Fall 2020's students tell us about their Study Abroad experience
In spite of the ongoing circumstances, with mobility constraints and health protocols because of the pandemic, Mohamed Mosbah and his classmates, Mohamed Abdelaziz, Xin Dong and Sebastiaan van der Voort, make a very positive balance of their stay at the UAB.
"We would recommend this experience to any student wishing to expand their horizons”, Mohamed Mosbah and Mohamed Abdelaziz, American University in Cairo (Egypt).
Last semester the Fall 2020 edition of the Study Abroad Pre-Established programme took place. Students from Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Egypt and China wanted to come to study in Barcelona, in spite of the global situation, attracted by the city, with both its cosmopolitan and Mediterranean character, and by a programme that allowed them to learn Spanish language and at the same time delve into business and politics studies from an intercultural point of view.
The students had the opportunity to start the programme with classroom-based tuition, although a change in the prevention protocol forced that most of the course had to be taught online. This fact did not lessen their enthusiasm for the courses or for the academic stay. Xin Dong, from Jilin International Studies University (China), comments: “I came to Barcelona wishing to improve my command of Spanish and I am succeeding. Now I can talk fluidly. I knew that coming to study in times of pandemics could mean having to follow the courses online and I am enjoying it very much either way. In addition, I can visit the city and enjoy it without a lot of people around and I am delighted.”
The fact that the number of students was less than usual has been an advantage for them: they remark that it made possible to get more individualised attention from teachers and to delve even better into the intercultural aspect of the studies. Sebastian Van der Voort, from the University of Leuven (Belgium), describes his experience: “studying business and economics at the UAB has allowed me to develop analytic, leadership and communication abilities, with the accent on the intercultural aspect.”
This is a point of view shared by Mohamed Mosbah and Mohamed Abdelaziz, Egyptian students from the American University in Cairo, who came to Barcelona wishing to be able to learn about their teachers and classmates' cultures. In their own words, “our expectations have been fulfilled. Studying at the Study Abroad programme has given us the opportunity to make friends in Europe from around the world. We would recommend this experience to any student wishing to expand their horizons.”