By Sebastian Zmuda
Gala de Pedro, from Madrid, Spain, has been a student at CIS University for a little more than a year. She is in her 3rd year, and doing a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She attended the University of Groningen in the Netherlands for a year before transferring to CIS University in Madrid. In this interview, she goes over her experience transferring to CIS University, making it onto the Dean’s List, as well as her reasons for joining the CIS University Ambassadors Program.
In this interview, Gala reflects on the differences between each country, their educational systems, their people, and her internship experience at CIS University. During her year in the Netherlands, she looked into the American higher-education system and liked its academic flexibility and the chance to do a semester abroad in the U.S. From there, she found CIS University and another way to achieve her goals.
How was your experience transferring to CIS University from the Netherlands?
Well, my experience was actually quite easy. I was studying at a university in the Netherlands, and they helped me transfer all of my credits with no friction at all, which was really nice and helpful.
Tell me about your experience as a CIS University Ambassador and why you decided to join the CIS University Ambassadors Program.
My time as a CIS University Ambassador has actually been really nice. The program gives us the opportunity to meet a lot of international students. So, it helps us improve our communication skills and make friends from all over the world. That’s why I decided to join; I thought it’d be a good opportunity to actually learn how to communicate with others and how to be helpful to other people.
What have you done to land a spot on the Dean’s List? Do you have any advice for other students?
I always take notes in class and try to pay close attention and attend class every day. Even though attendance is mandatory, I think it is actually helpful because it motivates all of us to go to class. Every time I return home from school, I organize all of my notes, and then at the end of the week, I review them, so that I am ready for exams and in-class assignments.
How would you compare your university experience in Madrid to your university in the Netherlands?
The learning style was quite a big change. Here we have a lot of different types of assignments. For example, we have presentations, group work, essays, Excel learning, etc. However, in the Netherlands, assignments were mostly done with a computer, and it was just multiple-choice. Math was online rather than written down. So, that was actually quite a big change in the learning style.
And then, comparing Madrid to the Netherlands, Madrid is a lot friendlier, and people are a lot more open to meeting you. In the Netherlands, it was actually hard to meet and make new friends. They all kind of knew each other beforehand.
Is there anything that CIS University does that helps promote your learning more than, say, your last university?
Definitely, the fact that we have different types of exams and assignments does help me learn more. In CIS University, we use different practical examples that are used in the real world. They make me learn more in different ways and make it easier to prepare and to know what to look for in a future job.
How was your internship experience in Madrid?
My internship experience was really useful and really helpful. I did a financial course in the company I worked at, and it actually helped me develop a lot of skills with Excel, which I know will definitely be helpful for the future.
What do you think about CIS University’s location in Madrid?
I think the location is actually pretty nice. The area has a lot of things. It has many restaurants and a lot of places where we can actually spend time with friends. It is quite easy to get to, as I can get here by metro, which is the case for many students.
For anyone considering transferring, would you recommend that they transfer here?
Yes, definitely. I recommend that anyone transfer to CIS University, as learning through the American higher-education system can be very useful. In my opinion, the Spanish and Dutch systems are mainly about memorizing, and they don’t help us prepare for real-life situations. The program that CIS University offers, the 2+2 option, gives us the chance to study in the U.S. I think a lot of people would like to explore the U.S. So, yes.