To take everything I have learned back to Mexico and apply it.

Frida Godinez of International Trade is taking the January - July semester at the University of Oviedo, Spain.

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Yes

Did you think you would go to live and study abroad in your first semester? From the beginning I had the illusion of going for a semester.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
I was driven by seeing how they live in other countries and the way they see our country and I wanted to live all the experiences you have when you leave your comfort zone.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
Because I had visited Spain before and it is one of my favorite countries.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
I am very happy and excited to return to Spain and start a new stage in my life.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
Very good, they were very attentive.

What will you miss most about Mexico?
Without a doubt my family, friends and the food.

What about the Uni?
To the teachers and the form of the classes.

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
Traveling and learning about new cultures and meeting new people.

And the hardest part?
Arriving in a new city where you don't know anything or anyone.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
I hope to grow and learn from this new stage in which I am on my own for the first time and take everything I have learned to Mexico and apply it.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Totally, it's something we all have to do and go through in our lives.

Internationalization will always open your mind

Internationalization will always open your mind

María Paula González is studying Gastronomy and from the University of Lleida, Spain, she tells us how she has lived this experience that the Uni scholarships have given her:

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Yes, it was one of the reasons why I stayed to study at Uni after being in high school as well.

Did you think you would go to live and study abroad?
It was always in my plans to go with this program but I never thought I would actually have the opportunity to do it.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
Yes, but not for more than 2 months.

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
Mainly because of my career, since studying gastronomy always means discovering and learning new things; and there is no better way to gain culinary experience than traveling.
Besides that, I always knew that getting out of the routine and living experiences like this make you grow as a person.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
Being one of the destinations in Europe that the Uni had, I thought it was the best option to have more ease to travel and see many places, and also because of the opinions of students who had already been in Lleida.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
At the beginning I was not so happy and I was afraid of not adapting, leaving your home is difficult and the feelings are too many. Although it was in Spain, Lleida is in Catalonia, so the classes were in Catalan and I didn't understand anything. I really didn't know what was waiting for me.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
In the internationalization office they have been very kind and have given me a lot of security with all that fear of entering a new school. Despite having to deal with more than 180 students of more than 20 nationalities, they always have a personal touch and enough time to assist you and help you with whatever you need.

What will you miss most about Mexico?
Without a doubt, the food. Studying gastronomy has made it a little easier for me to live alone and I love to try new things, plus Spanish food is one of my favorites, but there is nothing like Mexican food.
I also missed my family and friends a lot but I could talk to them every day, so I was always close in some way.

What about the Uni?
My cooking classes more than anything else; in Lleida there is no career as such, so all my classes were theoretical. Also to my teachers, in the Uni all have an individual treatment with the student and in Lleida there was sometimes no way to reach an agreement or get an advice, because there were classes in which there were more than 90 students.

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
All the friendships I formed.
Studies, responsibilities and travel are an up and down of emotions and feelings every day that you are away, but to see that the group of strangers you arrived with are now like your family is something incredible.

And the hardest part?
The hardest part of living such an incredible experience is learning to say goodbye.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
Going on exchange changes you for life, I think that after this experience I learned things that I could not explain. Learning to live alone, living in another country and leaving your routine makes you grow as a person, it teaches you to value and be responsible. And the best of all is that whatever career you study, internationalization will always open your mind in a way that will open many doors for you in the future.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
If you have the opportunity to go and live this experience, don't think about it. You are going to live the best experience of your life.
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Internationalization will always open your mind

Learn about entrepreneurship in Barcelona.

Course at UAB Spain

As part of the business diploma course at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, our students visited Betahaus Barcelonalocated in the neighborhood of Gracia, a coworking company that offers workspaces for entrepreneurs and professionals. Most of them work in the areas of design, information technology and marketing.

Betahaus not only offers the space, but to be part of a community of mutual support, exchange of ideas and networking.

In addition to the visit, there were three presentations by entrepreneurs and executives.

Quim Zurano. Founder of the Quids app that allows to generate contact groups of parents from school groups.

Attiya Abdulghany. Founder of the digital marketing company Oliver + sons which is dedicated to the development of digital business strategies.

Marta Olszewska. Marketing leader of Piktochart which is a digital tools company for the development of infographics.

The students gained a deeper understanding of the start-up process and the close contact with experienced entrepreneurs was motivating.

The visit was the initiative of Anna Zelno, a consultant specialized in the development of multicultural competencies, who was a trainer in the first module.

 

Makes you a better person

Diego Rodriguez is a student of Automotive Engineering, he obtained the scholarship to study in Brazil.

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Yes

Did you think you would go live and study abroad in your first semester?
No

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
Curiosity to learn about cultural and labor differences in other countries

Why did you decide to study in that country?
Language (Portuguese)

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
Excited and nervous

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
Excellent

What will you miss most about Mexico?
Food and my family

What about the Uni?
My colleagues and teachers

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
Get to know the work and social culture, make new friends, etc.

And the hardest part?
Saying goodbye to my new friends

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
I hope that students will be able to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the university to study abroad.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Yes, definitely! It makes you a better person in every way.

Al principio no lo creía

Rocío Aguilar estudia Nutrición en la Uni y tuvo la oportunidad de ir a Lleida a realizar la doble titulación internacional. Aquí nos cuenta algo de su experiencia:

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Sí sabía.

¿Creíste que te irías a vivir y estudiar en el extranjero en tu primer semestre? No, nunca lo creí, sí era algo que yo quería, pero lo veía difícil.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No, es la primera vez.

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
Conocer otra cultura, mejorar y obtener más conocimientos en mi área, tener una experiencia fuera de México, tanto en lo personal, como en lo profesional y también conocerme un poco más.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
España es un país que siempre ha impactado en mi vida, siempre me había llamado la atención su cultura, la manera de hablar, sus ciudades, etc. A parte que sabía que en el área de la salud es un país muy desarrollado y en especial Lleida en el área de investigación. Claro, tuvo mucho peso todo esto para yo elegir venir.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
Al principio no me la creía, sentía que era un sueño. Pero sentí que podía comenzar una nueva vida, quitando miedos e inseguridades.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
Súper bien, todos han sido muy amables y atentos.

What will you miss most about Mexico?
A mi familia y amigos. También las tradiciones de cada época del año y claro, la comida.

What about the Uni?
Mis compañeros, los profesores, el poder dar consulta en los consultorios, ir al centro nutricional, toda la experiencia universitaria que me ofrecía la universidad.

¿Qué es lo más emocionante que has vivido hasta ahora en esta experiencia? Conocer personas de varias partes del mundo, compartir historias, cultura, gastronomía. Quitarme prejuicios que se dicen de algunos países, etc.

And the hardest part?
El hecho de que en mi familia hayamos pasado por una situación muy difícil y no pudiera estar con ellos físicamente, ni ellos conmigo.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
Como persona espero aumentar mi confianza y seguridad en mí misma, conocerme más y saber mis debilidades y fortalezas. Como profesional aprender más y conocer de cerca el área de investigación en nutrición.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Totalmente recomendadas, creo todo estudiante debería aprovechar y lanzarse a la aventura con alguna de estas oportunidades.

Internationalization will always open your mind

¡Sé internacional! ¡Sé Uni!

Alexis Arrendondo, estudiante de Comercio Internacional, fue becado para realizar un semestre académico en España y aquí nos cuenta su experiencia.

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Claro que sabia de su existencia, por ello decidí realizar mis estudios aquí en la Uni.

Did you think you would go live and study abroad in your first semester?
¡¡¡Jamás!!! Nunca me pasó por la mente la idea en mi primer semestre, pues tenía la emoción de solo ser un chico universitario, en cuanto fueron pasando los años me di cuenta que verdaderamente quería vivir esa experiencia internacional.

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
Te permite sumar una perspectiva internacional en tu estudio, especialmente si has optado por los negocios.
La cultura de un lugar no está dada simplemente por su música, vestimenta o comida sino por la forma de pensar de su población.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
Siempre había sido el país de mis sueños y quería estar en contacto directamente con la cultura, asi como dejar a un lado la rutina y dar un giro de 180º, vivir algo totalmente nuevo y desconocido.
Tambien España destaca en la enseñanza de educación universitaria y especialmente las escuelas de negocios, que frecuentemente figuran en lugares destacados de los rankings mundiales de universidades europeas.
Aparte de eso España se sitúa entre los países más multiculturales de la Unión Europea.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
Desde el momento en que salí de casa con una maleta, mi vida se convirtió en una montaña rusa de emociones. Todo me sorprendia, pero es de esperarse, ahora viviría en un lugar totalmente desconocido. Tenía miedo de lo desconocido, y angustia por lo que estaría por venir; pero sin duda valió la pena cada segundo.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
Muy bien, todos muy amables y aunque llegue dos semanas después de que ya habían comenzado las clases me recibieron muy bien.

What did you miss most about Mexico?
¡¡¡¡¡¡LOS TACOS!!!!!! sin duda eso fue lo que mas extrañé pues no habéa tortillas de maíz, ni pastor.
A mi familia; podía seguir en contacto con ella por FaceTime, pero en ocasiones quería abrazarla o contarles directamente lo que me estaba pasando. Pero cuando pisas el aeropuerto sabes lo que te espera y estás dispuesto a sacrificarte.

What about the Uni?
Mis compañeros de clases, ya que aquí el sistema es distinto y tomas clases con un grupo, realizas practicas con otro y tienes unas tutorías grupales con otros, entonces es imposible identificarte con un grupo, no te da tiempo, pues solo los ves una vez por semana.

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
Sin duda alguna, lo mas emocionate fue hacer un viaje por capitales europeas, ya que aproveche que estaba en Europa para exprimir todo de ella.

And the hardest part?
Lo mas difícil es estar a miles de kilómetros de tu hogar y saber que tienes que esperar un largo tiempo para regresar. Pero creo que tu marcas el grado de dificultad de las cosas. Cuando estamos pasando por momentos difíciles tendemos a ver todo de color negro, es así como dejamos de visualizar lo bueno que sucede a nuestro alrededor. «Tómate unos minutos para tranquilizarte y pensar en las cosas positivas».

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
Espero crecer personalmente aún mas, esta experiencia me ayudo a ver que existe otro mundo y que es totalmente distinto al que estoy acostumbrado a ver, que no todo es tan sencillo como lo pensaba.
Profesionalmente terminando mi carrera que me gusta mucho quiero regresar a España a realizar un máster.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
100% recomendada y que si tienes la opotunidad no la dejes ir, ya que las oportunidades solo se dan una vez en la vida y tu decides si tomarla o dejarla ir para siempre, es una experiencia inolvidable y si tu que estas leyendo esto tienes alguna duda acerca de mi intercambio o de mi movilidad, con gusto puedo ayudarte que estoy aquí para cualquier duda.alexis-8.jpg

Everyone should experience studying abroad.

Alejandro Paz won the Uni scholarship to study at Hallym University in South Korea, here he tells us his impressions:

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
I had a vague idea that they existed, but I was not really informed.

Did you think you would go live and study abroad in your first semester?
I had never imagined it, it was a huge and pleasant surprise.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No, only visited for short periods of time.

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
What drove me the most was the desire to learn more and to live new and different experiences.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
Because it is a completely different country in terms of culture, customs and language, I wanted a challenge, something that would take me out of my comfort zone. I also wanted to learn about the country, to acquire strategies on how we could improve.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
Very scared and confused, the letters were different and didn't make sense at first, people were talking to each other and nothing sounded familiar. I didn't know where I should go or what to do.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
I have been very well received, made to feel at home and accepted along the way. Whenever I have a question or need help they are always there for me.

What will you miss most about Mexico?
What I will miss most are my friends and family.

What about the Uni?
My teachers!

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
To explore and learn from a culture, country and language that I had not experienced.

And the hardest part?
Language, it becomes difficult to guide you and so on when the deeper explanations come in a language you don't understand.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
I hope to learn all the good things that make this country have progressed so much in such a short time and bring it to Mexico to improve, I hope this experience will help me to be able to work better in a team with different people and even work with people from different parts of the world.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Of course, I recommend them 100%, in my opinion we should all experience studying abroad before graduating.

You don't just come to a school, you come to live an experience.

Cecy Rico, from Digital Design, was awarded a scholarship for a semester stay in Brazil. Here is her experience:

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Yes, but I did not know what they consisted of.

Did you think you would go live and study abroad in your first semester?
It never crossed my mind the idea that in some semester of my career I could live an exchange.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No, never.

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
The cultural investment that is gained by living and learning about the way of life in a different country, in addition to growing my professional resume when I return to Mexico.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
Because within my career there were things here in which I want to develop and that called my attention, besides the language motivated me to learn it living here and the culture of the country, it was something very interesting, there were people I knew from the uni who had already made the exchange to this country and they had told me of very good things of their own experience.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
Fear and excitement at the same time, it was something very interesting to begin to realize the differences and similarities that exist within Mexico and Brazil. I know that although they are similar countries in some ways, I found a wide culture gap where everything I saw for the first time seemed surprising.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
Wonderful, I think we received a lot of attention from mobility and that somehow is a support when you need someone to turn to, I know now that I can count not only with mobility, but with teachers who in the same way have been able to teach me very interesting things and students and staff in general that make my experience something unique. For 6 months it was my home of studies which I will always carry in my heart and in my knowledge for the rest of my life.

What will you miss most about Mexico?
Tacos and hot sauce.

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
I really do not know where to start, I think the first thing is to have come to live completely independently, having that freedom that comes with travel, is a challenge but at the same time is still something totally interesting and full of learning, another thing that marked my stay here was definitely the school, as I think it has been one of the best choices of my life, come and learn what you can learn in another country, I am absolutely sure that this was an investment in my professional development and my vision within it; To meet people, students like me, foreigners who come with the same aspirations, doubts and motivations with which I arrived here, to understand that we live many things in common, whether they are French, Japanese, German, American, Mexican or Brazilian. In the end I think that is also the true essence of traveling because you don't just come to a school, you come to live an experience that will open your senses to the fullest and that will test you in all aspects of your life.

And the hardest part?
The most difficult thing from my point of view has been the fact of having total control of my person, the fact that I need to be the one who prepares food, who gets up alone for school, who works, who knows how to manage money, who delivers everything in time and form within the faculty, who has to pick up a house, do laundry and many other things that I am sure there are many students who are accustomed to having all that done at home. The most difficult and at the same time the most important challenge has been to become a more responsible person and that brings with it an enormous personal growth. I got sick several times while I was here and I think it was one of the worst things I had to experience being away from home.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
As a person I have the absolute certainty that it made me grow in a thousand ways, I know that the person who came at the beginning is not the same person who will return because you do not just come to a school, you come to live a complete experience and to absorb a different knowledge that could only be provided in Mexico, making trips like this is to make investments that will bring rewards to your future life, in all aspects of your life.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Definitely

You see Mexico from another perspective

You see Mexico from another perspective

Fátima Vaca García, a Business Administration student, is studying for a semester at the Universidad Mayor de Chile and tells us about her experience.

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Yes, I remember when I entered Uni they mentioned it to me.

Did you think you would go live and study abroad in your first semester?
No, I hadn't thought about it until I applied for the scholarship.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No, this was my first international experience.

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
Learning about another culture and above all the experience of being away from home and my comfort zone.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
For recommendations and to learn more about South America.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
I felt a little homesick since it would be the first time I would be away from home for so long, but I was very excited to live this experience.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
Incredibly, since I applied to the university they were very attentive to my whole process, they were always very kind and willing to solve any doubt I had.

What will you miss most about Mexico?
Definitely the food.

What about the Uni?
The modality of the classes and the way of grading.

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
Make new friends that without this experience I would never have met, and that in the end became my family.

And the hardest part?
Housing, from the moment I arrived, was a problem, but in the end I learned from that and now it's funny.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
Acquire knowledge that I might not have had in Mexico.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Completely, it makes you change your perspective, see Mexico from another point of view and open new horizons both personally and professionally.

To feel the immensity of the world is the most incredible thing.

Paulina Origel Herrera, Industrial Engineering student, spent the previous semester at the Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and here she tells us about her experience.

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
No, in the second semester I found out that I could go to another country and I started to have the idea of leaving.

Did you think you would go live and study abroad in your first semester?
I never, ever thought I would be away from home for so long, studying in another country with a language different from my own.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
No, I had never studied outside Mexico

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
First of all, learning another language, meeting new places, meeting new people and getting to know other cultures.

Why did you decide to study in that country?
Many of my classmates had gone to Brazil and always talked amazing things about the country and their experience, also learning a different language.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
I felt a lot of fear but at the same time an inexplicable emotion.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
The people in charge of academic mobility at PUCRS were always amazing and very kind, in college at least my classmates were a bit closed but my teachers were always very patient and nice to me.

What will you miss most about Mexico?
The FOOD!!! No doubt.

What about the Uni?
I never thought I would say it but to my classmates, it is much more fun to be in my classroom in Mexico than in Brazil.

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
To travel to places you don't know and feel the immensity of the world is the most incredible thing, to see how small you are and how huge this world is, the sensation you feel when you step on places you thought you would never know, it's incredible!!!!!

And the hardest part?
I think the hardest thing to do is to manage, you can't have money for everything.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?
This program helps you grow as a person to change your way of thinking and become more self-sufficient, it opens your mind and you realize what is really worthwhile and as a professional, learning a language is always a plus!
Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Very much, if you have the opportunity, do it, I think it will be the best experience of your life!