International exchange programs

International exchange programs provide students with an opportunity to study in a different country and to experience the history and culture of another country. A year abroad teaches you about building friendships, taking responsibility for yourself, respecting differences and tolerating the beliefs of others. Exchange students develop leadership skills, self-confidence and a greater understanding of the complexities of the world around them. This is why the best corporations and professionals look favorably on students who have spent a school year abroad.

If you want to apply to an exchange program you need to be able to fill in an application form and to write a motivation letter.

An application form usually requires personal data, study data and some documents. (See Appendix I for a sample application form)

A motivation letter contains information about who you are, what your interests are, and how you could benefit the institution you are applying to.

 

13. Look through the example of a motivation letter. Find the following information: name, faculty, university, achievements, skills, goals.

Motivation letter for student exchange Giancarlo Moretto Milano Street, 55 Roma, Italy Tel. +39-349-98-99-581 E-mail: [email protected] To whom it may concern, I am Giancarlo Moretto, student of Information Engineering Faculty at the University of Rome. With this letter I would like to express my strong interest for participation in your Student Exchange Program in the summer of 2020. As a future graduate, I plan to build an international career in the field of information engineering in the EU, so this program will really mean a lot for my professional aspirations. Capability to handle problems, social balance and the necessity to gain an international experience outside my University make me a proper candidate for this position. During my studies, I have been a student representative. I was chosen at the Faculty’s elections for three years in a row. My responsibilities, as a representative included: organizing term exams, social gathering and sport events and representation of my Faculty at the students Senate. Those assignments enabled me to develop strong organization skills and to become a responsible young individual. Also, as a student of University of Rome I discovered the usefulness of team work. Only with quality team work great achievement can be reached. I have done an internship for about two months at a local telecom service provider in Rome. During that placement, I have mastered skills like: providing cost-effective solutions for optimizing network stability and security, improving performance of systems and equipment and resolving issues such as network crashes, system slowdowns and virus outbreaks. With my experience and English proficiency I was able to adjust to the work in a very short time. Thank you very much in advance for this opportunity and for considering my application. Considering my experience and skills I believe that your program will benefit a lot from my presence and it will enhance my future career in the field of Information Engineering. I am convinced that I will find a place in all the activities anticipated by your University and I will do my best to adjust to your facilities and courses. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Giancarlo Moretto

14. Read the motivation letter again, get ready to discuss the structure of the letter and the formal language used in it.

15. These adjectives can help you to describe yourself in a motivation letter. Match the words and the definitions.

1. confident	a) truthful, not cheating or lying
2. diligent	b) having belief in yourself and your abilities
3. easy-going	c) trustworthy, about a person who will not let you down
4. honest	d) working hard and paying attention to what you are doing
5. reliable	e) doing things on time
6. motivated	f) someone who works well with other people
7. a team player	g) easy to get along with
8. punctual	h) enthusiastic about work

16. Use the adjectives from the table above to fill the gaps.

1) I’m very __________. You can depend on me to get the job done.

2) I’m a ___________. I’m happy to collaborate with other people on projects.

3) I’m very __________. I always arrive on time.

4) I pride myself in being ________, because I believe it is important to be truthful.

5) I’m pretty _____________. I find it easy to get along with people.

6) I’m a very ________ person. I’m good at applying myself to tasks.

7) I’m very ______________. I love doing what I do.

8) I’m __________ that I would make a valuable addition to your team.

 

17. Write a motivation letter for a student exchange program. Use the sample above.

In the letter you have to:

1. Introduce yourself describing your strengths, interests, experience.

2. Explain why you want to participate in an exchange program of this particular University.

3. What skills are relevant for you/ what kind of knowledge you want to get and what skills to develop.

4. Describe your career preferences.

 

18. Write or speak on one of the following topics:

1. Your first impression of studying at university.

2. Student’s workload and the ways to adjust to it.

3. International exchange programs for students.

 

UNIT 5

TECH EDUCATION

1. Work with a group-mate to discuss the following:

1. How many universities and institutes of higher education are there in Russia?

2. Do you know about the history of higher education?

3. Do you know about the history of technical education?

4. Why do you think the number of technical students has risen in the last years?

5. What is the role of education for our country?

6. What is ‘lifelong learning’?

 

2. Look at the following international words, guess their meaning and check the pronunciation:

System, foundation, university, population, prestigious, contribution, academic, program, equivalent, regulate, standard, professional, humanities, social-economic, discipline, project, final, practice, period, arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry, mechanics, architects, technician, biomedical technology, technique, fundamental, automation.

Part I. TEXT

1. Here are the words and word combinations you have to learn. Rewrite them and find their meaning using online translators (www.lingvolive.com, www.multitran.ru)

Applicant, extra-mural course, to be awarded, finals, to carry out, compulsory, core curriculum, to defend a thesis, humanities, to pass exams, research paper, scholarship, to elaborate, to state, in the framework of, to take competitive exams, at least, to be enrolled, significance, applied sciences.

 

2. Read and translate the text: