Giulia, exchange student

Giulia Zaina followed the master exchange programme:

“I chose the University of Humanistic Studies because of its interdisciplinary approach to different topics, and especially on contemporary issues. At my Italian university we usually apply the approach of studying a single author in a philosophical way, so both methods are quite different. I liked the structural interdisciplinary setup here in Utrecht. The subjects were very different from the programmes at my university, but  in the courses  I always found a philosophical approach, even when it was not stated explicitly.

During the courses, everyone felt free to speak and give feedback and criticism. There was no judgement from the teacher and from the class. You learn that you can make mistakes without being judged. Yoy can also learn from other students’ questions, and it gets easier to become more relaxed when asking questions yourself.

There weren’t a lot of international students and this forced us to interact with Dutch students. Since we really got along with them, we got to see how they studied and really entered into their way of life and culture. Many of my friends who are international students, tend to stay in the group of internationals. I do think it would be better if there were more international students here because they can help each other and share their experiences though, but it is also important to mix with the ‘locals’.

I enjoyed the fact that the professors don’t have the presumption to know things better. They never said: “No, you are wrong, we are going to tell what’s right”. The teachers have a very clear approach and organisation. I also found them to be very open to listen to students, even after the courses. They are concerned about problems and try to help you solve them.”

Giulia followed the master exchange programme: "I found the teachers to be very open to listen to students, also after the courses. They are concerned about problems and try to help you solve them.”