Name: Anne Feijen
Exchange (Erasmus +study/traineeship): Erasmus study
Course year/post lauream: 2023-2024
Degree: Veterinary
Courses, exams, traineeship suggested/non suggested: traineeship; large animals, internal medicine, surgery large animals.
Support and welcome: there was a welcoming day in which the working of the university was explained followed by a nice drink in the campus garden.
Language difficulties: there were a lot of language difficulties. I think exchange students really have to be able to speak Italian. This is something the university should have demanded from the incoming students. I was only told 1 month before arriving that some professors are not able to speak English, but in fact there were a lot of students and professors with who I was not able to communicate because of the language barrier. The positive side of this is that I was forced to learn Italian and I am now going home with a little knowledge of the Italian language.
Accommodation and how easy was to find it: the accommodation is very expensive in Bologna. I found my accommodation online.
Transports: the public transport is well organized.
Integration with Italian students: most of the students are friendly and helpful.
Evaluation of courses and practices: the practical courses are nice, but sometimes a bit useless. A lot of the time the students have to watch the professors do everything so there is not a lot of practical training involved. The theoretical courses on the other hand were interesting. Although not every professor or teacher could speak English, they all tried to explain in easy Italian for me. I really appreciated this and felt very welcome.
PROS: this was a very nice experience and I met a lot of friendly people.