Working on a project for my class- Advanced Principles of Design

Author: Lauren Frazier | Major: Marketing

At the University of Arkansas, I am a marketing student, but I’ve always known that I would like to pair that with something more creative for a career. I chose to go to Elisava school of design and engineering because it is in a Spanish-speaking country and it is considered the top design school in Spain. I could not have asked for a better academic experience while studying abroad. Through vague briefs and group work, I learned how to push myself to create the most innovative and unexpected things without the structure or unnecessary pressure that usually exists in a traditional classroom. Maybe it is because I am used to business classes, but my design classes felt like a lot of work, but it was very rewarding. I feel like I gained a new perspective on design and careers. All of the professors were young, but very acclaimed in their fields. My teachers did not straight forward teach me anything, but they pushed me to figure out what I want to learn and gave me tools to learn through experience. Between visiting designers’ studios, experimenting in the prototype workshop, and performing our projects in the streets, Elisava was the best it could be in every way. Making mistakes was encouraged while still expecting greatness, and to my surprise, I was able to stand next to the normal design students and be proud of what I had created. At the end of projects being due, we had a “final dinner” at school with all of the students and teachers to celebrate. I am writing this our last week of school. We are setting up an exhibition to see the best work from this semester. Because Elisava is such a small school, it allowed for an intimate community of everyone there. My classes consisted of designers from all over the world and of all ages. I feel like I have made connections with classmates that will be very valuable in terms of friendships as well as networking. I am excited for all the end-of-school events, but I am sad to say goodbye to my classmates and friends.

My friend group in Barcelona is one that I hope to have my whole life. On the first day of school, a random group of us decided to go to lunch together and we all ended up being great friends. A lot of my favorite memories include them. Two of my Belgian friends had an apartment with a beautiful dining room, so they would often host meals there. While a lot of my friend group was European, they weren’t interested in traveling as much as the Americans were. Usually I traveled with two other girls, which honestly was the best traveling group size. I traveled to a bunch of countries, but my favorite trip was my last. Instead of spring break, we had Santa Semana off, which is the week before Easter. We went to a small island in Greece called Antiparos. My favorite day was when we woke up, watched the sunrise, walked through the small downtown, got coffee, rented bikes, rode through the flower covered hills to the other side of the island, asked for a ride in a guy’s boat, swam in sea caves, and then talked to some locals over a meal. We were basically the only visitors on the island, and I think this was so unique for me because of the ability to travel to such niche places when coming from a European city instead of the US.

One last thing that made me fall in love with Barcelona all over again was Sant Jordi. This is the Catalan version of valentines day. The tradition is to give your love a book and a single rose. It was so sweet because everyone was out that day and it felt so sincere. It was way less commercialized than Valentine’s day. I spent the day walking around and then brought my friends roses. Catalunya is a Region of Spain, but they have their own special culture (and they want to be independent from Spain, but that is a whole other conversation). I really enjoyed getting to know this culture that I didn’t really have any preconceived notions about. My host mom is super proud of Catalunya and she was such a great part of my experience here. She only speaks Catalan and Spanish, so I was able to practice my Spanish a lot. She would teach me and my roommate about Catalunya culture and celebrations.

Study abroad! My advice for anyone considering it is to go for it. I went without knowing anyone, and it turned out fantastic. I might be biased, but Barcelona was the perfect city to study in. There is a large variety of people living here, so it is easy to feel like you belong here. My Spanish was super rusty when I got here, but most people are patient and want to help you learn. It is a big city, but not too big. I feel like it was homey and manageable, while there was still a lot to explore and discover. I would absolutely suggest staying with a family. I felt like I got more ingrained in the culture by living with someone who grew up here compared to my friends who lived in a dorm or their own apartment. Not to mention, it is nice having dinner prepared for you every night if you want it. A more abstract piece of advice is try not to have any expectations. Going into experiences with a blank slate allowed me to experience things deeply and I was never disappointed.

All in all, I am so glad I was able to study abroad. This experience has enriched my education and given me a better perspective of the world as well as my studies and career. It is so worth it.