“Doing an exchange has been the best experience of my life”, confesses Andrea Basseda, a student on the bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication at UPF, when asked about her five-month stay at Ateneo de Manila University (Philippines). “Spectacular; I have no other words to define it”, she adds enthusiastically while explaining that she stayed in the country throughout the summer. The opposite direction was taken by Lasse Timm, who came to Barcelona two months ago from the University of Maastricht (Netherlands), where he is studying International Business, to do an Erasmus at UPF. “I chose UPF because it has a similar teaching and learning style to my university. All in all, it has helped me to adapt more easily to a different work environment and I think it should be the same for students of the Pompeu who decide to go to Maastricht”.

Andrea and Lasse are two of the 1,100 students who participated between 11 and 15 November in the latest edition of the UPF International Days, organized annually to promote international mobility stays for students. In addition to informing about the different calls and grants available, this edition sought to go a step further and showcase all UPF initiatives related to internationalization, through a wide agenda of informational sessions, recreational activities and dialogue and exchange between students with experience of or an interest in international mobility programmes. The initiative coincides with the start of the call for applications for grants to do an international mobility stay next year, either via the EU Erasmus programme (for academic studies or internships) or the various bilateral agreements that UPF has in place with various universities around the world.

 

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One of the main novelties of this edition is the International Meeting Point, involving some thirty people including UPF students who have done stays abroad, like Andrea, and students from other countries who have come to UPF to complete their studies, like Lasse. All of them shared their experience with small five-minute pills in the courtyard of the Roger de Llúria building, on the Ciutadella campus, which was transformed for two hours into a community space where first- and second-year students of different UPF studies could learn, first-hand, the advantages of studying in another country, conversing with other students, clearing up doubts and establishing contact networks with others who have already studied abroad.

Jan Téllez, a student of Journalism, after an international stay in the US: “Living for a while in another country is a vital experience and allows you to develop a global vision of the world”

“Singapore is an expensive country”, Gereon Chan replies to some UPF students who are interested in going to Singapore Management University, where he is studying the bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business. “I would recommend looking for accommodation in advance; if you do it in a rush, prices can be exorbitant”, says Chan, who, since September, has been studying his last academic year in Barcelona. For his part, Jan Téllez, a student of the bachelor’s degree in Journalism, did an exchange in the first semester of 2023 at Boston College in Massachusetts, in the United States. Téllez describes his international stay as “a vital experience” and encourages undecided students to study abroad “to get out of their comfort zone and gain a global vision of the world”.

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In addition to the International Meeting Point, the three UPF campuses hosted ten briefings, as well as the session on Erasmus internships given by the University’s Career Service, which offers guidance to students regarding their future educational training and working life. All sessions were guided by the Mobility and Reception Office, which is responsible for providing support to UPF students who want to study abroad or to those coming to the Pompeu from abroad; the mobility coordinators and staff of the academic secretariats of the different faculties.

Recording of a live podcast with two alumni with international experience, for the Diari de Barcelona newspaper

Albert Martínez, a graduate in Advertising and Public Relations, and Mireia Dilmé, a graduate in Business Management and Administration, are two UPF alumni who have experienced international stays. They also participated in one of the new activities of this edition of the International Days: the live recording of a podcast, organized by the Diari de Barcelona newspaper on the Poblenou campus. A dozen attendees listened to the testimonies of the two students, who explained how a stay abroad during their course was the springboard to professional careers marked by success and internationalization.

Mireia Dilmé, UPF alumni: “Take the opportunity to do subjects and activities outside the curriculum; you never know how it might leave its mark on you”

“When you go to another country, you’re constantly learning. Both inside and outside the classroom”, reflects Martínez, who did two stays in Europe during the years he was associated with UPF. His first academic Erasmus was in Aarhus (Denmark), encouraged by the recommendations of other students of Advertising and Public Relations. “At the beginning there is a lot of uncertainty, but that’s necessary and normal. Everything seems new, intense and full of opportunities to grow”, the guest adds. Taking this first experience as a benchmark, Martínez did a second Erasmus in the Belfast (United Kingdom), which helped with his “personal and professional learning”. He currently lives and works in New York, where he has developed a career linked to cultural and business management as head of strategy and planning for a major dance company.

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Mireia Dilmé participated in her second year in the “Global Cities” exchange programme at the University of California in Los Angeles. “Take the opportunity to do subjects and activities outside the curriculum; you never know how it might leave its mark on you”, she concludes, addressing the audience. In the last year of her degree she did a second international stay at Harvard University, where she discovered her interest in “innovation and technological management”. She is now part of the Google team that manages Google Cloud Consulting software and telecommutes from Catalonia.

What opportunities does the EUTOPIA alliance of universities offer students?

During the International Days, many of the opportunities made available to students by the EUTOPIA alliance of universities, of which UPF is a part, were presented. The EUTOPIA Office team at UPF shared initiatives such as the Ideas Club, a multilingual discussion space targeting students to increase awareness of European values through knowledge and raising awareness of intercultural differences; and the Student Hackathons, which provide them with the opportunity to collaborate with companies and solve real challenges. Also participating in the International Days were associations like the UPF Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which is dedicated to offering support to students doing an Erasmus programme at the University with the collaboration of local UPF students.

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Discover books, films or typical dishes of other countries

In a corner of the Library/CRAI of the Ciutadella campus, Laura, a fourth-year student of the bachelor’s degree in Journalism, explores the books on display in the exhibition “Around the world in 80 days”. Together with the exhibition “Around the world in 80 films” at the Library/CRAI of the Poblenou campus, these displays complete the cultural offer of the International Days with the most representative literary and cinematographic works of each country. Engrossed in the book Primera Sang by the Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb, Laura comments: “Looks interesting, I’ll take it”.

A few metres from the Ciutadella library is the dining room of the campus bar. It’s Thursday and a board in the dining room announces one of the thematic menus that the service has prepared for this international week. “Norwegian-themed menu: main course, fiskeboller (fishballs) and for dessert, lefse (potato pancake)” – can be read. Some students are daring enough to try unfamiliar flavours, although Laura would prefer a pepperoni pizza.

“I’m going to Prague on an Erasmus next year for five months”, she says, enjoying every morsel. “I have had to extend my studies by one year, but I think the experience of going abroad will be highly rewarding”. Like her, more than a thousand UPF students are currently doing a mobility stay abroad and almost 900 from other countries are spending at least one term at the Pompeu. These figures place the University at the top of the mobility rankings.