Sergei Kvitko, a PhD student from Higher School of Economics in Moscow, spent a semester abroad in Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona where he studied Political Sciences and Economics in 2017. He also took a course in Spanish for beginners during his stay.
When asked whether Erasmus+ experience was useful, Sergei said:
“The Erasmus program has clearly developed my vision of political and economic interconnection. It’s enriched my knowledge in political theories, shifted my way of thinking about liberal, egalitarian and communitarian policies, and their influence on economics. This advancement definitely affected my research of state policy influence on entrepreneurship and economic growth.
I am very grateful to my host professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Dr. Jacint Jordana for supervising my academic activity there. His guidance was very useful for my progress there.”
Has there been anything difficult or unexpected?
“Renting a flat/room is not an easy task in Barcelona due to huge amount of tourists coming. Actually, I didn’t understand how challenging this task is until I faced it.”
Sergei added that university services for exchange students were very useful and made a difference for his stay:
“I have participated in the welcome day at the university. It was highly informative for a newcomer and proved to be an excellent opportunity to meet new people, make friends, and share experiences (in education and daily routine, both were important). I was also a big fan of the activities provided by the Voluntariat Linguistic program of the university. It is the best way to educate people about Spanish and Catalan culture. They orginize collective trips to visit the sights and neighbourhood in Barcelona on Saturdays for participants of exchange programs. I would say it is the way civil diplomacy works.”
