My friends and I at the FC Barcelona game
Author: Collin Voegtle | Major: Finance | Semester: Spring 2025
I am writing this during my third week studying abroad in Barcelona and it feels like I’ve been here much longer. I have been able to experience so many new and exciting things in such a short period of time. Every day I look for something new I can do. I chose Barcelona for a couple of reasons. For one I have studied Spanish in high school and want to improve my skills as a lot of people in Texas speak Spanish. Secondly the weather is beautiful, especially during this time of year. It doesn’t get very cold and never very hot. Barcelona’s location allows me to conveniently travel around other parts of Europe. Lastly and most importantly for me – Barcelona is a very lively city. People are typically very friendly and there is always something to do or see. Whether that is watching the sunset over the city from the Bunkers or going out to bars in the city or along the beach (typically very late).
Classes have been very interesting so far as two of the classes I am taking are not offered at the University of Arkansas – Introduction to cryptocurrency and decentralized finance, and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence. Its nice being able to take classes that I find interesting in topics I otherwise wouldn’t be able to study. My International Finance class is my favorite so far. We have been discussing international rates and how to calculate depreciation/ appreciation between different currencies. One thing that stands out about the education here is the grading system. Grades in classes are given from 1-10 but its not based on a percentage. For example, a 5 is adequate, and an 8 is very good. While 9 and 10 are exceptional and very rare.
As I mentioned before, one of the main reasons I wanted to study abroad was to be able to travel to places I otherwise would not be able to conveniently do. I have been very spontaneous with my trips but am working on planning more for the future. For example – last weekend some friends and I were together on a Wednesday and decided we wanted to go somewhere. We looked up cheap flights for the weekend and the first option was Paris. Next thing I knew I was walking under the Eiffel tower at night. Being able to see the Notre Dame and Arc de Triomf in person was amazing and I really enjoyed the group I went with. We had a lot of fun going to dinner and exploring bars.
My favorite trip so far has been Valencia, Spain. Our Air bnb was right by the beach and it was a calm and peaceful city to be able to walk around and explore. My favorite attraction was Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias. The architecture was more than impressive and It felt like we were on a different planet with how big everything was. Overall, I have more than enjoyed my time in Barcelona so far and am excited to continue to travel and explore this amazing city.