Audrey from Manila in the Philippines is a 2nd year student of the MA in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology in the Cesena Campus.
A career-oriented decision
My name is Audrey Antonio. I am a 2nd year master student of the Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (WOP-P) programme, and I come from Manila, Philippines.
I want to pursue a career in Human Resources and Organizational Consultancy. Therefore, I chose a programme that allowed me to hone my theoretical knowledge, skills, and competencies in the field of WOP psychology. Because WOP-P is an Erasmus Mundus program, I am exposed to international practices and experiences through mobility semesters and lectures from various professionals of different countries - this is already great, but, wait, it gets better. Here, I have the chance to entertain cross-cultural interactions with students and professionals within my program’s network. I aim to graduate this year and start immediately building my career as a professional in this field.
A vacation to Italy and then...
My primary reason for choosing to attend an Italian university is because of the country’s culture. A few years ago, I went on a vacation to Italy with my family, and we had a memorable experience. Everything about the country charmed us – its history, architecture, food, museums, etc. This vacation attracted and motivated me to pursue my postgraduate studies in Italy.
I chose to study in the University of Bologna because of the institution’s prestige and reputation. I was really impressed with the university’s accolades when I found numerous online resources that attested to the university’s quality education and student training. I also corresponded with some Italian friends from a previous exchange experience, and they gave me positive feedback about the university. Moreover, before coming here, I had never been to the Italian region where the university is, Emilia-Romagna.
Application and Enrolment
To prepare for my enrollment in the university, I had received a lot of support from my program’s student office, the segreteria studenti, and the international desk. I was able to correspond smoothly with these offices whenever I had inquiries. The documents they provided me were also well-detailed regarding the enrollment guidelines. The university’s websites were quite useful in providing helpful resources to prepare for my studies. Before arriving in Italy, I needed to visit the Italian Consulate and other important offices in my home country to translate some documents in Italian as this was a required step of the enrolment process.
Unibo cares about its international students
I liked my program’s structure with classes or courses specific to each branch of psychology in my field. The uniqueness of this programme, however, resides in the great amount of time spent in intensive group work. Compared to my prior educational experience, I learned to improve my time management skills while studying in my master’s program. By smartly managing my time, I was able to balance my different responsibilities and activities inside and outside the university.
I was fortunate to be awarded an Erasmus Mundus grant for my studies, and the grant was sufficient to fund my studies and stay for the entire duration of the programme.
The international desk is surely among the services I used the most, they helped and guided me in geting my permesso di soggiorno. In general, the university shows a lot of support and openness to international students. This is perceivable even in the smallest ways with actions that are designed to be inclusive. In these regards, the university lives up to its reputation as a home to students from all backgrounds.
During my first year, I always attended a study room conveniently located beside the Psychology building. Additionally, AlmaWifi is a service providing reliable Internet connection, which I needed sometimes during my classes and which I could also access in areas outside the classroom. In my opinion, all these services that the university provides are truly helpful for us international students, who are adapting to a new environment.
Life in Cesena
When I think about my early impressions of the city, I remember being immediately charmed by Cesena while I was on the car from the station to my accommodation. The city’s colours, in particular, struck me: they made me feel happy.
My first days in the city were also about adapting. My body clock did not immediately adjust to the time zone and I also needed to adapt to the city’s structure when buying my groceries and other needs. To better understand the city and the university system, I initially relied on the information provided by the international relations office as well as Google. But eventually, I became friends with my roommates and joined them in exploring the city and the university.
Here in Cesena, I relied on Ser.In.Ar., a partner of the University, to find accommodation, they were really helpful. During the first year, I lived in a so-called “Studentato” (a student residence), in which I had my own room, but the living area, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room were shared with 15 other international / Erasmus students. Thanks to this experience, I became good friend with my roommates and made good memories. However, during my second year, I felt ready to live on my onw so I opted for a “monolocale” (a studio apartment) with a private bathroom and a kitchenette.
When in Cesena...piadina and bikes!
In Cesena, you don’t need a car, as everything is within walking distance if you live in the city centre. If you need to get out of the city, public bus transport is a convenient option. This is a very livable city and it offers several bars and restaurants where students can socialize and taste Italian cuisine, regional food (like “piadina”, a type of flatbread), or American fast food and Asian fusion. What I like best about Cesena is the city centre: here you can find unique shops as well as beautiful "piazzas” surrounding the city’s cathedral and “La Rocca”.
In my first year, I went out with my roommates, who were all international exchange students, and my classmates and we enjoyed food, drinks, movies, and parties together. Whenever I was not busy with classes and studying, I liked travelling across the Emilia-Romagna region and around Italy as well as getting on and off trains of the national train system.
Quick Tips
The University of Bologna offers exciting opportunities for international students, so I would definitely recommend to fellow students grabbing the opportunity to study in this amazing university. Unibo’s global orientation spreads to its teaching activities as well as the services it provides and this makes it the right place for international students.
My tip to aspiring applicants of grants and/or scholarships is to research well and plan ahead for these opportunities. It will help to apply early, so you will have enough time to prepare your application documents.
Moreover, if you are considering Italy and/or Bologna/Cesena for your studies, I would advise you to be very open in your experiences. Besides what you can learn in class, the university provides you opportunities to grow personally by exploring a new culture and environment.
By living independently in a new country, you will certainly gain new skills and experiences as you adapt to a different lifestyle. At the same time, Italy is a great country to live in with its rich history, exciting landscapes, and delightful cuisine - eventually you’ll fall in love with it. I am proud to say that my experience at the University of Bologna has been truly life changing so far.
