weitere Erfahrungsberichte für Spanien
Land:
Spanien
Universität:
Universidad San Jorge
Semester und Studiengang:
3. Semester Bachelor International Tourism Management / Health & Medical Tourism
Aufenthalt:
wintersemester 2016
Über die Universität:
The San Jorge University is a small private university, located around 13 km away from Zaragoza in a small village called Villanueva de Gállego. The university offers a plenty of sport activities where you can participate for free (volleyball, badminton, etc.), also the entry for the swimming pool (indoor and outdoor) is gratis. For the gymnasium and some courese (like pilates) you have to pay a monthly fee.
San Jorge University currently has 2200 undergraduate, masters and PhD students in five different centres: Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Communication, Architecture School, Polytechnic School and the School of Governance and Leadership.
You can choose your subjects in English and Spanish. The teachers from the subjects in Spanish are very open and helpful regarding any understanding problems.
Throughout the study period you have to prepare presentations, papers, group work etc. and they will be marked. The final exam contributes just 50% to the overall grade. This system helps you to study continuously during the semester, but it also can be very stressfull.
The San Jorge offers Spanish language courses for free (beginner and advanced) two times a week. The courses are taught throughout the semester by the Institute of Modern Languages, which evaluates the student's level of Spanish to adapt the classes depending on the knowledge of each student.
Betreuung vor Ort:
The staff in the International Office are really friendly and solve always your problems rapidly. In general, the staff in the university (library, cafeteria, etc.) are really open and kind. In the first weeks you have to choose your classes, but you have the possibility to gain insight in all classes you are interested in and decide afterwards.
In order to welcome all exchange students, the San Jorge University organises at the beginning of each semester a Welcome Day, prior to the start of classes. These sessions, which take place over several days, offer a first encounter with the Spanish language. A tour around of the campus is provided and the various services available to students are presented. Also the necessary information on the different exchange programmes is provided and the most relevant academic information is explained. All information about the Welcome Days is facilitated by the International Relations Unit once the student is accepted as an exchange student at San Jorge University.
The city of Zaragoza is the fifth Spanish city in terms of population and the fourth in economic activity.
My accommodation was close to the city centre and just 3 minutes walking from the bus stop of the university bus. I recommend to look for an accommodation in the centre of Zaragoza, and not in the village where the university is located. There are websites like fotocasa, idealista where you can search for your room.
Tipps:
Incoming international students can register on the ESN Zaragoza website to request a 'Buddy', a university student from Zaragoza who will provide assistance before and after their arrival in Zaragoza.
I would recommend to take the private university bus from the Universidad San Jorge, even if it is a bit more expensive than the public one (6 months = 260€). The bus stop is directly at the university and the schedule is adjusted to the schedule of the lessons.
You can get to Zaragoza by car, bus, train or plane as it is located in a privileged location between Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and the Basque Country.
Zaragoza Delicias Intermodal Station belongs to the network of cities with a high-speed train station and is the point of arrival and departure for visitors whether they travel by train or bus, from virtually anywhere in Spain. Zaragoza airport is located 10 km from the city and connects it with several destinations within Spain and Europe through different airlines.
Don't forget warm clothes when you will be staying in Zaragoza during the winter months.