L'Orientale University of Naples - Unior
speciality: Linguistics

I graduated on March 2023 in Comparative Languages and Literatures (English and Mandarin Chinese). Unfortunately, I had the chance to live life at university only for six months, from September 2019 to February 2020, which was the month we entered into quarantine and classes continued online until 2022. At the University of Naples L’Orientale, the majority of teachers is great: they are very prepared and passionate about the subject they teach and highly well-formed, however the conditions of classes and courses are outrageous. Often the chairs in classes are not enough for the students, forcing them to sit on the floor throughout the whole lesson. Some courses of the same year co-exist, therefore the student needs to choose which one to follow. Administration hardly every answers to the e-mails, and courses take places in different buildings located in the center of Naples lowkey far from each other. Moving through the city to reach the various building in is very challenging: when you finish a course in a place, the next one can be on the other side of the historical centre of Naples, running to not get late is a must. Despite the lack of the infrastructure’s basis, people are nice and teachers tend to understand the conditions in which students are put. For what concerns the exams, if you fail one exam on a semester there is no chance to try again in the same semester, you must wait the next exam session which happens at the end of every season. This slows the process of graduation. When we got into quarantine, on one side I was relieved to not live this exhausting situation through the city, but on the other hand the University life is a great environment to experience when surrounded by the right people.

I attended the University of Naples L’Orientale, and I can say that the experience was overall positive. One of the aspects that struck me the most was the quality of the lessons, well organized, with an excellent balance between theory and practice. In particular, I found the language laboratories very useful, where we could practice in real situations and improve pronunciation and listening comprehension. Furthermore, the professors were always available, not only during the lessons but also for clarifications or advice outside of academic hours.
Another plus point was the support provided to students in choosing specializations and in building a personalized study path. However, I must admit that some aspects could be improved, such as the career service, which could offer more support in finding relevant internships or placements. That said, I would still recommend this university, both to Italian and foreign students.

My experience at the University of Naples L’Orientale was overall positive, although not without some critical issues. The educational offering stands out for the variety of courses and languages offered, as well as for the in-depth study of linguistic skills, with an approach that integrates theory, practice and cultural context. The teachers, in most cases, proved to be prepared and passionate, offering concrete support to the students.
Among the aspects that I appreciated the most are the opportunities for international exchange, which allow you to apply what you have learned in the field, and the multicultural environment. However, I found some gaps in the administrative organization, sometimes dispersive, and some aspects of the management of the lessons, with situations of overlap between different courses.
Overall, I would recommend this university to anyone who wants to embark on an enriching and challenging journey into the world of languages, as long as they have the patience to deal with some management difficulties and the will to make the most of the opportunities offered.

Studying at L’Orientale is a challenging experience. Although it is generally hard to graduate on time, the programs are the best anyone could get in most of the best universities in Europe. Professors are really dedicated to their teachings, and there are many programs that let you have wonderful experiences around the world. Plus, L’Orientale students will be studying in historical buildings all around the city of Naples. I will forever be grateful to my Swedish language and literature professors, they taught me so much about the history and culture of Sweden, the best professors I have ever encountered.