Maxime Rodrigus-University of Mons, Belgium
Armenia is unknown to most of us in Europe. Personally, I had never heard of it. When I decided to come to Armenia, I didn’t even know where it was on the map. When I told my friends that I was going to Armenia, they thought it was a Muslim country kinda like Iran. I chose Armenia because it’s a hidden treasure and it should be known. Another reason is that AUA has a great infrastructure, great programs and I knew I was going to have the best experience of my life.
Dynamism, quality, and professionalism; those are the words I remember from AUA. I enjoyed my time in AUA more than ever. I had friends, a wonderful girlfriend; my time in AUA was more than interesting. AUA has the best study abroad program for in-bounds because the people in charge of it are devoted and always ready to help. I can say that they beat all their colleagues in other universities!
Armenia is a hidden treasure unknown for most Europeans. People are hospitable, the weather is 300 days of sun per year, everything is cheap. What else can you dream about? AUA is also a very prestigious university and can be proud of the quality of the services provided to locals and international students. It was for me a new way of teaching which I deeply enjoyed. I probably learned a lot more in AUA than in my local university where they focus on theoretical concepts instead of practical like in AUA. Instructors listen to us and try to teach us something not always common in other universities.
People in Armenia have more values, everything has more sense. It was hard for me to understand that. I learned a lot thanks to Armenians. Today I have a lot more values. Something I think isn't right in Armenia compared to my country is the freedom of women. I feel like sometimes women lose their freedom when they get into a relationship in Armenia. However, I love the Armenian culture!!!
I had previous experience in the US. However, Armenians helped me, as I mentioned above, to explore a new version of myself with a lot more values. I loved a girl for the first time while I was in Armenia. I discovered new feelings.
I had the most wonderful girlfriend. It's funny but she helped me discover the culture, the food, places, ... It was amazing! I also really enjoyed the pubs and food!
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Anahit Shababyan-University of Murcia, Spain
Being Armenian, it has always been exciting for me to try back home experience, to study, and to be surrounded by Armenians. I was even more excited when I was granted the opportunity of studying exactly at AUA, knowing its reputation in Armenia. I was coming with high expectations as we had several classes with AUA professors in my home university, and the latter has been even more than fulfilled. I learned a lot during this semester, and the gained knowledge was not only thanks to professors but to the students as well. The main differences from my university that I can mention are the course structure and the way classes are conducted. I really enjoyed that the classes were very interactive and full of examples from the real world; professors encouraged participation and valued every opinion. I want to emphasize the professionalism of the instructors. They are really interested in motivating the students, and what is very important personally for me is that in AUA, it’s not only about the knowledge that you are gaining, but it's also about the values that you are taking with you from the University. I like the culture here; the people are very welcoming and friendly. The food is delicious. The fact that Armenia is an old country, it has a lot of history and there is a lot of stuff to learn, so the tours were very educational and I enjoyed them a lot, especially the part of eating afterward.
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