’t speak Spanish, but I recommend calling if you can swing the international phone charges. I ended up getting a bite from one place where I’d have two female roommates, one of their father’s refused to let her live with an American guy, and she referred me to a guy who lives with his brother and his brother’s friend. I got lucky, basically, and found a great place this way. It is large, close to ESADE via public transportation, and a quick metro ride to Pl. Catalunya (city center). The place is being lived in by a family next year though so I can’t refer anyone to live here. My recommendation is, when you get your @alumni.esade.edu e-mail address, to input it into Facebook, get in the ESADE network, and start friending ESADE students. Ask them for advice on housing and eventually you might find a place.

Most students ended up living in a hostel before they found an apartment. This is a fun idea because if you go to a hostel alone, you leave knowing at least four people even if you

aren’t the type of person that enters a room of strangers and ends up with 20 best friends. It’s a great social atmosphere almost, in a way, like a co-ed fraternity house. Just introduce yourself to people, ask what they’re up to, and see if you can join them. Don’t be afraid of not having a place to stay when you arrive, you’ll be fine. The downside of me finding a place on my own before I came is that I don’t live with any students from ESADE. The students that live together tend to travel and go out together and so it was more difficult for me to get involved with travels or going out than those who lived with other ESADE students. Most students also live with students from their same school, which I don’t recommend. You should, in my opinion, branch out and get to know people from all over the world. Stay out of your comfort zone while you’re here, it’s more fun! That’s precisely why I’m happy not living with other ESADE students.

I’ve seen mostly pretty good apartments but I hear some people live in homestays with a family and find it to be just okay because of the rules the family sometimes enforces (though you will learn Spanish quicker) and sometimes in unattractive apartments. You’re only here for five-months so suck it up and find a place and enjoy your time here. Don’t be too picky but never live with people that creep you out.

Websites to search for apartments: http://www.loquo.com. If you search around, there are also apartment finder services in Barcelona but I’m not aware of their information.

MealsFood isn’t all that expensive here at most restaurants. Paella is amazing. Tapas

(basically appetizers in a social atmosphere) are fun but mostly fried. Most restaurants have very, very similar menus and most have menus in English if you ask (well, most of the time they can tell you are American and give you one automatically). There are grocery stores all over the place and it’s likely you’ll find one within two-blocks of your place. Some are better than others but find one you’re comfortable with and be a regular and you’ll end up finding what you want much easier. I don’t recommend shopping for groceries at El Corte Ingles because it is very expensive, though they tend to have the most selection. Milk in Spain, in my opinion, is creepy. It comes in these “bricks” and does not need to be refrigerated until you open it. This is because it is too expensive to transport it cold so they add preservatives that keep it from spoiling. It tastes just awful to me, even in cereal. Suffice it to say, I haven’t drank much milk here. Of course try it and decide for yourself. Finally, Spanish food is “no more healthy” than American food, in my opinion, and it is mostly seafood. If you love seafood, you’re in the right place. If you don’t, you’ll be fine but sometimes disappointed at the limited non-seafood selections. You won’t find normal coffee here accept at Starbucks (as for the “café de la semana”).

Also, there is little to no good food at ESADE. Eat before you go to the campus!

TransportationOther than it being a bit expensive given the Dollar-to-Euro ratio, you’ll be very happy

with Barcelona’s underground system and just regular happy with the bus system. The Metro system is comprised of the Metro lines (logo looks like: <M>) and FCG lines. You can guy 10-ride tickets, 30-ride tickets, month tickets, or three-month tickets that are good for travel on the Metro/FCG, day busses, and night busses. Tickets are always paper-based so I recommend getting just the 10-ride ticket (called a T-10) unless you are very good at keeping things in your wallet or purse and not ruining them. I often wish they had plastic cards like in Chicago, but they don’t. You can basically get anywhere with no more than a five block additional walk using the Metro/FCG and even closer via bus. The busses have no real coordination and you’ll find

yourself waiting for one for 20-minutes or more sometimes, so I avoid them. The Metro/FCG closes at midnight Monday-Thursday, 2AM on Friday, and goes 24-hours on Saturday. Since you’ll probably be going out just about every night, you’ll be glad to know there are multiple night bus service lines called “Nitbus” that will usually drop you off close to your place. Barcelona, including the Nitbus service, is generally safe so you don’t necessarily need to take a taxi. If you prefer a taxi, they are usually plentiful and I’ve never paid more than €10 to get from my apartment near the very north of the city to the opposite side of the city. There are transportation maps everywhere in the city and maps you can take with you all over as well.

Student Activity GroupsEvery international student joins CIEE by default which is the international student

group. Spanish students run the group and give you a mentor/buddy that you can use to help you learn about life in Barcelona, where to go out that isn’t distinctly populated by Americans, and where some good restaurants are. They’ll also help you meet Spanish students. Most exchange students didn’t bother growing a relationship with their buddy. I did and found Toni to be a great resource and a good friend. CIEE also plans a trip or two somewhere in Spain. This semester it was a trip to Girona and it turned out to be a lot of fun (especially the party!). You can also join sports teams at ESADE but they start late in the semester so I recommend just getting some friends together and playing some games on the beach or at the numerous public courts, fields, and pitches you can find throughout the city. Ask Spanish students where they are.

Host Country CultureWhat are some of the surprises or insights you had into the culture of your host country/school?

I was not necessarily surprised because I knew this coming here but it is surprising that Spanish is not the primary language in Barcelona. In Catalunya, which is where Barcelona is, it is Catalan, not Spanish. Catalan is like part French, part Spanish, part Italian but don’t tell anyone you think it is a mix of languages. They will either laugh or bark at you explaining that “Catalan es Catalan.” Catalonians actually are a bit like Texans in that they want to secede from Spain and be their own country (some Texans want to secede from the union). Everyone will also speak Spanish (they call it Castellano) but they prefer Catalan. The plus side is that they’ll feel bad if you struggle with Catalan and will immediately switch to Spanish when they realize you don’t speak Catalan. Lots of people also speak English and even much of the public transportation information is communicated in Catalan, Spanish, and English. So, because Catalunya is in some ways significantly different than the rest of Spain, I recommend making sure you explore Spain and not just assume that Barcelona is just like the rest of Spain.

There are a ton of Americans in Barcelona. You need only to go to common areas of the city and you will hear English all around you. It’s unavoidable. If you want to go to a city that has few Americans, I wonder if Barcelona should be stricken from your list. Also at ESADE, just about everyone accept the maintenance and security staff speaks English. Unless you show that you speak Spanish well, they’ll prefer to speak with you in English, though they are always willing to help you learn Spanish. Of course, there are a zillion people who don’t speak English such as the taxi drivers, people who work at restaurants, and of course normal, everyday people. So don’t assume you’re moving to Barcelona and it’ll be like living in the U.S. Just know that there are a lot of English speakers and you’ll have to put for an effort to practice Spanish.

Also, if you are accustomed to efficiency and good customer service, do not expect either in Barcelona. For example, in a restaurant, do not expect to be “waited on.” Expect a seemingly

aggravated individual to eventually come to your table, ask you what you want to drink and eat at the same time, and then bring it out not at once so you can eat together but at different times. There are no free refills of drinks and to get another drink you’ll have to flag down a waiter – they seem to deliberately ignore you – and ask for another frankly overpriced drink. But, you must keep in mind that waiters in Barcelona are not tipped and when you pay for food and drinks especially, you are paying for the service in the mark-up. Waiters are hourly/salaried and have no real monetary incentive to “serve” like they do in the U.S. Many students complained about this and I frankly never adjusted to it. Also, the Spanish are not multi-taskers. If you go to a Tapas restaurant and you sit down and the guy behind the bar is stocking a shelf, he will finish stocking the shelf even if it takes 20-minutes before acknowledging that you have even arrived and then often attend to something else until your “turn” comes up. Don’t get mad, just wait. The plus side is you’ll learn to slow down in life and be more patient. But, like I said before, I never quite got used to this.

If you are on the Metro/FCG or bus or in public places, don’t be weirded-out by people looking at you a lot. The Spanish, at least in Barcelona, love to look – they are a visual people. I fit right in this respect because I’m a people watcher myself and I prefer to know what and who is surrounding me, so I was never bothered by this. I’m a guy though and I noticed that the women in the program were bothered by this more than any guy. Don’t worry women, Spanish men, from my observation, are respectful, they’ll just look from time to time. I heard that in Italy, the men will holler and whistle to women. Nothing like that happened in Barcelona. Now, I’ve painted this picture as if it is a plague of staring people in Barcelona. Actually, most people mind their own business, but people will look at you and seem as if they are talking about you to the person next to them. Don’t be bothered by it unless you start feeling uncomfortable for some reason. Just figure, at the very least you’ll probably never see that person again.

I should follow that last paragraph with the fact that there is very little, almost no, violent crime in Barcelona. There are pick-pockets all over the place and if you “lose” your wallet because of your own forgetfulness, don’t expect someone to try and give it back. Protect your bags, pockets, and backpacks as best you can. If you dress or “act” like a tourist, you’re going to be the primary target. If you catch someone stealing say your camera and you chase after them and catch them, they’ll claim they have no idea what you’re talking about. In this case, I’ve heard stories of students ganging up on the thief and taking the camera/wallet from that person’s pocket just to get it back. In another situation, two thieves were throwing the camera above the person’s head as if playing a came of Monkey in the Middle and he got his camera back broken because one of the thieves dropped it on the catch. I bought a jacket that has four pockets up front that I wear everywhere and I keep my wallet and belongings in that and have never been pick-pocketed. I did accidently leave my wallet in a taxi and the driver refused to return to the airport to give it back to me, so if you lose your wallet, I wouldn’t expect someone will return it out of good will. With this in mind, make a copy of the front and back of everything you keep in your wallet/purse so you can call and cancel cards, etc., if necessary. And don’t take €300 to a club and get drunk. One girl suddenly realized she wasn’t holding her purse anymore and lost hundreds of Euro, credit cards, and her cell phone. Speaking of cell phones, keep an eye on that at all times and hide it and don’t expose it if, say, you are on the beach and you have your stuff in a bag while playing sports. Another friend lost his cell that way and we didn’t even notice anyone near our stuff.

Recommendations to become immersed in the culture?

Like I said above, get to know your CIEE buddy. He or she will be a great help and a perfect avenue to grow your international, especially Spanish, friend network. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to Spanish students. The Spanish (and Italian) students tend to sit in the back two corners of the classroom all the time. It’s kind of funny in a way, but one student took advantage of this and decided to sit in those corners and met quite a few Spanish students.

When here, you will probably join the club promoter Facebook groups if you are interested in going out at night. Join the groups, go to some of the events but don’t spend every weekend going to “Kyke Barcelona” or other club promoter events even though you’ll get into the club without a cover charge because you’ll soon realize everyone there is American or Canadian. That got old pretty fast because it didn’t feel like that I was in another country to me. I started asking my CIEE buddy where I could go out where few, if any, Americans would be and he mentioned some really unique and fun clubs and also made the point that I could go to the clubs that the club promoter’s promote but on days that they aren’t offering a free cover list. You can still use the promoter’s name and get in free usually, but there’ll be more Spanish people at the club.

Finally, don’t forget you’re living in a country that is truly beautiful and amazing. Spain itself receives I think the second most tourists in the world (or at least Europe). Visit Spain, don’t just visit other countries. I personally made it a point to see all of Spain before I traveled to other countries. Different parts of Spain are very different than the next. We took a road trip to the south of Spain and stopped in small towns and had a great experience because there wasn’t an American in sight and we got to enjoy truly Spanish food (some good, some awful), culture, and lifestyle. Another group actually road biked across Spain! Really you need to set aside any fears, get out there, walk around, take chances, and experience everything and anything. See museums, buy a funny looking fish at the market, try something that sounds gross on the menu, start conversation with he Spanish in class or even in clubs or on the streets, and be sure to walk into and give business to the non-tourist stores you’ll see if you look that sell truly unique stuff. Interestingly, no Spanish person I talked to liked Flamenco; some never even saw it and made fun of it. Likewise with Sangria; Spanish people just don’t drink it, at least in Barcelona.

Oh, many international students might bring up the topic of the U.S. government, the elections, the war in Iraq, and so forth. Usually, if not always, they dislike Bush and dislike the war in Iraq. If you share the same opinion and want to have such a conversation, be sure to ask them more questions then they ask you so you gain that interesting international perspective. If you do not share their opinion, make sure you get a good understanding of their perspective before, and if, you decide to counter their point. You’ll lose the respect of any European if you sound like a redneck bent on war. I’m conservative, and though I’m not a major George Bush or war in Iraq fan, I’ve had some intellectual and respectful conversations with Europeans who’ve come to see my point as well as me understanding theirs. Both liberal- and conservative-minded people will find it very interesting to see why Europeans don’t like the U.S. and you’ll have a good opportunity to correct their misconceptions if you are distinctly respectful to their opinions.

Did you have a chance to learn a second language? Why, why not?I took two levels of Spanish immersion courses. Those of us who studied a lot picked up

Spanish pretty well. Those of us who didn’t study, learned just about nothing other than a general understanding of how Spanish works and of course some phrases to get by with. The problem is, you can’t necessarily immerse yourself in Spanish at ESADE (unless you take Spanish courses – don’t take them if you don’t speak Spanish) or in Barcelona because most

people will speak English to you instead. You’ll be surprised of how well most students speak English and you also be jealous when you realize many Europeans speak three or more languages as if they downloaded it to their brain like in the movie The Matrix. Try, try, try to speak Spanish and some of it will stick. Don’t try, and you’ll learn nothing. But, Barcelona and ESADE is not the best school, in my opinion, to go to if you don’t know Spanish and want to leave knowing Spanish. In fact, the exchange students who knew Spanish tended to hang out with each other perhaps because they wanted to improve their Spanish (and they did). The students who didn’t speak much Spanish tended to be being somewhat of an outcast to those groups because they didn’t have much interest in teaching Spanish, just learning more of it. So, in conclusion, if you want to learn Spanish, you can but you need to understand it isn’t going to just be handed to you because you’re immersed in another country; you need to actively learn it.

Social LifeHow would you rate your integration with other students from the host university?

ESADE is both an undergraduate school and business school and is by far (and I mean far) smaller than the ‘U’. Therefore, you’ll be mixed among ESADE undergraduates and master’s students. You’ll rarely be amongst ESADE or exchange MBA’s, as they take most of their classes in building #3 where as you’ll primarily be in building #1 and #2. On a side note, ESADE is building a nice new campus outside of Barcelona and you might actually be attending there instead. The ESADE buildings are actually kind of dated in my opinion and look a bit like an elementary school rather than the modern, open layout that we’re used to at CSOM.

Back to the point, as I said before, you need to actively engage yourself in seeking out relationships with Spanish and other international students. A mistake would be to simply hang out with Americans or Canadians. You won’t end up friends with every Spanish student, but you should try to get to know at least a couple groups of them. They love helping you find those “hidden” all-Spanish bars and clubs, so that is a good topic to start a conversation with. Also try to work in groups with the Spanish students. They work quite differently (usually last minute) so it’ll be an interesting leadership and learning experience for you in such groups. Read more above about how to integrate with students from ESADE.

How would I rate my integration with other ESADE students?Many ESADE students have their own friends already. I got to know about 10 ESADE

students and many other international exchange students and I’m happy with that. I could have gotten to know more and actively sought to hang out with them or work with them more so I suppose I’d only give myself the letter grade ‘B’. It’s easiest for people good at making friends who are outgoing and good at conversation to make acquaintances with Spanish students. If you aren’t one of those types of people, just take it slow and turn around and introduce yourself in class to a Spanish student. They usually sit in small groups and will introduce you to those around them and then ask them their advice on something about Barcelona or Spain and start the conversation from there. That approach worked for me.

What were some of the best ways you found to make friends at the host university?I’ve answered this already but quickly, join CIEE and get involved with your assigned

buddy or even someone else’s buddy, strike up conversation with Spanish and other international students in class, at bars, and in clubs (if you can hear), and invite Spanish students to parties at your apartment or even to a museum. Even if they don’t want to go, they get the point that you

are open to friendship with them. Think this way, Spanish/international students are just as nervous about meeting you as you are about meeting them. They aren’t going to go out on a limb to welcome you into their circle of friends because, well, they have friends already. It really is your job to get to know the Spanish students, not the other way around.

What kind of after-hours and weekend activities do you recommend for students?One thing you need to prepare for is, the warmer it gets outside, the later you’ll be

partying. In January, until 4 or 5AM. Come April, until 7AM. Clubs close at 6AM. Bars close at 3AM. So you’ll start at dinner, go to a bar until 3AM, then arrive at the club at 3:30AM. The clubs don’t get packed and jumping until around 4:30AM. In short, the Spanish party late! That means, you’ll be sleeping until 4PM the next day so don’t waste all your weekends clubbing and forget to see the sights in Barcelona because you’re too tired and hung over. Oh, and drinks at clubs (not necessarily bars) in Spain are at least €11 so pre-drink or be rich.

In terms of knowing where to go, on Facebook, you’ll eventually get bombarded with invitations to be friends with club promoters and to join club promoters’ groups. Join Elite Barcelona, at least. You’ll have a good time going to the promoted bar and club events that have free cover associated with these promoters. But I highly recommend you branch out from just the promoted clubs. There are a zillion bars and clubs in Barcelona and if you just go to the promoted events, you’ll only see about 10 of them tops and, especially at Otto Zutz, there will seem to be more Americans there than Spanish. If that’s what you prefer, no problem. If you want to get a taste of life for a Spanish person, then I recommend getting advice from Spanish students and seeing if you can get yourself invited when they go. The Spanish students know when to go to any club when there will be few Americans there.

My favorite club was Sutton or Mirabe. They were both semi-close to were I lived but also were quite a lot of fun. Mirabe is on the Tibidabo Mountain and next to the more established club called Mirablau (mostly 30/40-somethings go to Mirablau) and both have a spectacular view of the city. Mirabe isn’t one of those clubs that you go to every week I’d say because you’ll eventually get bored but it looks like something straight out of the Real World TV show. Sutton is a classier place where Nicholas Cage has been seen (and other celebs) and is one of those clubs you go to every week because they have stage shows of dancers and what not as well as great rap music that transforms into house music as the night goes on. There is always a Porsche or Ferrari outside this place. Also, there are a group of clubs on the beach (Catwalk and Opium) and a bar in the same area called Shoko that was popular with the women more so than the men. I can’t say I liked Catwalk and many students agreed but give it a try. Shoko and Opium can make up a night and are classy places. There are a ton of other clubs and I recommend investing in one of the MTV Barcelona tourist books in the U.S. from Amazon.com or a book store. It’s probably one of the best resources in terms of nightlife.

You should also see Flamenco. It’s kind of cheesy, in my opinion, but I caught a guy and a girl tearing up because it is very emotional and intense. I liked the music a lot, but couldn’t keep myself from wondering if the dancer’s legs hurt after all that banging on the floor! Flamenco is mostly a tourist thing and therefore is going to be expensive. Just do it though. You’ll have a good time, get a good-ish meal, have some Sangria, and then party after. There are also movie theaters in English in Barcelona, a few plays including Mamma Mia!, and even Irish bars (though don’t expect the craziness you notice in U.S. Irish bars in Barcelona). Don’t worry, there is no shortage of nightlife in Barcelona.

If you travelled with your family, how was your integration into the host community?I travelled with myself. I don’t know of anyone that travelled with their family. Many

people had family or significant others visit and had a great time without problems. Think of family as tourists I guess. I’m not a good resource here.

OtherBudgeting

When I was here, the Dollar-to-Euro conversion rate favored the Euro by a long shot and therefore every time I spent €1 I was really spending about $1.60. You need to keep this in mind when shopping, going out, and even buying groceries. During all of January, most stores have sales (“rabaixes” or “rebajes”) and you can get good deals “in Euros” but convert that to dollars and you end up spending a lot more than you expect (especially with conversion charges). With that in mind, I think having $10,000-12,000 in cash for your trip here is maybe sufficient if you plan on doing a little bit of traveling. Better yet, I would significantly overestimate how much money you need to have here. You know your spending habits, take them into account.

Know that necessities are more expensive in Euros (not counting the conversion) than in the U.S. What I did was put money in to a “checking” account that I said I could spend all off and a backup fund for money that I’d use if I “screwed up” and spend too much. I used both accounts up easily and I didn’t travel much at all relative to other students. So, travel abroad will be and is expensive!

I put all my money in a PayPal account and used my PayPal MasterCard debit card everywhere. I think this is the best option if you don’t want to open a Spanish bank account and transfer all your dollars into Euros and hold them in Spain. In the end, I don’t recommend this though because I lost my debit card and couldn’t get one sent to me here and because, even though PayPal’s fees were minimal compared to say TCF or a Visa card, I probably ended up giving them $200 in fees for nothing. La Caixa is the most available bank in Spain, but it also has the most fees. Most students use it or Caja Madrid, which has an office at ESADE. You need to get your Barcelona residency in order before getting a bank account to avoid most fees. I would talk to Jura Zymantas about budgeting and banking at jura.zymantas@esade.edu.

Do you have suggestions on the types of students who are well-suited for this program?I can’t say I’m the most adventurous, social, and party-animal kind of person in the

program but I sure had a wild time and a gifted experience. I’d say if you are looking to expand your horizons; are willing to put up with change and uncertainty for a while; don’t have a serious girlfriend/boyfriend back home who hates long distance; want to try and learn Spanish; and aren’t someone who must have X, Y, and Z to survive, then you’ll do great here. The classes aren’t particularly hard but you’ll need to manage your travel and party time relative to your class work time wisely. If you can do that, you’ll be fine academically.

One woman decided to leave and go home in mid-February. She had a great network of friends, everyone liked her, and she seemed happy. Then one day she was gone. Rumor has it she said Barcelona “just wasn’t for her.” I didn’t know her well, but I do know I never saw her out and I understand she expected and wished the program to be more rigorous. Nobody else even considered going home! It’s an amazing place and school, and an amazing experience.

Barcelona is very, very Catholic. As a result, you won’t find, for example, girls showing cleavage and, with the exception of inside clubs (and even in clubs it’s rare) and the beach (where people in Europe seem to not mind being topless), you won’t find too many “lightly

dressed” women. There were only a few students that weren’t white-Christian. I didn’t notice any disfavor towards non-Christian people or non-white students in the program; the ESADE culture is very inclusive. But, I thought I’d mention the above for general knowledge just in case someone wanted to know. Of course any person of any race or religion can and, if they want to study in Spain and ESADE, should apply. Don’t get the impression Barcelona is “old world,” so to speak; its citizens simply have very “Catholic values.”

Did you need a visa to enter the country?Not necessarily to enter Spain, but if you plan on staying in Europe for more than 60 days

you’ll need to get a multiple-entry student visa from the Chicago Spanish consulate. Apply really, ridiculously early because you want to be sure you get that visa! You’ll notice in Spain that the Spanish work slower than Americans, and therefore so does the Spanish consulate.

Recommendations?Plan your travelling early so that it’s (1) scheduled with cheap tickets purchased and (2)

so you can get other students to come with. If you wait to the last minute or even a few weeks ahead to travel, those supposedly “cheap” airfares you hear about in Europe disappear (not to mention all airplane travel costs are going to spike now that fuel is so expensive). It’s better to be the person who plans a trip that the person who tries to get invited to a trip. It’s even better to plan a trip with a maximum of four people all at once. If you go with more than four people, you’ll all fight about what to do and when to do it when you get there and you probably will have to make compromises that you didn’t want to make.

If you want to do a road trip to the south of Spain, take a train from Barcelona to Valencia and then rent the car in Valencia. It’ll be cheaper because of the expense of case, the additional cost of the rental car from Barcelona, and the fact that there are €40 in tolls on the only highway between Barcelona and Valencia and no tolls after Valencia.

Finally, get online to find out and ask Spanish students when and where all the yearly cultural festivals are. You have the week of carnival in Sitges early in the year which is basically a huge party in the streets wearing costumes and ends with a rave on the Sitges beach. Each year in Valencia you have Las Fallas over Semana Santa (which is ESADE’s Easter break/spring break). That same week you have all the religious processions in most major cities associated with giving offerings of flowers, etc., to various saints and religious figures. Basically, get immersed in the Spanish culture and enjoy it!

General study abroad recommendations…The first few weeks can be scary. You’ll get used to living in another country over time.

You’ll be just fine if you don’t speak Spanish. Go ahead and call home using Skype (super cheap) as much as you need to during the first few weeks but make sure you branch out and get used to your surroundings. Have fun, get to know people, and you’ll be great.

I recommend getting a cell phone from Bright Mobile (http://www.thebrightco.com) because they’ll give you a contract and the per minute charges aren’t bad relative to other services that basically steal from international students.

It’s better to live close to the nightlife if you’re a nightlife kind of person than it is to live near campus. Otherwise you’ll blow a lot of money on taxis at 5AM instead of walking home.

Finally, if you have a girlfriend/boyfriend, sit down and prepare together for the 3-6 months you’ll be gone. Know that for you to talk to her/him at, say, 8PM their time, you’ll need

to be up at 4AM. So, you’ll need to plan telephone calls and the like. Don’t be afraid to put everything on the table during these conversations. Have this long, hard conversation or risk problems… trust me. Also, send your mom updates all the time via e-mail, post cards, and calls home. If you don’t, and your mom is like my mom, she’ll flip out!

Oh, wait, another thing. Don’t bring to Spain a huge wad of cash. Get cash out of the 9 gazillion ATMs in Barcelona. I prefer Caixa Catalunya ATMs because there don’t seem to be any charges associated with their use. Don’t use La Caixa ATMs unless you have a La Caixa account because they charge you a €2 service fee.

What resources did I use to plan your trip?The internet, Barcelona books, maps, and my own personal preparation to be completely

lost and confused for my entire first month. I also set up a Skype Pro account and bought a Chicago telephone number so my work, family, and girlfriend could call me at local rates. These are some great websites: http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/ (awesome resource) and http://www.tmb.com (company that runs Barcelona’s Metro/TMB and bus lines). I bought most of my tickets to travel around Europe from http://www.edreams.com (in Euros) but learned that buying them from http://www.wegolo.com (in Dollars) was ultimately better because you get the same tickets usually at the same price when if convert the eDreams Euro price to the WeGoLo Dollar price, but without the stupid “international service charge” that Visa/MasterCard or your bank debit card will charge you (usually a 3% mark-up) because you are charged in dollars. This was my experience with the charges, but don’t hold me to it though!

Did you receive a scholarship?Yes, the Preston Townley scholarship. It’s described on the CSOM international

programs website, including the application process. I recommend applying to it. Also, check the internet and apply to at least 10 scholarships just to see if you can take some of the bite away of the cost of studying abroad. It’ll be worth the essay writing you’ll no doubt have to do.

Am I willing to be contacted by students?Of course. Email is preferred: nkilduff@sbcglobal.net. I’ll provide my phone number if

we decide to talk via telephone. Sorry, but I can’t help find you an apartment or recommend a hostel to stay at before you do find an apartment.