I nostri testimonials: José Antonio - Messico

Student of Astrophysics and Cosmology

"I'd recommend the programme because it provides a lot of options in this highly specialized branch which is Astrophysics and Cosmology while living in a beautiful Italian city like Padova"

About myself 

I’m José Antonio Najera, a Mexican graduated in Physics from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. I studied my master’s degree in Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Padova, where I got a full Departmental Scholarship. I specialized in Cosmology and was admitted for a fully funded PhD in the University of Portsmouth in England in 2024. My formation at the University of Padova was a crucial part for getting this opportunity to continue my academic career. I am passionate about running and learning new things in my everyday life. 

      Why did you choose the University of Padua and the Astrophysics and Cosmology degree programme? Why would you recommend it to other students?   

The programme had a lot of flexibility to choose the subjects I was more interested in. Either you know in what you want to specialize or not, the programme provides a wide array of options for your course selection. Moreover, I wanted to live in a foreign country and found out that Italy provided full scholarships for foreigners. So, I applied and was fortunate enough to get one. I’d recommend the programme because it provides a lot of options in this highly specialized branch which is Astrophysics and Cosmology while living in a beautiful Italian city like Padova.

      What are the main features of your degree programme?   

They are all the courses you can take starting from Fundamentals of Cosmology and Gravitation and Laboratories all the way to highly specific subjects like Cosmology of the Early Universe or Compact object Astrophysics expanding over all sub-branches in both Astrophysics and Cosmology. However, even if you decide to be a Cosmologist, you get some valuable formation in Astrophysics. At the end of all subjects, you get the opportunity to perform a research project for the Master’s thesis.

      What advice would you give to students wishing to study here?   

Try to book accomodation as early as you can since Padova has an accomodation shortage. Try to learn as fast as possible how the Italian education system works. In particular, I advise to prepare well for oral exams which are very different from written ones. I advise to prepare well in advance and to cover all the material in the course and to practice, if possible, with other people on how an oral exam can be. I also recommend getting a bike in Padova, as it makes traveling within the city fast and convenient.

      How did your study path have an impact on what you are doing now?   

It had a huge impact. My formation prepared me to pursue a PhD in Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth in the UK, where I am right now. Furthermore, after some months in the PhD, I realized that my Master’s education in Padova was very good and complete after taking several lectures in the PhD. Most of them were about topics I learnt during the Master’s. So, those lectures were a recap for me and my previous formation in Padova facilitated my understanding of this lectures considerably. In addition to this, at the end of the Master’s, I was in a position to start doing quality research.

      What advice would you give to a newly graduated student?   

Explore what you want to do in your career, either in Academy or Industry. If it’s on academy, apply for as many PhD positions as you can to maximize your changes of getting in.