Mohamed Ali is a Student Ambassador from Freetown, Sierra Leone,student of the international master’s degree programme in Digital Transformation Management in Cesena and Forlì Campus.
Published on 04 August 2023 | Africa
Hello, my name is Mohamed Alie Kamara! I am a second-year student of the international master’s degree programme in Digital Transformation Management - DTM (Department of Computer Science and Engineering – DISI, Cesena and Forlì campus) and I come from Freetown, Sierra Leone.
What motivated me to apply for Bologna’s DTM master’s programme was my desire to fill my skill gap on the practical use of computers and management tools that companies nowadays, especially after COVID-19, require.
The DTM master’s programme is very selective and requires a series of steps which involve submitting your bachelor’s degree certificate along with other compulsory documents. Concerning the application process, it was smooth because I could fulfil all the requirements: my language and programming proficiency were in place. In addition, the DTM Tutor was especially helpful in giving updates on every step of the application process.
Most of the time when it comes to pursuing higher education the greatest problem is funding, but the University of Bologna has worked so hard to make sure that money will not end your dreams of getting a better education. The University of Bologna offers scholarships based on your financial status through the regional office Ergo, which provides partial or full scholarships with 100% tuition waiver, accommodation in one of Ergo’s residences, a stipend more than enough to cover your expenses for books, transportation and meals.
I have been living in Cesena and studying in both the school of Economics/Management located in Forlì and the faculty of Architecture and engineering in Cesena. Cesena is a small town, everything is close, so you will not have difficulties going around while studying. The university is just 7-10 minutes away from the train station, five minutes from the centre by bike. It possible to go everywhere both on foot and bike!
Bologna on the other hand is quite different from what I had seen before, with its lively old buildings and lot of people. The moment I arrived in via Zamboni I realised that was the place I have always wanted to be, because students were going up and down from all different buildings of the university campus. It was amazing!
I already attended an Italian language course while doing my bachelor's degree, and when I moved to Cesena, I could already speak Italian. Cesena is a small and prevalently Italian speaking city, that is what gave me motivation to practice what I have learnt.
During my free time I go around the Emilia-Romagna Region with my bike, I really enjoy cycling! Sometimes I hang out with classmates and play ping pong at the Ergo Residenza La Torre which is just 1 min from the university campus.
If it is your first time studying in Italy and you have earned a bachelor's degree outside of the European university system, I advise you to contact the international desk for help since the documentation process varies for different nationalities. I will recommend to all students to study at the University of Bologna: itis a wonderful opportunity to meet different people from all around the world and studying at the oldest university of the western world!