I had the pleasure of interviewing one of our University Foundation Programme students, Sebastian Urdaneta, who spent the whole academic year at St. Clare’s.
Good morning Sebastian,
Please tell us a little about yourself and the programme that you are on?
My name is Sebastian Urdaneta, I’m a 17 year old Venezuelan student. I enjoy talking with friends, walking around Oxford and relaxing to music after a long day. I’m part of the University Foundation Programme for business, mathematics, and economics. The programme also includes English for academic purposes. The schedule is quite nice and we always have enough time for our own purposes.
How did you decide which programme was right for you?
I wanted to make use of a year that I was mostly free in a productive way and to work on myself to become more mature. I also wanted to strengthen some academic weaknesses that I had prior to joining. I decided that this programme would help me to build better knowledge in these areas, and still leave me with time to do my own activities or work.
What is a typical day like here?
I would wake up at 7 A.M for morning classes, take 30 minutes to finish waking up and checking emails, shower, get dressed and brush my teeth by 8 A.M. Then, walk to the dining hall to have breakfast and then bike over to the Bardwell campus for class. I’ll talk to friends during the breaks that we have and during lunch. When class ends, I head back home to work on homework and enjoy myself as well.
What has been the most memorable moment of your year abroad?
Funnily enough, it was the one time I accidentally shaved my eyebrows off (long story) the day before a weekend trip to Whitby that was organised by our activities director, Ricky Needham. It was quite awkward to find out that in a group of 26 people, I was one of two guys, with my eyebrows nearly transparent no less.
What has been your favourite class?
English class is my favourite, as the activities during it are very engaging and helpful to prepare for the IELTS. Our teacher, Kieth, is fun and tries to integrate the activities into things that would be done in our daily lives.
What are your plans at the end of the programme?
To head off to BCU (Birmingham City University) and study Computer Games Technology there.
Is there something special about the teaching methods on this course?
Yes. The teachers all try to integrate the knowledge into real life scenarios rather than trying to give isolated examples of each one. We have to apply our knowledge to analyse things that may actually happen in our lives or in our professional careers, and each question asked in assignments reflects this.
What has been the biggest surprise of studying abroad?
How similar and different everything is from my country. Many of the habits that people have in their daily lives are very similar, but the overall attitude of everyone here is different, though not in a bad way.
What is your favourite thing about Oxford?
How calm and close everything is. Anything I might need is no more than a 40 minute walk or 15 minute bike ride away. The people are nice and it looks really nice too.
Is there anything else you would like to add or comment on that might help other students decide whether or not to take this programme?
If you want to make use of a year productively to work on yourself and to learn, this is the program for you. You get to work in smaller groups and get to know everyone in the international college. You get to know a lot of people from all around the world and interact with them. It’s really great for learning about other cultures and broadening your horizons.
Thank you very much for your time Sebastian, we wish you well.
