I nostri testimonials: Daniel - Germany

About myself 

Hi, it’s Daniel! I’m 26 years old and arrived in Padua last October. I originally come from a small town near Munich, Germany, so I didn’t have too much of a culture shock arriving here. However, I really enjoy meeting so many people from all around the world in my course alone. Before coming to Padua, I worked as a Sustainability Consultant but still wanted to take the opportunity to do my master’s and move abroad. When I found the programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technology for Circular Economy it was exactly what I was looking for. The different classes and university structures resonate with me and made it easy to settle in academically. Socially, I like the Padua way of life with all its many squares and beautiful old town which practically begs you to sit down and have an Aperol Spritz.

Why did you choose the University of Padua and our degree programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technology for Circular Economy? How did you learn about our institution?

After my bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and International Management I started working as a sustainability consultant. In this time, I shifted my focus away from IT towards environmental sustainability solutions and the likes. Despite working fulltime, I always knew I still wanted to do a ‘classic’ master and started looking for programmes in sustainable chemistry. For the chemistry part of it I took two extra semesters of a chemistry bachelor course to be applicable for related master programmes. I also knew that I wanted to make use of the opportunity you have as a European to study abroad in the EU basically without any complicated bureaucracy. These two considerations led me to find the Sustainable Chemistry and Technology for Circular Economy programme in Padua. The reason I settled for Italy as my European destination is simple: I like the people, culture, food and drinks. And after staying here for a while I still do.

What are the main features of your degree programme?

On the website the programme is described as “highly interdisciplinary” and this is true. It consists of natural scientific courses like green chemistry or thermodynamics, managerial courses like waste management and operations and supply chain management as well as supporting subjects like European environmental law. Overall, the syllabus aims to cover all aspects of circular economy which entails not only the underlaying scientific principles but also the real-life management and planning of circular and sustainable solutions. I personally appreciate the professional orientation of the course which is underlined by the mandatory internship and the collaboration between companies and university during the master thesis’ research and writing. Because of the interdisciplinarity my fellow students have many different academic backgrounds. Some are chemists, others environmental engineers, biologists and more. As this means not everyone has all needed perquisites for all classes, tutorials are offered at the beginning of the semesters which helps to get up to speed. 

How is your experience going? What aspects of our university’s culture or values have resonated with you the most? 

During my bachelor’s I was used to big courses where attending the lecture itself was sometimes less important than smaller tutoring classes where the ‘real’ knowledge transfer happened. This is different here. In my course we are around 35 students which leads to a closer relation during lectures, study and to the professors. Attendance to the lectures is expected and has benefits since most professors engage with the class and group projects are common. Additionally, the study path, meaning which courses you take, is predetermined and the class stays together during all courses. I personally like this type of learning environment where you have a clear schedule and frequently see all fellow students. Besides that, many exams are held as oral or presenting tests, which I appreciate also considering that practicing these types of situations will help you with professional work after studying. When I arrived, I was surprised by how international the university and my programme is. I expected there would be more Europeans like me but besides the Italians I am the only one (of course not including the many Erasmus students that join some of our classes). However, this is probably the most valuable experience for me so far. It is amazing to get to know so many people that really come from different parts of the world and to hear all their stories and perspectives.

What advice would you give to prospective students when it comes to preparing a successful application?
The apply.unipd portal is very well organised and leads you through the process. My suggestion would be to just start signing up and the portal will show you which documents are missing, and which are already there. It is easy to interrupt the process, come back and find it as you left it. From my German perspective I was surprised how easy the formal application was since all university degrees, passport and residence permits are already harmonised with the Italian system thanks to the EU. The biggest, but easy to take, hurdles for me were applying for the official English test (I chose IELTS), writing a convincing motivational letter and putting together a complete CV. My advice for the motivational letter is to clearly outline how your career so far has led you to the University of Padua, why you think your skillset fits the programme and what your intrinsic motivation is to choose it. The CV is of course more standardised, but if you want you can use the “Europass” portal and format to create it. It’s for all, not just EU, and worked well for me. 

What advice would you give to students thinking of studying in Italy? How have you settled in here?

After a successful application the most difficult thing for all is to find accommodation. This is why my main advice is to start early with the search. Of course, as you get closer to the start of study there will be more fitting offers on the portals like immobiliare.it or HousingAnywhere, so don’t panic. I know no one that in the end couldn’t start because of finding nothing. After the initial application the University will also reach out to explain more about the course, the city and housing. This was very helpful to me so don’t miss it. Culture-wise I have experienced the locals in the city as very polite. My advice is to respond kindly, be polite, open and it will not be difficult to settle in. The language barrier is easily overcome by English in most situations. However, don’t miss out on the voluntary Italian courses of the University. If you understand it just a little bit that is very helpful in the all-day life and with socialising. Even if it just means eavesdropping to some Italian conversations of course mates.

What do you like to do when you are not studying? How do you like to spend your free time?

Especially in the beginning I used the free weekends to travel to see cities and sites in the proximity like Verona, Bologna, Bassano, the Dolomites... This is what most of the internationals are doing, which makes it a good opportunity to socialise as well. In the all-day life Padua basically consists of bars and cafés so much of my free time is spend at one of the beautiful squares or alleys to just relax, eat, drink and talk. Especially on weekends and Wednesdays the city is crowded by students which makes it very fun to hang out. To do sports I opted for one of the gyms in the city, but others also took advantage of the many university offerings from CUS.