Escuela Superior De Administracion Y Direccion De Empresas (ESADE)

Located in Barcelona, Spain, ESADE (The Escola Superior d’Administració I Direcció d’Empresas) is one of the top business schools in the world. It runs the ESADE Business School, ESADE Law School, and the ESADE Executive Language Center and has centers in Barcelona, Madrid, and Buenos Aires. Founded in 1958 by a group of professionals and entrepreneurs, ESADE today hosts around 8,500 students in law and business programs.

School's Main Website | Exchange Student Website | International Students Website

GPA requirement:

N/A. You must be in good academic standing and have completed at least 2 years of university study.

Language of instruction:

Spanish, English

Courses:

Course descriptions can be found in respective college’s webpage.

Spanish language courses
If you are a non-native Spanish speaker interested in a program taught in Spanish, you must demonstrate your proficiency in Spanish (B2 level or higher). ESADE also offers optional two-week Spanish courses before the start of each semester for exchange students. Admitted students will receive more information from ESADE about how to apply for these courses.

Course registration process:

Once you have been admitted into the program, you can register for courses before the academic term starts. Course Enrollment is done online via the school’s intranet program, MyESADE. Fall term students register in July, while spring term students register in October and November.

Flying Chalks’ tip: Register for classes ASAP! The sooner you register, the better the chances of getting the classes you want.

Attendance policy:

Attendance is mandatory. Exchange students are strongly encouraged to stay until the end of the scheduled exam period, as no special dates for exams can be arranged.  

Campus map:

ESADE's campus map can be found here!

ESADE also has a second Barcelona campus in the nearby city of Sant Cugat that can be found here!

Selected facilities:

Nearly everything you might need during your stay in Barcelona is available on ESADE’s main Pedralbes campus, including restaurants, an optician, a pharmacy, a gym, and even a travel agent and a hairdresser! There are also residence halls, libraries, and the ESADECREAPOLIS creativity park to help companies get their creative ideas off the ground.

Gymnasium
The gym opens from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Flying Chalks’ tip: For detailed information about opening hours for student facilities, connect to the ESADE Intranet with your ESADE e-mail address. Go to the “Campus: Edificios, servicios, y horarios” section. Opening hours vary with season, day of the week, and building.

Food on campus:

ESADE’s main campus has a handful of places to get food, including Gilda Restaurant, billed as a “flex-casual restaurant”, and Aramark Cafeteria. Three of them are located around the university building area. If you want different experience and want to go outside the university area, you can go to Brunch & Cake for brunch. You can also try Caravelle which is an Aussie Café and Teresa Carles and Flax and Kale which are two veggie restaurants that do amazing food. If you are on the rush to school, you can head out to Sarra Jodia to grab some delicious bread, coffee, muffins, etc. For the coffee lovers, you can go to Nomad Coffee which serves the best coffee in Spain. If you want relatively cheaper food, Supermarkets there sell really good yet cheap food. One of the recommended supermarkets that sell food are Bonpreu.

Flying Chalks’ tip: Gilda is located at the ESADECREAPOLIS, while you can find Aramark Cafeteria near the main university building close to the full-time MBA building.

Campus transportation:

There is plenty of public transportation available to get to and from the ESADE campus (covered in the transportation section). The campus itself is small enough to get around by foot.

ESADE was founded by a group of businessmen who loved the entrepreneurial spirit, and that spirit is still going strong today. With a focus on international work, there’s a thriving community of current and former that are fascinated by innovation, teamwork, and entrepreneurship.

On top of that, Barcelona is a highly popular destination for exchange students from all over the world because of its cultural offerings. Hence, it is also relatively easy to get involved with an international community. Try checking out student groups at your school to meet more exchange and local students. You will get a lot not only out of your coursework, but out of living in a dynamic cultural capital as well.

Orientation program:

Before your program starts, there will be an optional orientation week for all new students (early September for fall students and mid-January for spring students). There is a mandatory welcome session as well.

Buddy program:

The university runs a buddy program to help students get used to the university setting and environment. Your buddy will be able to help you out with any questions or concerns you have about studying at ESADE and living in Barcelona. To sign up for the buddy program, get in touch with the MBASA (Esade’s MBA Student Association),a student-run organization who will match you with a buddy. You can find more about it here!

Student clubs:

Popular clubs at ESADE include the CIEE (International Student Committee), the Community for European Management Schools, the E3 Initiative Entrepreneurship Club, the Finance and Economy Group, and the iGreen club which focused on green business. They also have an extensive alumni network across the globe.

Find more information about ESADE’s student clubs here!

University events:

Throughout the year, ESADE holds many talks on engaging topics with important speakers. They also have special courses, guided tours of local businesses, an alumni conference, book presentations, and charity events. For new students, make sure to go to the Welcome Week, a great opportunity to hit the ground running and get to know other students who are on the same journey.  

Pedralbes, where ESADE’s main campus is located, is one of the most highly desired residential neighborhoods in Barcelona. The campus is near to a major university area in the city, as well as the Royal Palace of Pedralbes and the Pedralbes Monastery (home to an impressive art collection). The area is also surrounded by parks and gardens, making it a pleasant place to live and study.

For food:

The area around ESADE has a handful of good restaurants (like Bar Tomas, famous for its ‘patatas bravas’), but you might find more food options in livelier neighborhoods like the nearby Gràcia district or the city center. Head for one of the squares and pull up a chair at an outdoor table when the weather is good.

Flying Chalks’ recommendations:

• A few restaurant recommendations for traditional Spanish food include La Fonda, La Flauta, and Ciudad Condal.

• Try eating at El Pinotxo stand inside the Boqueria market as well if you get a chance.

For nightlife and entertainment:

The upper area of Barcelona where ESADE is located is home to some of the city’s swankiest nightclubs. The hottest nightlife in the area is found around Carrer Tusset, which is home to popular clubs Sutton and Bling Bling. A number of bars have also sprung up around the area, which tends to be filled with partygoers nearly any day of the week. 

The area around Marina metro stop is also a popular area for students to go to, as is the Gothic Quarter.

For daily necessities and groceries:

There are quite a few different supermarket chains that operate in Barcelona. Mercadona, Consum, Dia, and Caprabo are all popular options. Most supermarkets are closed on Sundays, except the OpenCor or SuperCor stores and local off-license shops.

The nearest supermarket to the ESADE campus is Condis, which is located close to the Palau Reial metro stop on the Carrer de Trias I Giró.

The lowest-priced supermarket is generally Dia. Mercadona is also reasonably-priced and offers noticeably better quality products than Dia.

For shopping:

The nearest shopping center to ESADE’s main campus is the L’Illa Diagonal Shopping Center. It contains both luxury and high street brands, so you can nearly find just about anything you need there. There is also a market with a range of food stalls in the lower level of the shopping center that makes for a great place to have a snack or meal. 

If you would rather go to the city center instead, try streets Passeig de Gràcia or Portal de l’Àngel, which are both filled with a huge range of shops. 

The Barcelona El Prat Airport offers train, metro, bus, and taxi services to get people to and from the airport.

1. The train system Renfe operates a “Cercanias” line that takes about 30 minutes to the city center. It leaves approximately every half-hour from Terminal 2. If you are arriving at Terminal 1 (many long-haul international flights do), you will need to take a shuttle bus to get to Terminal 2. The train stops at Sants Estació and Passeig de Gràcia. A one-way train ticket from the airport to the city center costs €4.50.

2. The metro service recently opened up a line that goes to the airport (line 9). There is a supplemental fee to get to and from the airport, so be careful not to use regular metro tickets or you could face a fine. A one-way metro ticket from the airport to the city center costs €4.50.

3. The Aerobus departs regularly from both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The bus stops at Plaça Espanya, Carrer de Urgell, Plaça Universitat, and Plaça Catalunya. The last Aerobus of the night leaves at 1 a.m. A one-way Aerobus ticket from the airport to the city center costs €5.90.

All of the public transportation options will leave you in the city center. From there, you will need to get to ESADE. The metro (stop: Maria Cristina), the FGC railway (stop: Reina Elisenda) and the bus (lines 78, 63, 75, 22, and 64) will all get you there. You can also arrange a taxi.

Flying Chalks’ tip: If you need to get to or from the airport between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., there is a night bus (N17 and N16). The night bus service takes longer than the regular bus, so build in extra time when planning your trip.

A taxi to the city center of Barcelona will costs about €25-€30 and take from 15-20 minutes. There are taxis available at all hours. Consider arranging to share a taxi with a few other students.