“Why Unibo? High-quality teaching, strong institutional tradition and research orientation. What else do you need?”

I am Tareq from Lebanon, I study Service Management and Business Administration and I am in my second and last year. 

Why Unibo? High-quality teaching, strong institutional tradition and research orientation, what else do you need? 

For both my BA and MA, I chose the University of Bologna. Indeed, I spent three years studying at the international degree programme in International Tourism Management at the Rimini Campus. Frankly, choosing the University of Bologna was not a hard decision to make as this institution has a great reputation for delivering high-quality teaching, which has led this university to rank high among universities worldwide and to be the first in Italy. Moreover, the Alma Mater is the oldest university in Europe and provides a major contribution to research and development in several fields.

The application process at Unibo? A piece of cake 

Applying at the University Bologna was very easy and flexible. I created a student profile, from which I was able to upload all the relevant documents and complete the registration process swiftly. During this process, the online support as well as the course coordinators and director assisted me and were very kind and patient. 

Effective courses and good communication: the secret for a successful university path 

As I have been here for almost five years now, I have plenty of good memories and positive experiences with professors and teachers. The courses I attended were all very interesting and, more importantly, they are aimed to make students career-ready. Moreover, professors and tutors speak English very fluently; this contributes greatly to making communication clear and delivering the content of the courses effectively. I really appreciated this as it was a source of comfort and made me feel at ease with the new university and a new way of teaching. 

Rimini: a great place for enjoying life and receive a great education 

I remember my first days in Rimini with great joy. Rimini is a charming, beautiful city. I love its historical city centre and its seaside, so well organized and open. From the very first moment I set foot in Rimini, I had a good feeling about this city, I felt it could be a great place for enjoying life and receiving a great education. It turned out I was right.

In Rimini you have the chance of living in a medieval city with a strong presence of the Roman culture – indeed Roman ruins are exposed throughout the city and walking around the city is like going back to the past, being in another time, another dimension.  

Emilia-Romagna: the highest life-quality in Italy 

Life in Rimini is very nice, and its region, Emilia Romagna, is regarded as one of the best in Italy for its quality of life. On the other hand, Rimini is also a top tourist destination and is renowned worldwide for its many leisure activities along its Rivera overlooking the Adriatic Sea.  

During the summer, there are a lot of parties and seaside activities - for example, I like playing football or going to the gym, running by the beachside, or walking along Rimini’s boardwalk. Rimini gives off very active and positive vibes for being a small city. Rimini’s centre is always frolicking and lively and there’s always something fun to do in the city. Moreover, Rimini’s international community of Unibo students is not too large nor too small – the perfect size so that international students know each other and are close to one another.  

Financial help 

Receiving a scholarship represented a great help for me: I needed financial support. Without a scholarship, I would have needed a job. As I am the recipient of a scholarship that partly covers my fees, I do not need to stress about them. Getting all the documents ready to apply for the scholarship wasn’t easy. I mean, it’s hard the first time, but by the second time you apply, it gets easier.  

Services at Unibo are top-notch: Wi-Fi connections in many spots and accessible to all students, study rooms and the international desk. The latter in particular helped me whatever issue I was facing especially regarding documents or enrollment. 

Unibo managing Covid-19? GREAT JOB 

This pandemic has been hard on everyone. It has been particularly hard here in Italy, because of the high number of cases and deaths. However, amidst this worldwide crisis, the University of Bologna responded with great efficiency in limiting the dangers posed by this virus. Indeed, since the very early stages of the pandemic, Unibo transferred all teaching activities online, whereas other university had to suspend classes as they needed time to get organized for distance learning. The University of Bologna did not waist a second, and within two weeks from the declaration of health emergency 100% of the classes were carried out online. Needless to say, from my point of view, the benefits were huge: we, as students, did not lose or waste time. We carried on with our classes online and sat exams remotely - the system was very efficient, and I appreciated this immensely. 

Quick tips 

The University of Bologna offers a wide international programme catalogue, there is something suiting everyone’s ambition. What I would like to suggest to prospective international students is to be curious and imagine your life in Bologna Multicampus, your life, professionally and personally, could be great here.