Quynh Chi is a Student Ambassador from Vietnam and a student of the Master's degree in Italian Studies
Published on 27 August 2022 | Asia
Italy became my dream destination from the very first year of my Bachelor’s degree in Vietnam as I studied Italian linguistics and literature. I wanted to improve my Italian, to experience what is like to be a student abroad and to do research on political thinking. More specifically, I chose the University of Bologna after looking up university rankings and finding that UNIBO is one of the top universities. Then I joined the Associations of Vietnamese students in Italy, got in touch with some Vietnamese UNIBO students, who shared with me their experiences on studying and living in Bologna.
After that, it was the time of preparing all the documentation, which was something that always frightened me. Luckily, I received help both from UNI-ITALIA in Vietnam and the Italian General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City that supported me with visa procedures including translation services. Another service that came in very handy was the international desk, which helped me preparing all necessary documents during my first year and making an appointment for the resident permit. The enrolment procedure was practically done!
At the beginning of this journey, I felt very anxious. I was especially afraid to not find any place to stay, but I gathered information by watching some videos on YouTube and reading very carefully Unibo’s brochure and in the end I managed to do everything I needed, including finding an accommodation. Luckily, my first flatmates were from Bologna and they recommended me many places to visit and food to try. I now live with three roommates, and we get along with each other very well as we are very similar in terms of habits and personal characteristics. Two of them are Unibo students and one is a worker. Sometimes, they cook some Italian dishes and I make Vietnamese ones and then we have a dinner movie together.
Bologna is more relaxed and quite than my city in Vietnam of 10 million people and this made my time here more pleasant. It is a liveable city as I can find all the public services and entertainment that I need in this city. Bologna is not too big to require a car to move around and the bus systems is adequate to reach every part of the city. I love the architecture of Bologna, it looks like an ancient smart city because the infrastructures were built many years ago but they are still in use such as the porticoes, libraries, parks, and public gardens
I love the one-on-one debate between professors and students while sitting exams, which usually involve a paper written beforehand by the student and several questions posed by the professor on that paper on the day of the exam. At first, both parties are calm but then the discussion heats up until one comes to a satisfying conclusion. I also enjoy classes of Italian political thought: they are always rich in ideas and outcomes, like dreams in worldly life that set you free on immaginations.
I must say that I like the kind of peer pressure that can be found here as it spurs me to do better. My classmates are American, Australian, Canadian, Dutch, Indian, Chinese and from many more countries and they study and play hard which makes me be more active too.
The University of Bologna provides services and facilities to make a student's life easier. For example, I often go to study rooms and libraries, and I particularly love the Paleotti study room because it’s open until 12pm during weekdays. As a person who cannot concentrate at home, this is an ideal place. Moreover, during my studies, I could attend the Italian writing course beside two compulsory lessons of Italian.
Finally, I joined the Collegium Musicum in 2019 and I loved it! I highly recommend it for those who love singing and playing music.
I would definitely recommend the University of Bologna to other fellow students: it’s a prestigious University, its teaching activities and support services make international students like me integrate better with the student life of Bologna and the city has a friendly feel to international students.
I would advise to learn a bit of Italian before coming here so that you can enjoy the Italian language courses offered by UNIBO and move around the city easier. If you are not sure about somethings, make some research on Unibo’s website and send an email to the offices which are in charge for it. You can join to the group of international students in UNIBO and the groups of students from your countries in Bologna. I think it’s very helpful for integrate better!