Currently on a stay at Monash University (Australia) through an international agreement, Diego Jiménez is open about the ups and downs encountered along the way:
I would recommend it without a doubt. All the paperwork and effort are a small price to pay when you get off the plane and discover the city where you will live for a while. I know it’s scary and it’s not all happiness as there is a long period of adaptation and being lost and alone in a new place, but I would recommend it because the positive experiences outweigh those little moments of uncertainty”.
The 'positive experiences' mentioned by the young man include the development of transversal competences - a priority for the European Commission, as well as the promotion of job placement.
The latest report of the UAM Employability Observatory indicates that “3 out of every 10 graduates have done stays abroad, mainly within the framework of the Erasmus programme, and 73% of them have been useful for finding employment afterwards”.
And job opportunities are also part of Diego's points of interest:
Settling in a new city is a great challenge that in turn brings a lot of value to social and intrapersonal development. In the academic sense, I think it is essential to see how other universities work. The classes are different, the infrastructures also change, and I think it gives a great boost if at any given moment I want to look for job opportunities outside Spain”, says the student, with confidence.
UAM's mobility programmes
In an increasingly smaller and more connected world, this CIVIS Member University offers its official degree students (Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate) the possibility of participating in different mobility programmes.
The procedures to participate in mobility programmes are carried out through the International Relations and Mobility Service (SERIM), where students will be accompanied during all stages of the application process.
I knew that an experience like this would force me to leave my comfort zone, evolve as a student and take a wonderful memory with me forever”, concludes Diego.