Undergraduate
Student Experience
Hello, everyone. I am Sofia Zhengli who had an exchange semester at ESADE Business School in Spain during 2022 Fall. As I am a permanent residence in Spain, I did not apply for a student visa. I was doing a full-time internship in Barcelona （40 hours a week） while I was doing this exchange semester, so I did not spend much time exploring and travelling, but as a person who had lived here for a long time, I do have some tips. If you are considering a career or a master or an immigration in Spain, my advice might be helpful.
1. ESADE Business School
ESADE is a prestigious private higher-education institution located in Spain. It enjoys high reputation among native Spanish people because the students admitted are usually with academic excellence, diversified backgrounds, and financial soundness. The other famous and prestigious schools in Barcelona such as University of Barcelona, UPF and UAB are all public institutions. Therefore, from local people’s perspective, only intelligent and rich students went to ESADE (my local Spanish friend emphasizes “rich” lol, just a funfact here lol) From my personal perspective, ESADE is diversified in the scale of Europe, but not diversified enough as the institutions in US which really covers student profile across the world. The exchange student group is pretty well-diversified world-wide though. The instruction pattern is typical business school vibe –focus on practical application rather than the intensive theoretical knowledge. Although I am multitasking a lot (40-hour weekly internship + 22 ECTS credits + GMAT exam preparation + master application) , I still find the course work ok to handle with.
Esade is located in Sant Cugat, and you need to take a train from central Barcelona there. After taking off the train, you have to walk for 15 minutes to get to the school. It is quite tough in terms of transportation. If you can plan your course only in 2-3 days, you could enjoy the rest free days every week to explore the city and away from the torture of traveling to ESADE.
2. Visa Application
I did not apply for a visa. All I did was to send the scan of my residence permit to the ESADE Asian coordinator. As I previously applied for visa in South Korea for my another exchange in Paris in 2021, I may briefly offer some tips:
(1) Go to official Spain embassy website for information (please, please, official website is always the most important to check)
(2) Letter of Acceptance
(3) Certificate of funding (please check website for amount)
(4) Passport
(5) Insurance (please buy by yourself )
(6) Other documents required on official website
3. Cost and Expenses
I think Barcelona is way way way cheaper than other cities like Paris and Ann Arbor, and generally cheaper than Seoul in terms of everything (but especially for living expenses and goods price. Please pay attention to the official news for some discounts in terms of transportation. (e.g. 2022 September to 2022 December, most of the transportation card prices was cut to half). One important transportation card type is 3-month unlimited ride for the young (T-Joven) , which is priced for 80 euros prior to the above-mentioned period and 40 euros during that period.
4. Course Registration
There is a minimum credit requirement of 23 credits for exchange students from non-European Schools, and 27 credits for students from other European Schools. However, I think we could register for below 23 credits if we provide some proof to the coordinator. Please note that the coordinator is usually efficient in replying the email request, but there are many employee holidays in Spain. They will not reply to you request during their holiday.
(1) Intensive Spanish
The intensive Spanish course can only be registered at the first-round course bidding, and so as the extensive Spanish course. If you are interested in registering for either of the courses, you must do it in this round. There is no further negotiation to be added on to the courses if you miss out this opportunity, but chances are you could drop it after the period if you can provide some official proof and explanation. The intensive Spanish course lasts for a week, during which you take 4-hour classes every day. The course content is quite chill, but accordingly I do not think it helps a lot (it does help in reviewing the grammar).
(2) Basics of Investment Banking
Do not be scared on hearing the course name, the course is very easy to be honest, especially for the exam past, if you have taken Financial Management and Principles of Economics 2 (the macro one). This course is all about macro economics and different valuation methods and indexes. However, there is a section on the beginning of each class that we will discuss about market news. It is very helpful for formulating the habit and analytical ability in following up the market news if you aim for finance area. The Professor Alejandro is very very very nice. I really recommend you to take his course and put some efforts in it. You will benefit a lot.
(3) Merges and Acquisition
Do not be scared on hearing the course name, the course is very chill. It is not quantitative at all. Although it does cover some quantitative evaluation such as evaluating the synergies and creating the MBO model, those skills are not tested in the final exam. Evaluation is only based on final exam (40%), final project (40%) and participation (20%). The final exam includes only open-ended questions about the final projects. Therefore, you have to review others’ projects to answer the question. The basic concepts and terminologies are also essential, which will be easily gained at the beginning several session in the course. If you are interested in private equity, M&A section in banking, or consultants in M&A, this course is perfect. Once again, this course is a introductory level course in my opinion, because it is really not that hard. If you are not a complete traveler as an exchange student and interested in finance area, I really recommend this course.
(4) Real Estate Management
Do not be scared on hearing the course name, the course is very chill. The only quantitative thing you need to know is how to build the DCF. If you have studied Financial Management, this course would be a piece of cake. However, this course is also helpful and interesting because it gives you a lot of insights in real-estate industry. Participation takes 40% or 60%, and the rest was group projects.
(5) Family Business
Very interesting course and the professor is nice. I participated in the role play and it was really nice experience. I encourage all Asian students or KU students to be more active and braver in class participation in business school in western countries. To be honest, KU students are very smart and we can handle a lot of quantitative work. However, because of our culture, we may not feel very comfortable to speak in public at first (not mentioning doing role play in front of the whole class). The exchange is exactly the golden opportunity for you to exercise your public speaking ability, so don’t be shy! Even if you do not do it very well, first, the students around are all nice, nobody will laugh at you; Second, the next semester you will no longer be here! So nobody will remember the embarrassing moment. Being brave is not embarrassing!!!!!!! I learned this from my previous exchange in Umich in 2022 Spring, and I took advantage of my growth in ESADE. (In Umich, I really wanted to do role play in a Consulting course, but I was too shy and I was afraid my English is not business-fluent enough. However, I forced myself to raise my hand at least once every class in the second half of the semester, and I felt I really broke my limit! As a result, I did a perfect role play in Esade. Without the prior effort in Umich, I would not have been able to achieve this.) So making the first step is really really important!!!!!!!!!!Fighting!!!! KUBS students are global leaders and are the best!!! Trust yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, I introduced the dramatic story of Samsung Group family business in class, incorporating with the in-class knowledge, I think it helps in delivering the influence of South Korea. Yep, if you talk about family business, Samsung is definitely the well-known one. Because I study in South Korea, I gathered a lot of info about Samsung, and the exchange is the best opportunities for me to share this knowledge. I encourage every KU student to stand out and make some cultural communication.
(6) Reimagining Capitalism
Another course to bring your English-speaking ability live. I participated in several in-class debates, and it felt really really good!!!!! However, this course requires huge amount of reading (if you want to get good grades), so if you are a completely travelling exchange student, I think you should be careful in choosing this course. When I did my first exchange in IESEG, I was totally a travelling student, meaning that I prioritized everything but study. I know it is very hard for you to focus and do huge amounts of academic reading in this case if your schedule is fulfilled with travelling plans. If you do not read those average 20-page long prior reading, you will not be able to participate because a huge part of the in-class discussion is about the reading.
In general, the course at Esade is quite chill. Getting a good grade is not very hard, ahh, but depending on the definition of “good”. Please enjoy Barcelona more!!!!
5. Housing
The website of Idealista is very helpful in helping you find a housing (but basic Spanish may be required). Try the Esade forum as well. My housing hunting is not a typical one because I am quite familiar with Barcelona and how things usually work here. Please also try facebook, but please be careful with the authenticity.
6. Campus Facilities
There is a gym across the Esade BBA building, and the plan is around 120 euros for 4 months (with student discount). However, taking into consideration that many of you will believing in the city center, I would suggest having a membership in the gym in the city center, such as viva gym and Eurofitness.
7. Student events and clubs
Please consult official websites and the student association fair. There will be a lot of info. The popular clubs (exchange student friendly) are sports clubs and ESADEMUSICIAN.
There is a nominal international student association. However, despite forming the group chat before the beginning of the semester, it never showed up again.
8. Traveling Opportunities + . Language, Food, and Culture
I was pretty busy this semester with internship, so I did not travel a lot. Please see others’ post for more info. I do have some recommendations in tools for planning your trip in Europe as a resident here.
(1) Omio—for booking transportation
(2) Booking—for booking hotel
(3) Blablacar/Flixbus—for booking bus trips (pretty cheap options in travelling Europe)
(4) Google Map (pretty regular)
(5) Excel –for planning group trips (documenting everyone’s thoughts/ ideal travel place in the trip, make travel itinerary very clear and make the cost split very clear)
(6) Renfe (Spanish/ Europe train service)—I would recommend Omio, but same tickets are sometimes cheaper on Renfe.
Holidays: (only picking up a few typicals)
Merce –Fire runs; Fireworks; Human Tower (Please see official website for La Merce).
Semana Santa (Easter) — there is a food like coconut ball, very classical ; and regular chocolate eggs.
El Dia de Reyes – Candies on the ground!!! Best holiday for baby Sofia.
……………
Food:
Paella, Sangria, croquette, jamon iberia…….
Restaurant:
(1) Fismuler (2) Casa Amalia ………
Tourist Attratcion:
Sagrada Familia; Barceloneta; Tibidabo; Bunkers; Camp Nou ……
Clubs:
Razzmatazz, Bling Bling, Souton…..
Bars:
Paradiso ……..
Language:
Catalan, Spanish, English (Completely having no idea of Spanish is totally fine actually).
1. ESADE Business School
ESADE is a prestigious private higher-education institution located in Spain. It enjoys high reputation among native Spanish people because the students admitted are usually with academic excellence, diversified backgrounds, and financial soundness. The other famous and prestigious schools in Barcelona such as University of Barcelona, UPF and UAB are all public institutions. Therefore, from local people’s perspective, only intelligent and rich students went to ESADE (my local Spanish friend emphasizes “rich” lol, just a funfact here lol) From my personal perspective, ESADE is diversified in the scale of Europe, but not diversified enough as the institutions in US which really covers student profile across the world. The exchange student group is pretty well-diversified world-wide though. The instruction pattern is typical business school vibe –focus on practical application rather than the intensive theoretical knowledge. Although I am multitasking a lot (40-hour weekly internship + 22 ECTS credits + GMAT exam preparation + master application) , I still find the course work ok to handle with.
Esade is located in Sant Cugat, and you need to take a train from central Barcelona there. After taking off the train, you have to walk for 15 minutes to get to the school. It is quite tough in terms of transportation. If you can plan your course only in 2-3 days, you could enjoy the rest free days every week to explore the city and away from the torture of traveling to ESADE.
2. Visa Application
I did not apply for a visa. All I did was to send the scan of my residence permit to the ESADE Asian coordinator. As I previously applied for visa in South Korea for my another exchange in Paris in 2021, I may briefly offer some tips:
(1) Go to official Spain embassy website for information (please, please, official website is always the most important to check)
(2) Letter of Acceptance
(3) Certificate of funding (please check website for amount)
(4) Passport
(5) Insurance (please buy by yourself )
(6) Other documents required on official website
3. Cost and Expenses
I think Barcelona is way way way cheaper than other cities like Paris and Ann Arbor, and generally cheaper than Seoul in terms of everything (but especially for living expenses and goods price. Please pay attention to the official news for some discounts in terms of transportation. (e.g. 2022 September to 2022 December, most of the transportation card prices was cut to half). One important transportation card type is 3-month unlimited ride for the young (T-Joven) , which is priced for 80 euros prior to the above-mentioned period and 40 euros during that period.
4. Course Registration
There is a minimum credit requirement of 23 credits for exchange students from non-European Schools, and 27 credits for students from other European Schools. However, I think we could register for below 23 credits if we provide some proof to the coordinator. Please note that the coordinator is usually efficient in replying the email request, but there are many employee holidays in Spain. They will not reply to you request during their holiday.
(1) Intensive Spanish
The intensive Spanish course can only be registered at the first-round course bidding, and so as the extensive Spanish course. If you are interested in registering for either of the courses, you must do it in this round. There is no further negotiation to be added on to the courses if you miss out this opportunity, but chances are you could drop it after the period if you can provide some official proof and explanation. The intensive Spanish course lasts for a week, during which you take 4-hour classes every day. The course content is quite chill, but accordingly I do not think it helps a lot (it does help in reviewing the grammar).
(2) Basics of Investment Banking
Do not be scared on hearing the course name, the course is very easy to be honest, especially for the exam past, if you have taken Financial Management and Principles of Economics 2 (the macro one). This course is all about macro economics and different valuation methods and indexes. However, there is a section on the beginning of each class that we will discuss about market news. It is very helpful for formulating the habit and analytical ability in following up the market news if you aim for finance area. The Professor Alejandro is very very very nice. I really recommend you to take his course and put some efforts in it. You will benefit a lot.
(3) Merges and Acquisition
Do not be scared on hearing the course name, the course is very chill. It is not quantitative at all. Although it does cover some quantitative evaluation such as evaluating the synergies and creating the MBO model, those skills are not tested in the final exam. Evaluation is only based on final exam (40%), final project (40%) and participation (20%). The final exam includes only open-ended questions about the final projects. Therefore, you have to review others’ projects to answer the question. The basic concepts and terminologies are also essential, which will be easily gained at the beginning several session in the course. If you are interested in private equity, M&A section in banking, or consultants in M&A, this course is perfect. Once again, this course is a introductory level course in my opinion, because it is really not that hard. If you are not a complete traveler as an exchange student and interested in finance area, I really recommend this course.
(4) Real Estate Management
Do not be scared on hearing the course name, the course is very chill. The only quantitative thing you need to know is how to build the DCF. If you have studied Financial Management, this course would be a piece of cake. However, this course is also helpful and interesting because it gives you a lot of insights in real-estate industry. Participation takes 40% or 60%, and the rest was group projects.
(5) Family Business
Very interesting course and the professor is nice. I participated in the role play and it was really nice experience. I encourage all Asian students or KU students to be more active and braver in class participation in business school in western countries. To be honest, KU students are very smart and we can handle a lot of quantitative work. However, because of our culture, we may not feel very comfortable to speak in public at first (not mentioning doing role play in front of the whole class). The exchange is exactly the golden opportunity for you to exercise your public speaking ability, so don’t be shy! Even if you do not do it very well, first, the students around are all nice, nobody will laugh at you; Second, the next semester you will no longer be here! So nobody will remember the embarrassing moment. Being brave is not embarrassing!!!!!!! I learned this from my previous exchange in Umich in 2022 Spring, and I took advantage of my growth in ESADE. (In Umich, I really wanted to do role play in a Consulting course, but I was too shy and I was afraid my English is not business-fluent enough. However, I forced myself to raise my hand at least once every class in the second half of the semester, and I felt I really broke my limit! As a result, I did a perfect role play in Esade. Without the prior effort in Umich, I would not have been able to achieve this.) So making the first step is really really important!!!!!!!!!!Fighting!!!! KUBS students are global leaders and are the best!!! Trust yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, I introduced the dramatic story of Samsung Group family business in class, incorporating with the in-class knowledge, I think it helps in delivering the influence of South Korea. Yep, if you talk about family business, Samsung is definitely the well-known one. Because I study in South Korea, I gathered a lot of info about Samsung, and the exchange is the best opportunities for me to share this knowledge. I encourage every KU student to stand out and make some cultural communication.
(6) Reimagining Capitalism
Another course to bring your English-speaking ability live. I participated in several in-class debates, and it felt really really good!!!!! However, this course requires huge amount of reading (if you want to get good grades), so if you are a completely travelling exchange student, I think you should be careful in choosing this course. When I did my first exchange in IESEG, I was totally a travelling student, meaning that I prioritized everything but study. I know it is very hard for you to focus and do huge amounts of academic reading in this case if your schedule is fulfilled with travelling plans. If you do not read those average 20-page long prior reading, you will not be able to participate because a huge part of the in-class discussion is about the reading.
In general, the course at Esade is quite chill. Getting a good grade is not very hard, ahh, but depending on the definition of “good”. Please enjoy Barcelona more!!!!
5. Housing
The website of Idealista is very helpful in helping you find a housing (but basic Spanish may be required). Try the Esade forum as well. My housing hunting is not a typical one because I am quite familiar with Barcelona and how things usually work here. Please also try facebook, but please be careful with the authenticity.
6. Campus Facilities
There is a gym across the Esade BBA building, and the plan is around 120 euros for 4 months (with student discount). However, taking into consideration that many of you will believing in the city center, I would suggest having a membership in the gym in the city center, such as viva gym and Eurofitness.
7. Student events and clubs
Please consult official websites and the student association fair. There will be a lot of info. The popular clubs (exchange student friendly) are sports clubs and ESADEMUSICIAN.
There is a nominal international student association. However, despite forming the group chat before the beginning of the semester, it never showed up again.
8. Traveling Opportunities + . Language, Food, and Culture
I was pretty busy this semester with internship, so I did not travel a lot. Please see others’ post for more info. I do have some recommendations in tools for planning your trip in Europe as a resident here.
(1) Omio—for booking transportation
(2) Booking—for booking hotel
(3) Blablacar/Flixbus—for booking bus trips (pretty cheap options in travelling Europe)
(4) Google Map (pretty regular)
(5) Excel –for planning group trips (documenting everyone’s thoughts/ ideal travel place in the trip, make travel itinerary very clear and make the cost split very clear)
(6) Renfe (Spanish/ Europe train service)—I would recommend Omio, but same tickets are sometimes cheaper on Renfe.
Holidays: (only picking up a few typicals)
Merce –Fire runs; Fireworks; Human Tower (Please see official website for La Merce).
Semana Santa (Easter) — there is a food like coconut ball, very classical ; and regular chocolate eggs.
El Dia de Reyes – Candies on the ground!!! Best holiday for baby Sofia.
……………
Food:
Paella, Sangria, croquette, jamon iberia…….
Restaurant:
(1) Fismuler (2) Casa Amalia ………
Tourist Attratcion:
Sagrada Familia; Barceloneta; Tibidabo; Bunkers; Camp Nou ……
Clubs:
Razzmatazz, Bling Bling, Souton…..
Bars:
Paradiso ……..
Language:
Catalan, Spanish, English (Completely having no idea of Spanish is totally fine actually).
