We are talking to Joan Carles Canela, a fourth year student of the bachelor's degree in Political and Administration Sciences at UPF. This is the first time that he has participated at the Saló de l'Ensenyament education fair, where he is attending to secondary school students visiting the University stand.

-Why did you want to be one of the UPF representatives at the Saló de l'Ensenyament?

- I have always been involved in stalls for a thousand different things, but never one related with UPF. So when I saw on Campus Global a notice calling for people interested in participating in the fair, I thought it would be an interesting activity. I find that this fair is a good way for people to get the information they need to choose the studies they want to take, and that's very important.

-Have you been involved in any other activity organized by UPF?

- This is the first time I've collaborated with the University in an external promotion activity, but internally I took part in the first edition of the UPF Debating League and, besides, I also belong to some associative and union movements at the University.

-And what have you learned from your experience?

- I've seen that it's important to do everything you possibly can to get involved with any association or assembly within the University. At UPF, especially as it's located in the centre of Barcelona, there are a lot of people who come, attend class then go. They spend the four years of the degree as if they were going to school. But you can't get the feeling of belonging and knowing your university if you don't participate in anything.

-What is your role at the Saló de l'Ensenyament?

- Normally, the students participating split up according to the degree we are studying and talk to people about it, sharing our experience with them. But, although I am studying Political and Social Sciences, I've been given the job of explaining the Open Bachelor's Degree, which is a new programme that will taught at UPF as of the next academic year. Basically, it will allow you to take one year as a student at Pompeu Fabra University, but without being enrolled for any particular bachelor's degree. It will be very useful for people who are undecided because, as you will do subjects from different degrees, you will be able get a little taste of things and find out what studies you like most.

"The Open Bachelor's Degree will be very useful for people who are undecided because they will be able to get a little taste of things and find out what studies they like most"

-What is the most frequently asked question by visitors to the fair?

- The students tend to ask a lot about the difficulty of the studies or if the lecturers are too hard on you, for example. Whereas the parents are more interested in the recognition of the degree and the University, the price and scholarships, and things like that.

-If a secondary school student asked you what the UPF bachelor's degree in Political and Social Sciences consists of, how would you reply in a nutshell?

- I always say that the bachelor's degree in Political and Social Sciences is like the Humanities degree in the sense that, throughout the degree, you do a little bit of everything. Especially at the start, you do subjects that seem very different from one another, but they end up continually interrelating, like Economics, History, Law, Sociology, or Statistics. It is later, when you already have a very wide range of knowledge in the Social Sciences, that you specialize in International Relations, Public Administration, Citizenship and Participation, election issues, etc. It gives you a very broad knowledge base on the sciences of power and about how power is created, transformed and managed.

-What do you think is the most attractive aspect of this degree in the eyes of secondary school students?

- I think that, if they are motivated and have this vocation, which is always necessary, the degree will attract them by itself. It's clear that, as such a variety of topics are dealt with, there will always be some aspect of the degree that will interest you more than others. For example, I like politics at parliamentary level, but there are people who loathe it. The fact is that, whether you want to become a diplomat or work in an NGO, you need dedication and motivation.

-What career opportunities does a bachelor's degree in Political and Social Sciences offer?

-You can work in an embassy or in the public administration, dedicate yourself to teaching and research, or work in private advisory and consultancy firms. There are various openings, but it's you who have to make your own way.

-What most surprises you when you start to take this degree?

- When I first started, I thought that the class dynamics would be radically different from school. But it's not really the case; there is a certain continuity in this aspect. Perhaps what most surprised me is that here you don't learn at any time to become a politician, like most people might imagine. You learn to be a political scientist, which is different, but you aren't taught public speaking unless you do some activity outside of class.

-Now you're about to finish, how would you weigh up these four years?

- I've loved the experience and I'm very happy with the degree I chose, although I'll have to wait and see how things pan out in the future. It's only now that I realize that these four years have flown by. Perhaps I wasn't aware right from day one of the importance of doing work every day because, sometimes, if you don't get such a good mark as you could have during the first years, you end up paying the price if you need a high mark to go on to do a master's degree, for example.