«If you want to have one of the best experiences of your lifetime, you have to enrol in the ECIU University»

«Taking part in the ECIU University is one of the experiences every UAB student should have"

What led you to enrol in the ECIU University?

At first I was thinking about whether I should participate in the hackathon in Italy because it was focused on technology and I study humanities. NEvertheless, I decided to sign up and it went great. There was no need to have too much experience in any specific area because the teams were very diverse and each member provided different skills.

What was your day-to-day life working on an ECIU challenge with students from different countries?

Thanks to the UAB, I had the opportunity to join the ECIU University, where I participated in different short courses and challenges. Meeting people from different places and countries was very interesting. We worked online and in person, which was an enriching experience for me as a master's degree student. It was interesting to discover different education systems and for so many students to come together from a variety of contexts into one same course and produce a final result.

What was the best part about working on an ECIU University challenge?

The best part was working together in person where we could all get to know each other better. Normally, you spend two or three months talking to everyone on Zoom or Teams, but once you meet in person, you break the ice, get to know each other, share experiences, etc.

You participated in the European Student Assembly (ESA) at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. How did it go?

It is one of the experiences I enjoyed the most with the ECIU University. When I was elected alongside 20 other students, we worked online during the four months leading up to our meeting in Strasbourg to prepare policies and recommendations we wanted to make to the European Parliament. We focused on the subjects of education, health, artificial intelligence, and other aspects. We presented some 100 recommendations, of which 18% were passed in the voting process held at the end of the conference. Now we are working on promoting these recommendations to policy-makers.

What would you say to a student thinking about enrolling in one of the ECIU University challenges?

If you want to have one of the best experiences of your lifetime, you have to enrol in the ECIU University.

You will win a lot, particularly in soft skills such as team work, intercultural communication, presentation and oral skills, things that are normally not taught at university. You cannot find these types of courses at university, but the ECIU University gives you the opportunity to learn these abilities and apply them to real-life situations. Plus, you will make valuable connections with people from other universities. I highly recommend the experience.

What do you think you have gained with this ECIU University challenge?

As a student of this master's degree, it is very important for me to have different experiences and compare different education systems and the ECIU University can help me for my future. For me it is important to explore different challenges and talk to young people about their vision and motivation regarding education systems in Europe. For me it was a very practical experience.

How do you think the ECIU University can prepare you to face the challenges you will find in your professional career?

The best thing about the ECIU University is that it prepares you to work as a member of a team and with people with different cultural backgrounds because you meet people with different religions, who talk different languages, and come from different contexts. The ECIU University prepares you to be an active person in your community and gets you on your way towards your professional career. It is one of the experiences every UAB student should have.

Could you describe the ECIU University in only four words?

The University of the future.