International experience during the bachelor degree - Universidade do Porto

I studied for six months of my bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering in Portugal (between 2015 and 2016).

At that time, the Brazilian program Ciências sem Fronteiras was hype and some of my colleagues were considering to try it. I listened to them talking about how much they would like to have the interexchange experience, but I was ok with it, it never interested me (amazingly), I just wanted to keep going in my research as an undergraduate student (scientific initiation), and finish the course. My only travel dream was to visit London (since I was a child I talked and dreamed about it and I needed to make this dream, which was the most impossible in my life). However, one of my teachers in Brazil told us about the Santander Bank scholarships, which financed part of the undergraduate interexchange. I believed I had not enough academic merits (impostor syndrome) and that was not for me. Nevertheless, because of hearing so many of my colleagues talking, seeing them preparing their documents and some encouraging me to try, I decided (just for curiosity) to also submit my application. Nowadays I have the feeling that sometimes, even if we think we should not do something, life guides us and say, “Yes, you are going to do this!” And this was the best decision I ever took in my career!

I swear I had forgotten the selection process because it took about one month until the result came out. But, when one of the academic secretaries from the University called me, saying that I needed to sign the acceptance term of the Fórmula Santander scholarship because I was the winner, it was a mix of feelings! I didn’t believe it was true, at the beginning I was kind of lost because I didn’t even know where to start, where I would go for the exchange abroad, if I would have financial conditions, or how it could be. But I enjoyed the adventure! I enjoyed, even facing the fear!

Porto, Portugal - 2015.

The Universidade do Porto was chosen based on its good collaboration history with UNIVAP, and for welcoming foreign students very well. Also, of course, the language was another reason, considering my English was so bad at that time! It was six unforgettable months, with many things learned not only in the course but in life itself! It was my first international experience, miles away from home, but in Porto, I found a home. There I hadn’t been in the company of my friends with whom I was already familiarized, but I had been given a family, it was the first time in which I learnt that friends stay forever. The city gave me calm, and even in the difficulties, it was easy to find hope. I learned I had wings, and never again I want to stop flying. And thanks to this exchange abroad, I could visit London and make the dream of my life!

As some people say, “fall in love with studying, this is what will make your dreams come true.”