“I improved in my programming skills and working in teams”
VMU Student of Informatics // Erasmus+ studies in Spain, University of Alcala
I am Tantoluwa Heritage Alabi, an Informatics student, I was an exchange student at University of Alcala, a district in Madrid, Spain.
I chose Spain in order to avoid the cold weather in Lithuania and I picked Alcala University because a friend said it was not as hard as the university in Valencia.
There was a lot of difference being a student at the university, Informatics noted as one of the hardest courses was truly hard. Most of the classes had a large number of students and in VMU we are always small. I had to come to class early sometimes to get a good seat, also the students were more open and calmer to be friends with.
When it came to the course contents, they were very deep and so detailed which resulted in more workload. We also had to write exams every month depending on the course, it could be twice or thrice in the semester.
Practical’s were done in groups and I was used to working alone, I could check my practical works with my teachers, asking for their feedbacks before submitting. Very few people speak English in university while in VMU nearly all students speak English.
The school system is very different from VMU and harder in terms of marking. There is only one retake, but it is at the end of the course, there is also a system whereby for every wrong answer you choose, you lose a point. With all these been said, I found studying in the university new, different and a bit challenging, but I improved in my programming skills and working in teams.
Despite how challenging the system was, I had many bright moments during my Erasmus. Erasmus Student Network (Alcala) organized a lot of fun activities to make friends and tour the city. It was my first proper physical class in almost two years, I enjoyed going to classes especially databases, I learned to write SQL from class.
Also, the weather was amazing even though it got cold later in Madrid, I enjoyed the December sun in Barcelona which was 20degress. Lastly, I loved the food, pastry and my neighborhood where I lived.
Getting acquainted to the system was more demanding, harder and I had to be careful of guessing if my guesses were wrong, I lose a point. First half of the semester was me trying to get used the system, on first trial my grades were not so good and there not retakes. I related more with local students in my class to ask for tips on how to cope, I was able to do better at the rest of the semester.
Also barely anyone speaks English in the country, I had to learn the basic phrases and sometimes go out with my friends in places my basic Spanish couldn’t help.
To sum it up, there were more pros than cones going to Spain, the experience is unforgettable, I made lifelong friends.
