MY CAMPUS & SCHOOL

IUC Carlo-Cattaneo University is a state institution where you can study business, law or engineering. The campus is located in a small town called Castellanza, 30 minutes by train or car from Milan. The first entrance to the campus can be surprising, as the premises are housed in an old factory. Despite the somewhat surprising architecture, the campus is very pleasant. The school remains small, human sized, but that is not all, because the campus is divided into two large parts. The first is in the lower part with the classrooms and the second, in the upper part, is composed of a large park, the library and the administrative offices. In addition, student residences are on campus, so you only have to walk 300 meters to reach your classroom.  
 

MY COURSES & ACTIVITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

As far as the courses are concernes, for this year they were mostly offered in hybrid mode. It was possible for each student to choose wether they wanted to follow the courses in person or remotely. The classrooms are quite large and it is very easy to find your way around the university. In distance learning mode, the school has invested heavily in the necessary equipment so that the quality of the teaching stays the same. It is also important to know that the grading system is different in Italy as the scale is out of 30. Another obvious difference concerns the registration for online exams. It is absolutely necessary to think about registering otherwise it is very complicated to take the exam. It is also important to know that you can refuse your marks. If you feel that a mark is too low, you have the possibility to refuse it and to retake an exam afterwards. Depending on the subject, you can retake the exam once or twice. There were no activities for international students, I guess because of Covid, but the international office is still there to help us.   

WHAT I LIKED MOST

What I appreciated most were the people I met through this university, the relationships I had the chance to create. The Italian culture is also a highlight of this experience. Indeed, Italians are very open socially and ready to do anything to help. Beyond the people, the food is incredible and of course the cultural heritage and the diversity of the landscapes you can admire. 

WHAT I LIKED LEAST

I think the thing I liked least was the way you have to organize your choice of courses at the beginning of the semester. The Italians don't have a weekly timetable like we do. At the beginning of the semester, you have to check if the courses you choose are not at the same time during the semester. However, it is impossible to attend all the classes because of this, as some teachers change the timetable in the middle of the semester.