VIAGGI STUDIO: A VOICE FROM SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

This is the kind of experience they make you do in an english university for an aerospace engineering course. Maybe you won't believe it, but I was piloting that plane.

I’m an Italian 19 years old boy, and I’ve just started university in United Kingdom in the city of Swansea. I spent my last two years of school in North England doing a diploma called IB (International Baccalaureate). The reason I chose to finish my diploma in England rather than in Italy is for three main reasons: learning English, trying a different method of studying and finally meeting people from all over the world. I can say that my experience was a complete success: even thought I started the first year knowing no English, in 2 months I could understand almost everything, and by the end of the first year I could say that I knew the English language very well. About the new study method I was very pleased as well: I enjoyed studying in England more than studying in Italy. In fact here the relationship student-teacher was much nicer, and the way we were though was more interesting and kept us most of time involved in the lessons. Also the fact that many of the grades we had to receive were gained by other things (sports, volunteering, research on interesting topics I have personally chosen in the Diploma and flight experiences and simulations at University)  than just studying was very nice. Basically I can say that English school, compared to Italian ones, don’t focus just on making you a good student, but they also try to make you a good person by keeping you in a friendly environment and, in a way, by trying to teach you how to live. Also my last aim, meeting people from different countries, was achieved. I met students from all over the world and I think that really gave me the chance to understand how people of different cultures are. Having international friends was really nice and interesting.

But why did I stay in UK also for university? For the same reasons. In fact also the universities in UK allow you to live such a wide and broad experience, making you not just studying, but enjoying your course, maybe with assignments that don’t just test your knowledge, but that make you understand which kind of person you are, and what your role could be in your future job. This is actually really important: English universities prepare you to the real world of work, so that when you get your job you don’t simply know things, but you know how to use your knowledge and apply it while working.

If I could go back 3 years, would I choose again to come to England? Yes, always! I’ll never regret my choice of coming here. So far I can say this was, and still is, the best experience of my life.

from Freddy our Baldeagleblog travel agent in Swansea