Università degli Studi di Padova Speciality : Politics
programme: Political Science and International Relations

I enjoyed my time studying Political Science, International Relations, and Human Rights in Padova. Most professors were competent and exams were not too tough but still engaging. The curriculum offers courses in different areas which is great if you are interested in many different things. However, in the end, it felt still a bit too general. The classes were very big (around 150 people for every lecture), and mostly consisted of lectures, so don’t expect debates or interaction.
I especially liked the possibility of attending course classes (French, Spanish or German), and many Erasmus connections. The university of Padova is part of the Arqus alliance so you have even more possibilities to go abroad.

Padova is a great univerity city in my opinion, there’s a lot of students, activities and things to do and explore in the city, like cafés, museums, historic sites. The downside is that the housing market is getting saturated, so finding a cheap apartment can be tough. Student dorms are not really a thing in Italy, as there are very few spaces available, most people choose to share the flat with other students, but sometimes you will have to share even the room (camera doppia).

Half of my University experience was unfortunately in times of lockdown and Coronavirus: the distance with my colleagues and professors made the experience less enthralling as it could have been. The courses and programme were smartly divided though, and my studies were almost always consciously active and related to contemporaneity, giving me a good lens to look at the present World with knowledge.