Master's Degree in Barcelona: the Story of Marusi's Relocation
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
I fell in love with Barcelona when I was in high school. I stumbled across Gaudi's gingerbread houses on the internet and they captured my imagination! I started looking for more information about the city. It turned out that Barcelona not only had crazy architecture, but also the sea, mountains, constant sunshine and a mild Mediterranean climate. Not a city, but a dream!
Then I began to take small steps towards the object of my affection: I listened to Spanish songs, watched videos about Barcelona and dreamed of meeting him. At the time, it seemed unreal. I came to Barcelona for the first time when I was 20. We were on holiday with my family in Calella, a resort town about an hour's drive from the Catalan capital. I remember feeling an incredible sense of freedom and inner excitement. There was not a drop of fear: I walked around the ever festive Barcelona and felt like a fish in water. I could already communicate a little in Spanish, which I had chosen as a second foreign language at my Belarusian university. I enjoyed practising the language at every opportunity!
Then I decided to return to Barcelona, but not as a tourist. After 4 years, everything worked out!
MASTER'S DEGREE AND MOVE TO THE CITY OF PALM TREES
I have to be honest, the move was not very easy for me, and not straight away. I was living in Minsk, working as a project manager in a Belarusian IT company, earning good money and travelling. My life was settling into a rut of comfortable stability. But I still lacked drive. I was tempted by the opportunity to live in another country and gain international experience through study and work. Spain was still on my mind.
In terms of documentation, moving to Spain on a long-term student visa is probably the easiest, cheapest and most tried and tested way. It is much cooler if you move immediately on a work invitation, but that was not my case, so I started looking for an educational institution, in particular I was interested in a Master's programme that would allow me to combine my work (which I left remotely) with classes. My choice fell on the UAB (Autonomous University of Barcelona), which, together with the UB (University of Barcelona), is the top-ranked local educational institution. I chose Online Marketing and Communication as my major.
BARCELONA MASTER'S DEGREE: WHAT AND HOW
In order to apply for a Master's programme, I had to write a letter of motivation explaining my choice and the relevance of the programme to my current job or previous studies. I wrote it in English. At the same time, I chose to study in Spanish, even though I had not practised it for a few years. In the end, it was not the easiest, but it was the most effective way to speak Spanish quickly.
I was the only non-native speaker in my group: my classmates were mostly from Latin America and different regions of Spain. My studies lasted only one year (the classes themselves), plus six months for my thesis project. The timetable was designed for working students, of which we were the majority: we studied on Friday evenings after work and half a day on Saturdays.
DIFFERENCES OF THE SPANISH MASTER'S PROGRAMME
Perhaps the first thing that gave me a culture shock was the complete absence of barriers in the chain of student-teacher relationships. Everything here is on a first-name basis, the teacher can sit on his desk, wiggle his leg and start explaining the material to you. You immediately get the feeling that he is your friend. This feeling lasted until the last day, which was new to me, but very pleasant.
In all this Spanish informality, there are also certain disadvantages, such as the poor organisation of many processes, the tendency to put everything off until tomorrow and, in general, not to worry about anything (no pasa nada). At the same time, I would like to highlight the practical approach to training: lots of group and individual projects, teaching staff of successful marketers and advertisers from local agencies and international companies.
Separately, I would like to mention the organisation of the dissertation project and the work with the supervisor, with whom we used to Skype in the evenings and chat for 10 minutes about life and then smoothly move on to work issues. By the way, the supervisor himself was not always on time with the chapter reviews.... Spaniards are so Spanish!
CONCLUSIONS AFTER THE BARCELONA MASTER'S PROGRAMME
In my opinion, investing in a Spanish education is not a wise choice, unless it's an MBA (and that's far from the case). I can't say that I was thrilled with my Master's and would recommend it. It's very important to understand what your goal is, and if your main goal is to move, I would advise you to just start with the language courses, as extending your Master's documents has a lot of pitfalls, but that's another story about the backward bureaucratic side of moving.
8 TIPS FOR THOSE APPLYING TO THE MAGISTRATURA IN BARCELONA
Overall, from my own experience of studying in Spain, I would give some advice if you are considering doing a Master's here:
1. Choose a university responsibly - its description, rating, reviews. Google will help you!
2. Make a list of the institutions you like best and narrow down your search by areas of interest.
3. When choosing your Master's degree or specialisation, think in advance about how you can justify your choice in your motivation letter, and how much you really like this direction and how it suits you, taking into account your past experience and current employment (if any).
4. Bear in mind that studying in the UK is usually a little more expensive than studying in Spain and is more likely to be in private universities/schools.
5. Think in advance about the language in which you will be studying - this will immediately narrow down your search considerably, as public institutions tend to teach mainly in Spanish/Catalan. Depending on the university's requirements, make sure you have a certificate of the appropriate language level (again, if required).
6. Studying in English in Barcelona tends to be slightly more expensive than studying in Spanish and is more likely to be in private universities/schools.
7. On a student visa you can legally work up to 20 hours a week - the easiest way is to find an internship and arrange it from the university with a company you are interested in (often the universities themselves will offer you work opportunities during your studies, ask your supervisor about this).
8. Don't be afraid of anything! Studying in Spain is a fascinating and unforgettable experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
WHAT I'M DOING IN BARCELONA NOW
During my studies, I found a local internship at an online sunglasses shop with a physical showroom in Barcelona and started working as an SMM specialist (I managed the social media and blog on the website). It was a part-time job for 4 hours a day.
I am currently working there as well. At the same time, I do freelance work (mostly translations), run my own Telegram channel about Barcelona and Spanish life, do yoga, learn Catalan and explore Spain. It's so different!
