Escuela Universitaria de Diseño e Ingeniería de Barcelona - ELISAVA (reviews)

A counter-productive, one-sided approach to theory and the production of student work, and a draconian price tag for lacking, highly experimental education. Elisava is not at all what I expected it to be, seemingly going out of its way to make studying there much more difficult and expensive. On top of that, the people meant to help you figure out alternatives simply vanish mid-procedure. Zero follow-up. No assessment matrix despite asking many times, and the feedback given references completely random competencies.

Rules preventing students from producing their final work on location, rules that prohibit the use of “too much” paper during projects, rules regarding attendance of classes that kept changing throughout the first 3 months of my studies there. Finally, a lack of enthusiasm in introducing the students to the various facilities the university has to offer on the account of those being “very busy”. Completely unacceptable for that price.

I cannot wrap my head around an educational institution, with various production facilities as a selling point, sending people to outside production services around the city to produce their final work, just because of a misguided belief toward the use of paper and other materials on location.

Not at all worth entertaining this very confusing institution.

In summary: They have little concern about teaching design, it’s all about pretentious artistic conceptual nonsense that maybe looks cool but won’t get you anywhere outside of the bubble they have created.

Most of the colleagues that graduated are doing something completely different of what they have been taught there.

About 65% of the curriculum is just filler or some stuff that will look great in their advertising.

Really have to give them props as a business, as a university unfortunately not so much…

I really don’t like this experience.
If you don’t have a background in design it’s very difficult to participate in projects in Group B ( the one in which you can choose subjects)

I have been selected for that group and for all the course I felt useless and unmotivated, because I didn’t know how to move in that projects and no one helped me.

The lessons lasts usually 3 hours, in which the teacher go around the desk and helps you only 20 minutes for lesson.

It’s a waste of money.
I learned nothing.

Elisava is a great school to learn ways to convert ideas into reality. It shows a wide range of skills such as conceptualization, materials, referents… The best thing is the possibility to be in touch and work with people from other fields. Mixing up product, space, graphic and motion design.