IAESTE Student Testimonials

The following testimonials have been provided by the three IAESTE students who visited the GPRG during the summer of 2006.

Elise Puuronen

My experience in Sheffield as an IAESTE student;

I have known IAESTE exchange program for a long time and been thinking that it would be a good chance to go abroad as an IAESTE student to get work experience outside my own country, Finland. I noticed the placement in Sheffield on the web site and applied for it because the work in the Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group at the Kroto Research Institute interested me. Also I was interested in visiting UK because I had never been there.

I think that the three months I spent as a trainee in Sheffield were very useful for me and I´m glad that I went there. I learnt a lot about research work in general and got confidence in working in a laboratory. As a student of environmental engineering, learning especially about microbiology from more experienced researchers gave me a different perspective and a deeper understanding of one part of the field of environmental engineering. I believe that my traineeship in Sheffield was an experience that will help me in the future with my career.

Ivana Pavlovic

I am student of Hydrogeology,at University of Belgrade,Serbia.I spent this summer at Sheffield University like IAESTE student.I choose this student
exchange program because it was great opportunity to learn moreabout my field of study,to meet my colleagues from another country,to meet the way of
life in England and to learn more about their culture,in the same time.

I spent great time in Sheffield.People at University are so nice,kind and friendly.I am so glad because I had a chance to be there.I felt like a part of a
great family.

It was great experience for me.I further my knowladge there and met a great people.Also,my english is so much better.I can't imagine that I could spent this summer anywhere else!

Again,thank youfor everything!

Best regards,
Ivana Pavlovic

Misael Letras

Everything started in November 2005 with a prominence at my University's web page about some traineeship around the world. I went to the office that promotes this and signed up for this traineeship as a student of Environmental Engineering that I am.

The process was very long because first we had to choose the countries that we would like to go and then the offers came for which one of the Academic
Courses. And the offers were just two. I didn't get any because I was the 5th student in a list with 30 students. But in April 2006 some more offers came and I signed up for UK.

I didn't have any favourite city; I just would like to go to the UK because it's in Europe, not too far from home, and also because of the language.

And after some months, in the middle of June 2006 I got the notice that I had been accepted in Sheffield! It was a quick process to get the passport, the fly tickets and all the documents that were needed. After all I went to Sheffield.

Being an IAESTE student at Sheffield was a really good experience at a personal and professional level. I made some friends, I knew different people with different cultures and different ways of thinking.

Despite at this moment I am studying other issues such as waste water treatment and litter deposition I feel that this experience, more related to environmental management, was also enrichment.

Definitely it was a good first trip out of Portugal. despite the summer being sunny and full of sea in Portugal.