Hello everyone. I'm trying to find out whether Madrid or Barcelona would be a better choice to do mba.. 3 of the 4 accredited business schools are in Barcelona, but i'm told that it might not be the best place to learn Spanish or Castilian.. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these two cities for an mba student? Thanks in advance for your help :)

You have very good schools in both cities:
Schools ranked internationally are in Barcelona IESE and ESADE, and in Madrid IE.
Did you read all the posts here in the forum? There is a lot of information!!
You will learn Spanish in both cities, the Catalans speak Spanish, but it's true that they speak their own language among themselves, that's a hassle! Because Catalan is really of no use anywhere else...
Both cities are quite expensive compared to other Spanish cities, I think Barcelona even slightly more.
Besides, Madrid is not at the seaside, but Barcelona is, and in summer its very hot ;)

Katalina, just a suggestion, also EADA is ranked in Barcelona, not only ESADE and IESE. look at the Economist intelligence unit.

http://store.eiu.com/index.asp?layout=pr_story&press_id=1460001946&ref=pr_list

Thank you Katalina...

One thing to add maybe, Cigdem: There is this this hype about Barcelona, everyone wants to go there - Barcelona is perceived from foreigner as the "cool" place, not Madrid. I am not sure if this weighs in favour or against Barcelona...

You should compare study possiblities in accordance of what you want. But then, why don't you apply to schools in both cities go there yourself to get a clear picture? I will do that for sure!

If you plan to stay in the city after completion of your MBA you may have better chances in Madrid. Though arguably less cosmopolitan, the majority of multi-nationals do have a presence in Madrid. Barcelona, on the other hand, may be a better place for a global experience given the large numbers of foreigners in the city and it is certainly the "it" city today. Both are great locations.