Arguments for study in two overseas locations

December 23, 2015 8:47 AM

My daughter has narrowed her overseas semester down to two cities. I need some outside opinions and considerations to help her make a decision.

I am asking for some ideas on what to consider between these two cities - Amsterdam and Barcelona. Assuming her education (college semester) will be comparable at each location, what can anyone contribute about each location - positive and negative.

Some things on my mind:

Is the Spain economy a problem?

If at Amsterdam - she would have easier access to more countries via short trips.

I would consider the cultural opportunities the same in each location - Yes?

If at Spain, she would be able to practice her Spanish, what is left of it. It is a positive but all depends on her desire to keep it up.

Hive mind - toss out ideas, thoughts, opinions and things to consider. Thanks for your input.

posted by fluffycreature to Education (15 answers total)

I'd go to refresh her Spanish, enjoy more warmth, and just have a blast. :)
posted by heathrowga at 9:12 AM on December 23, 2015

My sister spent a semester in Barcelona and she had a blast. So did my brother-in-law. I dont think the economy is a problem since they wont be looking for a job. And practicing another language is a huge plus with these types of "educational" trips.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:17 AM on December 23, 2015

I had a friend who studied in Barcelona and felt hindered by not speaking Catalan. Everyone speaks Castellano (Spanish) but Catalan is more common. So that is one thing to consider.
posted by radioamy at 9:18 AM on December 23, 2015 [5 favorites]

I have been to both Amsterdam and Barcelona and I greatly preferred Barcelona. Barcelona is layer upon layer of cultural cool; Food, night life, architecture, and style.

I'd love to live there.
posted by srboisvert at 9:19 AM on December 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Short-haul travel throughout Europe by rail or air won't be significantly more expensive or difficult from Barcelona than it is from Amsterdam, for what it's worth. I wouldn't consider it a serious point in Amsterdam's favour. She'll have more options from Amsterdam for long-haul.
posted by corvine at 9:45 AM on December 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

Best answer: The only problem with Barcelona is that they don't speak Spanish there, they speak Catalan. My Spanish is decent and the folks I interacted with were having NONE of it.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:20 AM on December 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I am a study abroad advisor. The first thing I would say is to remind her that she will have a blast in either location. So absent any other factors, it kind of really doesn't matter.

Here are the factors that I advise students to consider:

Language training

• Does she have any prior preparation in Spanish or a Germanic language (I'm gonna assume she doesn't speak Dutch already....)
• According to her research--HER research, not your research--, will she be able to operate there with the language preparation she currently has?
• If she has some Spanish background, the particular linguistic situation of Barcelona could pose some difficulties for her, as other people have said. She should chat with the program sponsors and with her Spanish professors at school to get a variety of professional opinions about whether it's advisable to put yourself in a Catalan environment while having a Castilian background. For some students, that's confusing and will hinder their language acquisition. For others, it provides richness and layers to the language acquisition process.
• Will Dutch or Spanish/Catalan be useful in her planned future career?

Cost of Living

• Study the materials on cost of living and expected expenses provided by the university or the program provider. Decide, together, what her budget is and what she may be able to accomplish within an agreed-upon spending style. This, I think, is about the only place where you get total veto power as a parent.
• The economy is not an issue. If anything, she will be helping to strengthen the local economy by spending her money there, and that's a good way to learn about the interconnectedness of the world's economic systems.

Travel Opportunities

• Either location will have abundant low-cost air travel and plenty of train travel opportunities. No problem there. However, see next point.
• Consider that she is choosing a study abroad location because she's interested in that country and location, and perhaps she should consider traveling around that city and country rather than leaving town every moment that she can. I know European travel is exciting and all, but her purpose abroad is to live the life of a Spanish or Dutch young person as closely as possible, and the local students don't jet off every weekend. I don't expect her to take this advice, but you should expect her to consider it.

Cultural and Personal Questions

• Northern and Southern Europe are really different places. Does she think she will fit into the culture in Northern Europe, or is she more of a Mediterranean cultural type?
• How does this semester fit into her overall career strategy? Does she have an interest in, say, the diamond business or shipping/logistics/supply chain management industry ? Then go to Amsterdam, no question about it. Have her start thinking about what she wants, career-preparation-wise, from this semester, and that may lead her one way or another.
• What are the housing options? Can she live with a host family, or in a student dorm, or in private apartments? How will each of these have an impact on her learning and her acculturation process? (Hint: the less she interacts with her fellow American participants, the more challenging it's going to be, but the WAY more she will learn about real life in that country.)

posted by Liesl at 10:56 AM on December 23, 2015 [12 favorites]

I'd completely leave the choice up to her. Both are great places and she'll be able to travel Europe easily from either location. Unless she has plans to return to one country or another for a career later on, I'd just let her go with her gut and pick whichever one seems like the most fun to her.
posted by MsMolly at 10:59 AM on December 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

lived in Barcelona for a couple of years, and my experience went just fine speaking spanish since i had no knowledge of catalan. She'll pick up a bit of the local language (and she really should try just as a courtesy), but spanish is just fine for getting around in the greater metropolitan area. Barcelona is a great city with plenty of things to experience and especially to eat (my god I love eating my way through the city every time I go back...). Day trips to Sitges and Montserrat, etc. are easy to do.
posted by alchemist at 11:51 AM on December 23, 2015

This might seem minor, but I don't really think it is: how would she handle lack of sunlight? Barcelona is something like twice the amount of sunshine as Amsterdam, and 3x in the winter. Personally, I'm pretty sure I couldn't handle the sunlight amounts in the netherlands on an extended basis.

Some sunlight graphs I dug up on the internet:

• Amsterdam, ~1500 hours of sun annually.
• Barcelona, ~2500-3000 hours of sun annually, and a huge difference in the winter.
• For comparison, since your profile says New England, Boston, which is surprisingly comparable to Barcelona (though the climate is a lot nicer in other ways in Barcelona).

posted by advil at 11:54 AM on December 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

I spent a year in Barcelona, and it was the best year of my life.
posted by Stewriffic at 1:28 PM on December 23, 2015

She should be making this choice 100% on her own, as MsMolly suggests. It is possible to have an amazing experience in either of these locations, but part of the experience is choosing between the two cities by herself.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 3:03 PM on December 23, 2015 [9 favorites]

I feel like the best that Ask could do here would be to suggest that you get your daughter a MeFi account, and have her ask the question. We have no ideas what her priorities might be. You did a good job articulating what's on your mind about this -- but barring exceptional circumstances, this seems like an Ask she should post herself, with her own priorities stated.

(I'm a mum, I get it. But... Yeah. It needs to be answered according to her priorities and interests. And, both options sound good.)

Be a safe place to come home to (which you clearly are), brush up on this sort of scam, wish her bon voyage, done.
posted by kmennie at 9:15 PM on December 23, 2015

I think she should go where her gut is telling her to go.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 12:57 AM on December 24, 2015

Coming from an Amsterdammer:
- Every single person in Amsterdam speaks (near) perfect English. This makes it easy to get around, and to study. But we (The Dutch) do not easily loop others into our group of friends. - Though it might be that in all situations she's more likely to hang out with other exchange students.
- Barcelona has great weather, great food, and is definitely cheaper to live (and most likely more fun). And diving deeper into another language (Spanish) would be worth it)
- Though if she's into any of the hard sciences, business, economics Amsterdam will probably offer a better education.

But yes - it's all down to her preferences.
posted by Thisandthat at 12:37 AM on December 25, 2015