CAPA WORLD

The UN estimates that, by the end of this century, 84% of people will live in cities. Barcelona is a welcoming one, a community that embraces and encourages diversity, ambition and creativity. It’s a city that is thinking ahead, that is actively preparing itself for the future and for growth.

Have you considered studying abroad in Barcelona? This exciting global city awaits! Here are 9 reasons why we love this city.

It’s been said that collaboration is increasingly key for innovation in our digital world.

International study, especially with an internship, is an excellent way to show future prospective employers that you are willing to push the boundaries of your comfort zone and that you are able to cooperate with people from diverse backgrounds. Does the destination you choose make a difference to the type of experience you’ll have in terms of your future career goals? It can. If you are thinking about entering one of these fields after graduation, Sydney could be an excellent choice for you.

International study, especially with an internship, is an excellent way to show future prospective employers that you are willing to push the boundaries of your comfort zone and that you are able to cooperate with people from diverse backgrounds. Does the destination you choose make a difference to the type of experience you’ll have in terms of your future career goals? It can. If you are thinking about entering one of these fields after graduation, Dublin could be an excellent choice for you.

Beyond the opportunity to take academic classes at a local university, complete an internship in a diverse global city with a rich history and explore through My Global City events, our local team shares five reasons to consider fall for your semester abroad in Barcelona.

The application deadline is June, so there's still time to apply!

1. IT’S A SEASON OF CELEBRATION. Catalan National Day brings processions to the city in September. Barcelona’s biggest street festival, Festes de la Mercé in honour of the patron saint of the city, Our Lady of Mercy comes next. Prepare for a week of fireworks, decorations, music, a fire run, costumes and parades. Then, a beach festival in Barceloneta. Changing pace, there’s Halloween and All Saints’ Day - together known as the Castanyada. On November 1, people head to cemeteries to pay respect to the dead, sprinkle holy water on graves, leave flowers and pray. If you study abroad in Spain in the fall, you’ll also experience the festivities leading up to the Christmas season.

A CAPA Study Abroad Alumna Interview with Erica Bergmann

Meet Erica Bergmann, a second time study abroader from the University of Massachusetts Amherst who spent spring semester of 2016 on the CAPA Sydney program. Below, she talks about her exciting plans after she graduates next month, shares her favorite foodie experiences from the Land Down Under and talks about travel - where she's been, a few tips and the benefits and downsides of traveling solo versus with friends.

CAPA WORLD: Tell us a bit about yourself
ERICA BERGMANN: I’m a senior graduating this upcoming May from the University of Massachusetts Amherst pursuing a specialized Bachelor’s Degree of Individualized Concentration in International Relations with a Focus on Germany. Additionally, I will have completed minors in both German Studies and Political Science. I’m an overachiever, I know. I studied abroad with CAPA in Sydney, Australia in the Spring of 2016 and partook in an internship with DEC PR & Communications. 

A CAPA Study Abroad Alumna Interview with Courtney Evans

Meet Courtney, a CAPA study abroad alumna and ambassador from the University of Florida who studied abroad in Dublin during Spring semester 2016. Below, she talks about her internship at non-profit Wells for Zoë and the profound impact this experience and the people she met there had on her, how studying abroad has made her approach her hometown differently and the influence her time in Ireland has had on her goals for her future career.

CAPA WORLD: Tell us a bit about yourself.
COURTNEY EVANS: Hi! My name is Courtney. I am a third year international studies major at the University of Florida with a focus in Europe. I enjoy participating in service projects with my Rotaract Club, and if I’m not doing that, I am probably either working at the public library or spending time with my much-loved cat.

“Connecting Global Cities” is a monthly column written by Colin Speakman, Resident Director for CAPA Shanghai.

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This is the third in a series about how globalization is under threat from the west while Asian countries have become the leading advocates for globalization.

Since globalization is spurred on through the connections between global cities, this trend is seen in the rise of Asian mega cities in the Global Cities Index (GCI). See my column on the background to this index first compiled every two years since 2008 by A.T. Kearny consultants. 

Photo: London (public domain)

It is not easy to get into this list which now is published every year and contains 125 recognized global cities. Here are the considerations that arise:

"The A.T. Kearney Global Cities Index (GCI) ranks 125 cities according to 27 metrics across five dimensions, including business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement."

Words by Carly Hamilton, a journalism major at the University of Missouri who studied abroad in London during summer 2016.

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My study abroad experience this past summer in London, England revolved greatly around the Brexit vote. Prior to my arrival in the UK, I heard buzz about it but wasn’t able to fully understand the significance of this vote. Upon landing in London, that started to change.

I arrived in mid-May and the vote was set for Thursday, June 23^rd. Every morning on my walk to work, I would see people standing on the Hungerford and Golden Jubilee bridges. They were just talking to anyone who would listen about why the UK should stay in the European Union. It seemed that every day, the cover of each newspaper had something to do with the upcoming vote. My interest in the matter grew immensely as I started to understand that I would be present for such a huge moment in history, especially if the vote was to leave.

Once I got more comfortable at my internship with the travel PR agency known as the Brighter Group, I spoke with my supervisor, Stephen, about the vote and what it meant to him as a UK citizen. In summary, he explained to me that anyone who wanted to leave the EU was an idiot. He felt that the UK wasn’t nearly large enough to function on its own and that it would be a disaster if the vote were to leave. It was clear that everyone else in the office felt the same way, although they didn’t voice it as boldly.