A Year in Spain: Broadening Horizons in Mechanical Engineering

The most challenging but simultaneously rewarding and enjoyable experience - I couldn't recommend it enough.

Why did you choose to study abroad?
I thought it would be an incredible opportunity to explore another culture and make incredible memories.

Tell us a little about the university you went to
Universidad de Navarra is a private university in Spain set up and run by Opus Dei. TECNUN is the engineering school, situated in San Sebastián with a student body of roughly 1200 students. The school has an exceptional reputation for the engineers it produces. What's more the research centre attached to the school, CEIT, is renowned for the quality of research it conducts and many of the professors at TECNUN are a part of this organisation.

How did the academic side of things work in Spain?
The university felt a lot more like school as it was so small and a private university. Teaching methods were in general more traditional but as the class size was reduced it meant the professor student relationship was often a lot more developed and personal. Lecturers would know who you were and would take time if you were struggling. There was no booking appointment slots; if you needed help you could just go knock on their office or they would arrange specific times especially for you.

Often material from the lectures would not be available online if you were to miss a class. Solutions to problem sheets were also not necessarily provided, not even just numerical values. At first I found this frustrating but it meant that I had to establish rapport and support from the teaching staff and this probably helped my understanding become more comprehensive of the subject matters. There was also a specialist design department which had some very practical and more liberal courses than those which I had taken in Sheffield until then. At first I struggled with this but as I adapted to the style I actually really enjoyed challenging my creative talents.

In terms of exams there was considerably more continual assessment throughout the semester, with few final exams being more than 50% of the grade (even though they seemed to primarily be my subjects!!). The ethos behind this was that the university wanted to see continual engagement, commitment and effort rather than one big push at the end.

What other things did you get involved with?

• I worked as a PhD student's support, running ANSYS simulations for his research on the treatment of liver cancer
• Attended European Wind Conference in Bilbao
• Group ski trip
• Happy Erasmus Trips

What did you gain from the year?

• professional skills
• technical education to a very high standard
• advanced language and cultural skills
• friends around the world
• better appreciation of my own identity
• individual confidence and ease of being

How would you describe the experience?
This experience was hard in every aspect of my personal and professional development. I missed the comfort of home and just speaking and learning in another language pushed me so much, and the level of technicality of some of these courses was so advanced I just felt out of my depth.

But it was in these darkest, hardest moments that I think the experience transformed into something glorious. I made friends that I honestly think I will hold onto for life. Meaningful connections where we were all thrown into this very specific and unique experience at the same period of our lives. We became a family, as close and dysfunctional as one can be. We held each other when things were tough and we laughed and danced with joy when things were good. I wouldn't be able to recommend the experience enough. All I could want to enthuse would still not do justice to the metamorphic experience that it was. Spain, San Sebasitán, TECNUN - all of it really.

More than just what I learnt from others I feel like I have come back from Spain a new person, more confident and self-assured than before. 

What were the highlights of your year?
Without a doubt the people I was with. My university education taught me a lot, and San Sebasitán was an utterly stunning backdrop but being surrounded by so many glorious individuals was really what I took away from the experience. The love we shared for our time together in Sanse, friendships scattered around the globe and in learning to understand each other's' cultures I saw for the first time what it means to be British on the international stage and I came home understanding so much more about myself as a result of gaining a fresh perspective.