Forest Science, MSc, University of Padua

• from India
• Master’s degree in Biotechnologies for food science

I was positive to join UniPD because it had a curriculum that did fit my subject. Furthermore, there is a history of UniPD that instantly depicts the strong foundation of education... and to me that university, where I would get that foundation would always be preferred. And looking back at those years, I can clearly see that it was the right choice.

The educational structure was somewhat to quite different from my home country.
1) There is an inclination towards comprehensiveness of the course; professors like to teach in depth which make you get immersed into the topic and fully understand it.
2) Exam period is especially interesting. You have so much time to focus and prepare (even though it never feels enough to any student.. haha). Also, there is a good direction by the professor if someone doesn't do well in the exam, so he/she can prepare better next time and retake the exam.
3) It has a strong research focus for the science-based courses and that makes it a good learning.

I enjoyed going to classes, and then walking around in the city, breathing the nature and refreshing in the company of my class-mates. There were phases of fun, study, extreme-fun and intense-study, which we managed to balance well somehow. The bestest part was having some professors who were like friends to us, which made study much more engaging.. and I for sure miss those professors. Can you imagine how good it was, that someone miss going to classes, and by the way, it is not only about UniPD, but there was also a lot because of the country, Italy, that made my time memorable.

• from Brasil
• Master’s degree in Forest Science

The master's programme in Forest Science balances equally between the theoretical and practical parts of the courses, which frequently involves field trips in the North region of Italy, where Padova is located. This is a privileged region to have a forest science course, since it is close to a variety of ecosystems, such as the mountains (Alps), plain area (Po river), and the coast (Venice) and where it is possible to see the interaction of people-nature and climate change aspects.

After the first year of the master experience, I got the chance to do a summer internship in FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), whose headquarter is in Rome. That was a dream coming true, since from the beginning of my career I used FAO’s reports as supporting material for my job and studies.

Padua has the charm of a small city but everything you need from a big city. The thing I appreciate the most is just walking around the city centre and admiring the architecture of the historical buildings and squares, with an occasional stop for a coffee or spritz! The fact that it is bike friendly was another big plus.

Padova is also logistically interesting, since you can easily reach many beautiful cities by train or bus, such as Venice (in just 30 minutes!), Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, or if you feel like going a little bit further (2 hours) you can get to Milano, or to the Alps (Belluno, Asiago), where you can find natural areas to hike or ski or just escape the hot summer days.

Coming to Padova not only changed my professional career, but deeply changed my personal life: Here I found friends that I know I can count on for the rest of my life, and I also found love! I met my boyfriend over a year ago in the University.

• from Scotland
• Master’s degree in Human Rights and Multilevel Governance

I would recommend the Unipd experience to anyone who wants to challenge themselves and be immersed in the Italian style of learning at university. At times it’s very intense but it’s also flexible and can suit anyone’s schedule, as I managed to work part time and even for 6 months, full time, on top of studying and volunteering. One thing I think is really important is making a real effort to learn Italian: it was very important for me to speak to local people and have the independence to go through bureaucratic procedures independently. In saying that, Padua is a very open-minded city with lots of people who speak English and a lot of international students! I sat my Italian exam and I was very happy that my efforts to immerse myself in the language have paid off, having never properly studied Italian before arriving in Padua!

An important part of my university experience came from joining the CUS Padova triathlon team. Having not come from a sporty background but however enjoying running and cycling, I decided to challenge myself to complete a triathlon. I didn’t realise I would find such a great team of people who encouraged me to keep going and after 6 months in the team I saw such great improvements in my fitness. I managed to participate in 4 races, even completing one in Scotland whilst visiting home! The training sessions helped to de-stress after long days of studying but it also required a lot of commitment and taught me how to balance my studies alongside preparation for the race season!