Beatriz's Interview
PROFILE
Name Beatriz Surname Ferreira Nationality PORTUGAL Age 21
Sending University and followed year: PORTO 1st SEMESTER 4th Year
ErasmusVet EXPERIENCE
General Information
Erasmus+/Traineeship:Erasmus+ Period: 8th September- 14th February 2019
Before the arrival
1. Why did you decide to do an Erasmus Experience and to come to our University?
I was intentioned to do an Erasmus experience since my first year of university because it’s a fantastic opportunity to meet new people and to learn a new language.
I chose Italy firstly because I wanted to learn the Italian language, then also to know more about Italian kitchen, Italian people and the beautiful country. The University of Bologna just came up from other Portuguese student’s suggestions, there was a good equivalence between the subjects that I had to take in my University and the subjects in Bologna
Offices and bureaucracy
1. Did you have any problem with the bureaucracy, to communicate with our Erasmus Offices, to have the information that you needed about our University and our available courses? Did you have the right support from your Erasmus coordinator and professor? Yes, everyone had given me in time the right support and the answers that I needed.
2. Evaluate with a number from 1 to 10 the quality and the efficiency of our Erasmus Offices during the process: 9
3. Was it easy to choose the courses to follow in our University and to write the Learning Agreement? A kind of, we still had a kind of troubles with the traineeship practices, because we don’t have to do it in our University, but finally, we could manage it easily with the right correspondences.
4. Can you give some suggestions to solve some problems to the future Erasmus students? If the other students could avoid the subjects with the traineeship practices I think it would be better because it takes a lot of time do it together with the lectures and other exams.
Accommodation
- Where did you decide to live? In Ozzano or in Bologna? Why?
Ozzano, because It was the first place that we found, and it was difficult to find something in Bologna available only for 6 months. And because of the traineeship practices, it would be better to stay near the University.
2. Was it difficult for you to find accommodation?
It was more difficult to find it in Bologna, less difficult in Ozzano.
3. Can you give some suggestions to solve some problems for future Erasmus students? I would suggest starting to search for the accommodation with the right time before and to search it on websites and facebook groups and talking with people.
During the Erasmus Period
First days and Welcome
- Was it easy to gain confidence with the transportation, with the city and with the structure of our University? Yes, I had no problem.
- Did you feel welcome from our students, professors, and the citizens? Yes, everyone was really nice and tried to communicate
- Did you attend the Welcome day?
Yes, it was a nice way to get to know with the other Erasmus students and Italian students.
4. Did you have any considerable first impression (positive or negative) different from your country, your university and the way to live of your country’s citizens?
I think that Portugal and Italy are similar countries, the only one thing that I felt it’s that in our university exams and bureaucracy are more standardized and organized, but at the end, I can say: “Just go with it and everything would be fine. Let it be.”
Evaluation of associations and language difficulties
- Was it difficult for you to follow the lectures and the practices, considering language and timetable? It was hard mainly for the timetable, because I followed subjects from three years, about the language it was depending on the subjects, some teachers were really easy to follow some others less easy.
- Did you receive the help that you needed from students professors and student’s associations (IVSA/OMNIA/ESN)? Yes, they were very helpful.
Free time and Fun
- Did you have time to visit Bologna and other places around it? If yes, which one?
Yes, I went in 5 Terre, Genova, Milano, Verona,Venezia,Rimini,Firenze,Ferrara,Perugia
2. Did you do some party or chill event in Bologna or with our associations (Omnia/Ivsa/ ESN)? Did you enjoy it? Yes. I went to Bologna with other Erasmus friends and enjoyed it a lot
3. Did you visit some museum/ art expositions? Did you enjoy any cultural event? Did you do some excursion trip? No.
COST CONSIDERATION
1. Compared with your country, was the life here more or less expensive (Accommodation, daily life, transportation)? Did you receive some help contribute from your university/country? Was it enough to live here? It’s more expensive in Italy, I received an amount of money from the Erasmus program but I needed other money and I had to add it by myself.
AFTER THE ERASMUS PERIOD
1. At the end of this experience, are you in general satisfied with the choice of this university? Would you suggest to someone else this University? Yes, for sure.
2. Do you think did you do everything that you wanted to do? Do you have any regrets? I didn’t have time to go to Rome and Naples, so if I would suggest something to the others students, put fewer exams on the Learning Agreement and start to travel from the begging of the Erasmus experience.
3. Have this experience opened your mind and have it taught to you something new to your way to think? Yes, I think that I learned that it’s good to meet new people and to see different perspective, that there are a lot of realities, for example, I met people from Jerusalem and it was interesting to know the real point of view from them, it’s different from the things that we think to know.
4. If you want, tell me three best moments that will always be in your memory:
-Trips
-Wine
-Food
Date: Bologna 14/02/19
Evaluation of the followed courses
