The first thing I liked about Local Development programme was its structure: we studied subjects in several directions, politics, economics and geography as well. The study plan was interesting and varied. Since the specialty of Local Development is very specific itself, we studied this specialty from different aspects and gained knowledge from different fields of science. We dealt with new and specific subjects as Circular Economy, Space, Place and Mobility, Social dynamics and so on.
The second thing I really liked was the teaching staff. The teachers taught us with different methods, and we received both theoretical and practical knowledge. For example, in the second semester we had a subject where we created projects using the methodology used by many international organizations. There were also subjects where we considered the problem from a scientific point of view and wrote a scientific article, and we dealt with various problems with a case-study analysis.
The next thing I liked was the various internship opportunities and exchange studies with funds for expenses. For example, this summer I completed a scientific internship on the project "Research of innovations in the field of sustainable development from the point of view of their economic feasibility and building effective enterprise management" in Almaty and the faculty covered my financial expenses for travel and accommodation. I recommend this programme to future students who wish to gain in-depth knowledge in this specific field, and I think that it will help graduates become highly qualified specialists who will solve fundamental place-based problems in various parts of the world.
Also, studying on this program will give you the opportunity to study together with people from different parts of the world and with different backgrounds.

The system of education in Italy differs significantly from the system of other countries. In my opinion, the education system in Italy is more flexible. Students are given freedom in the process of learning, choosing subjects, passing exams. It is possible to take exams several times a year (5 times), refuse the grade of the exam and retake the exams without any exclusion and punishment. There are no mandatory seminars after each lecture, for which points are counted. There are very different methods of teaching and passing exams (written/oral exam, projects, group work, writing an article ect).
There are a lot of opportunities to receive benefits for training and scholarships. There are various scholarships opportunities like university merit-based scholarships for gifted students (Padua International Excellence scholarship), scholarships for individual countries and groups, MAECI, Invest Your Talent in Italy and so on.

I would advise future students to take time to explore different university programs. If they are interested in a certain narrow field, Italian universities, including the University of Padua, offer various narrow specific programs (Local Development, Italian food and wine, for example). I advise future students to look for and apply for various scholarship opportunities. I also advise them to take application documents as a motivation letter, a letter of recommendation very seriously, and prepare them in advance. Never drag out the application process until the last day of the deadline.
Furthermore, I want to say do not be afraid of moving to a new country, adapting to a new culture. In my experience, Italy and Italians are very friendly and open. Moreover, in such a multinational student city as Padua, adapting and finding new friends will be faster and easier. And finally, be confident in yourself and your strength. If you really want it, you will definitely succeed!