Advantages/disadvantages of attending university abroad (Spain)

[KatyMac]

I imagine there are lots; this has been raised as a possibility for my DD.

It's very speculative & there are loads of things I don't know but:

Advantages
It's Spain!
It's Barcelona!
It's exciting!
She'll learn about another counrty
She'll learn another language (properly)
It's amazing!

Disadvantages
No UK student finance
Presumably no Spanish finance
It's miles away - travel costs
Living in a big city
Another language - GCSE Spanish probably won't cut it
She won't build up the contacts in London that she would build up in the UK

Questions
Would she need health insurance?

umm so I guess it's a heart vs head thing but what haven't I thought of?

If she hasn't got the academic qualifications to apply for a degree here, how is she going to qualify for a degree in Spain, supposedly awarded by a British university? Put bluntly, it sounds like they have dumbed down the requirements to attract students and this will be obvious to future employers. There needs to be some advantage to studying abroad and this situation doesn't seem to offer that.

She has chosen to do vocational training which doesn't have UCAS points a similar course in the UK would have between 200 & 280 UCAS points - which if she had studied a BTec I'm sure she would have achieved

It's a good degree but with no funding it's impossible for her so she'll do the level 6 offer she has with funding

Sitges? It is the gay party capital. Of Spain. Excellent nightlife. Very noisy. And it is Catalunya, people speak Catalan.

Without doubt she'll have a great experience (I'm 50 miles south), but not sure academically.

She really should stay here if she actually wants to work! The offer she has from a well known performance college here trumps Spain in this field by a long way. The work contacts are here, not Spain. In her line of work, New York or London offer the greatest opportunities. I would definitely accept the best offer she has from here rather than thinking of sunshine and holidays.

I think the question to ask with a newish vocational course is if there will be a good turn out of agents at the shows/final showcase.
Well done to your DD for the offer though :)

Sorry that should have been vocational course ABROAD.

It was a nice idea but quite impractical

I work for a Design Academy in Spain that offers BA (Hons) degrees from a UK University. Our students have a unique and rewarding education that sets them apart from others in their field. Studying abroad gives our students an unique experience that sets them apart in the work force. Furthermore, the cultural experience of living in another country really makes a difference to their outlook on life. Please do give this opportunity due consideration.

How do your students fund their training?

Don't they seek Catalan in Barcelona, not Spanish?

Performing arts are very much about right place, right time opportunities. Rather more tricky inSpain.

As we have no funding for it - it's kind of immaterial now

But some of DD's contemporaries are trying to find funding to go