Experience at The University of Valencia, Spain by Miguel V.

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In general, what is the University of Valencia like?

In general it's good. It's difficult for me to give an objective opinion because I only have experience of the Faculty of Psychology. Moreover, I don't really know what the Faculty is like now because I was away on placement for the final years of my degree and last year I was in Poland... but yeah, admittedly before that it was a half dilapidated building. Last time I was there, there were problems with the roof and they changed important parts of the classrooms and library. Now it is quite a bit better.

Even so, talking now about all the faculties, we have to divide the University of Valencia into campuses. There are 3 University campuses: Blasco Ibáñez, Tarongers and Burjassot-Paterna.

Avenida de Blasco Ibáñez is one of the main avenues in Valencia. In this campus you can find the Rectorate and the University's central services, like the university dental clinic, the Lluís Vives halls of residence (very expensive but 15 metres away from the Psychology's faculty cafeteria), the 'Joan Reglà' Library of Humanities (next to the faculty of Psychology), the 'Pelegrí Casanova' Library of Health Sciences, the Sport and Psychology Library, the Sports campus and the following faculties:

• the Faculty of Chiropody and Nursing
• the Faculty of Medicine and Odontology
• the Faculty of Geography and History
• the Faculty of Psychology
• the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Sciences
• the Faculty of Philology (Language Studies), Translation and Communication
• the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences
• the Faculty of Physiotherapy

As for the Tarongers campus, it is located just in front of the Technical University of Valencia. Next to a round building, which no student knows what it is used for.

It includes services like the 'Sanchis Guarner' Centre for Education and Quality, the Audiovisual workshop, the 'Damià Bonet' University residence, the Research Institutes and the 'Gregori Maians' Library of Social Sciences, the Library of Education and also, the Tarongers Sports Campus.

In it you can find the following faculties:

• the Faculty of Law
• the Faculty of Economics
• the Faculty of Social Sciences and Education

A bit further out, on the municipal borders of Burjassot and Paterna, and connected to the other campuses by a tram network is the Burjassot-Paterna Campus. There you can find:

• the Faculty of Mathematics
• the Faculty of Biological Sciences
• the Faculty of Chemistry
• the Faculty of Physics
• the Faculty of Pharmacy
• the School of Engineering

It also has sports facilities and IT Services, as well as the 'Eduard Boscá' Library of Pharmacy and Science. The complex, made up of research Institutes and the University's Science Park, is also right next to the campus.

What are the facilities like?

The facilities in the faculties that I know (Psychology, Geography and History, Philosophy... ) are (or they were before the renovations) quite poor. Everything was very old. After the renovations, however, the library is quite good and the computers are not so bad.

In any case, the Library of Humanities is quite good - except in exam season, where it's like Sparta to find a place to study. Some people wake up at ungodly hours, getting to the library at six in the morning to get a space and leave their folders so nobody else can take their place but apart from that, the facilities are very good.

With respect to the rest of the facilities or campuses, truthfully, Tarongers is the newest there. However, if we were to highlight one thing, it would have to be without a doubt the sports facilities of the campus. With a student card, it costs very little to sign up to lots of the activities there. If you want to do a sport of your own accord, somewhere else, you can use the University of Valencia student card without booking (if you book you have to pay) and use the tennis courts, paddle tennis courts or football pitches for free. Always as long as a class isn't already going on, of course.

Even though I did not go to Tarongers, I know the best campus is the Technical University of Valencia. Enormous cafeterias, new Sports facilities, the square with bars where you can grab a bite to eat, the very new library and the famous 'Casa del Alumno', the Student House where you can take a little break (although there are students who never leave the place). I was lucky enough to spend a year here whilst I was studying Industrial Design and the truth is, it is not a scratch on the University of Valencia campuses. If you are able to go with a lot of money, definitely live in the 'Galileo Galilei' residence, within the same Technical University Campus. It would be impossible to find a place with more amenities.

And what about the teaching?

Truthfully, I have not had much luck in this area. During the five years of my degree, I can only remember four or five good professors. Two or three were really great. I have heard of others, but I am only going to mention those I know from my own, firsthand experience. In the Faculty of Psychology the most well known professor is the Doctor of Psychology, Raul Espert, of the Department of Psychobiology. He is a clinical Neuropsychologist who works in the University's Hospital Clinic. He has several Master Degrees and a very well deserved Award for Excellent Teaching. A damn whizz.

From the Department of Psycobiology, I also remember Marien Gadea with special fondness, Juan Antonio Pérez from the Social department and Fernando García from the always fun 'Research Methods and Designs'. In the department of Methodology, there are many whizz professors. Anyway, there are one or two more professors who are good, the rest... they dedicate themselves to going over slides with little to no enthusiasm in teaching. For some, it's because they are forced to do X amount of hours of teaching before they can dedicate themselves to research - what they're really interested in. But I say, if you have to do something... you may as well do it well, no?

Well from my track record, I remember the good ones, especially if they really influence your motivation and performance in the subject... therefore, I recommend you get more information before starting to choose lessons because for some it's really worth choosing the subject by teacher and for others it's better not to.

Is it easy to pass at the University of Valencia?

Five years of study is made up of a lot of assignments and exams, however, few subjects actually require real effort and study to pass. Except if you are looking to finish with educational excellence, then yes, you do have to put in more graft and do well in presentations.

In regards to passing easily, I know that Erasmus students are helped out a bit but not as much as they are in Poland, for example, where they gift you good grades. Here if you are Erasmus and want to pass, you have to learn Spanish quickly, attend class and work hard in the assignments; )

What are the activities that are organised by the University like?

In truth I have participated in few activities organised by the University. I went to a conference or two and a cinema showing when it became popular but not much else. Sure they organise fun sport tournaments now and again but do not expect to find out about these by email from the University. With regards to the communication of events, they are a bit... bad. It is better to get to know lots of people who can tell you about events, rather than waiting until you find out through the University. In my case, I nearly did not get an Erasmus place because I imagined that if there were places they would tell me by email. Wrong. Do not wait to find out just like that, ask other students and the secretary's office when you need to because yeah, the University are a bit late in communicating news and events.

However, I always recommend that Erasmus students join ESN, who do organise various weekly activities with distinct themes throughout the whole year. As well as this, they organise trips and special events where you can meet and become friends with a load of new people, get to know other cultures and customs, interchange languages, etc.

Do you think that they teach subjects of quality?

That depends on what we mean by subjects of quality. In my case, when I was in the Technical University, I felt that both the facilities and the studies they offered, were much better... 'planned'.

At the University of Valencia everything works a bit off the cuff. One day a classroom is for one subject, the next day it's used for another, computers don't work, teachers who do not teach or just go through PowerPoint slides...classrooms filled with people practically stood up all lesson because there is no room (this happened every year for exams in key subjects, like 'Métodos', which always had to make up an extra class or look for a professor to watch the class because there were more students than anticipated... ).

But it is also true that if you take a lesson with a professor who gets actively involved, encourages pupil participation, organises group work and role-playing games to reinforce the theory learnt and make it more practical... then yes you'd say they enforce quality teaching. Unfortunately though, it seems to me (and always in reference to my faculty... I don't know what the rest are like... ) that I have had that feeling few times.

Do you have an anecdote you'd like to share?

More than an anecdote. I recommend that students do not rush to choose their timetable / choosing lessons because they are early or late in the day, or choosing some subjects over others. It's important to find out the teacher that is giving the class because it can make all the difference, not just for the grade but also for the quality of teaching, the motivation given and the particular way of studying, working and learning.

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