The opportunity to study abroad at one of the best public universities in the world is a difficult one to pass up. At least this is the view held by Judith Alemany, Carlota Romeu, Marina Liñán, Georgina Bravo, Ainhoa Valverde, Jordi Andújar, Cristina Gassol, Josep Farré, David Chascó and Marcos Marin, ten students from the Faculty of Law at UIC Barcelona who are getting ready for the Berkeley Summer Sessions at the University of California.

This year’s sessions will play host to more students than ever before since the agreement between the North American university and UIC Barcelona was established in 2016. The programme will allow them not only to experience life at an American institution, but also to gain credits in subjects that correspond to the degree they’re studying at their home Faculty.

An academic and personal challenge

The offer of an equally academic and personal experience is what makes this opportunity so attractive to the students, who are looking ahead to this adventure with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. “The American academic model is very different to ours, so we will be introduced to a new way of learning”, states student Josep Farré, who believes he will be able “to discover new areas and aspects of Law that were unknown to me until now”. In the same vein, Marina Vives thinks that one of the greatest incentives to participating is being able to “see how the sessions are taught in the United States” and highlights the edge this visit to Berkeley could give her: “There are a lot of Law graduates in Spain, but few that have had the chance to spend time studying at one of the best public universities in the world”. Judith Alemany also thinks it will be “a fantastic opportunity to enhance our CVs in preparation for our imminent introduction into the world of work” and believes that sharing this experience with people from other cultures will be “very enriching”, an opinion shared by Carlota Romeu, who describes it as an “unmissable chance to learn more about yourself and how to adapt to different situations”.

The second year of the grants programme

UIC Barcelona is offering this grants programme for the second year running. It has once again awarded grants to the three students who scored highest in terms of the prerequisites and following a one-to-one interview with each candidate. One of the selected students, Ainhoa Valverde, considers that taking part in this kind of programme is “exceptional” and that the stay in Berkeley will help her gain “a new perspective on the different ways of studying Law, which in turn reflect the ways in which different societies coexist”.

All students have met with the International Relations team to begin preparations for this adventure.