Andrea from Murcia
Meet Andrea Nicolas
1.Tell us a bit about yourself
Well my name is Andrea, I am eighteen years old and I am from Murcia, a city in the south of Spain, and I am currently in my first year of Philosophy and Journalism here at UNAV.
2. Why UNAV?
Two years ago I came here with my school, in a school trip, and I saw the degrees that this university had and one of them was Journalism and Philosophy, I loved it so much that I came here because of it. This double degree is only here, so I came here.
3. What were your expectations when coming?
When I came to this university my expectations where, not only a good academic level but also satisfying my curiosities as a student. I mean, like I have been to a lot of lectures, conferences and activities about theatre, arts dancing and I have learned lots of things that will improve not only my knowledge but also my life and this is why they were totally fulfilled.
4. What do you wish you had known before coming?
When I came here, I tended to generalize all the students and I thought they were completely the same, like they were all good students with very good marks and they had the same ideology. Then I realized when coming, that everybody was so different, not only from the society but between all of us. We are completely different from each other. I have met people from lots of countries, lots of cultures, from different religions and ideals, and I wish I hadn’t judged all the students before knowing them.
5. What has impacted you the most since arriving?
My biggest impact when arriving was realizing I have to change my studying habits. When I was in school I used to procrastinate and study the night before the test and I had good marks, but when I came here and I saw that my first midterm had more content than my entire class of philosophy last year, I decided to change my studying method.
6. What was your major setback when applying?
I wanted to achieve the Beca Alumni, and all the things I have to hand in the university, like the rent, the grades, the marks, it was very difficult and I had to ask my mom, dad, uncle, aunt for help. That was the most difficult part, but now I am here.
7. What are three tips for a newcomer?
1) Open your mind, come with an open mind so you can know everybody and try new things.
2) Go to all the conferences and lectures you can. Go to the theatre and interesting events.
3) Do all the things you couldn’t do if you weren’t here (UNAV, Pamplona)
8. What are some outside sources that have helped you in your classes?
The thing that has helped me the most with my studying habits was choosing a good place to study. I tried with the humanities library, the amigos building and in Goimendi (where I live) but I couldn’t study well in those places. Then I discovered the theology department, and it is the best place to study because there isn’t many people so it is very quiet.
9. What are some expectations the career had such as the amount of time it consumes, the projects or other things?
Since I am doing a double degree, I have classes of Journalism, like COE, which I have to dedicate a lot of time in writing and imagining new stories every week. In my Philosophy classes I don’t have projects, but I have to study a lot and read many books.