What would you highlight about the program?
From the program I would highlight above all the laboratory hours. Since the first semester, although in my case it was a little different because of the COVID-19 pandemic, half of the day, that is, 3 hours of laboratory. Each semester the discipline of the labs changes, but they always go hand in hand with most of the subjects taken at this time. This makes it easier for you to understand the concepts beyond the theoretical part and to be able to apply them in a practical way. In addition, each time we work with more professional material and carry out more advanced practices, so the experience in the laboratories brings us closer to the working world and the operation of a laboratory of a company or research team.
I would also highlight having a continuous control, that is to say, we do a lot of work, partial of the subjects, so not all the weight falls on the final.
Why did you choose IQS?
I chose IQS for the same reason I mentioned in the previous question, the lab hours.
IQS was the only place with the Biotechnology Degree that dedicated so many hours in the lab and I felt that these hours could be very helpful and would give me a lot of knowledge. Also that IQS had a lot of contact with the working world, especially in the scientific field, since I knew that it would be easier to integrate into this world, knowing that the mandatory internship could be in one of the important companies in the sector with which IQS had contact. Finally, the offer of different places to do Erasmus, in my case validating the Biotechnology degree, attracted me a lot. I have always liked to travel and get to know other cultures and languages, and the opportunity of being able to study part of my degree abroad has always attracted me, and the truth is that it has been fulfilled since I will start my fourth semester abroad.
What skills are you acquiring through this degree?
Thanks to this degree I have been able to acquire independence and a lot of facility in working in a team in the laboratory. In each lab you are assigned a different partner and this helps you learn to work with different people. We also learn a lot about working independently in the lab and knowing how to apply each technique when it is needed.
In the degree program we do a lot of group work and presentations, which helps us to learn to work with many people at the same time and to learn to speak in public in different languages such as English or Spanish.
What would you tell a student who wants to study at IQS?
To a student who wants to study at IQS, I would say that if he/she is really interested in the practical part, whatever the career, he/she should join IQS, since he/she will learn a lot and in a less theoretical way. Even if you have to study and work hard, every effort has its reward and this is reflected in the opportunities for internships and exchanges abroad that IQS offers, in the proximity of the professors and the university life that starts to return after COVID-19.
Tell me about living in Barcelona, what is your opinion of the city?
Barcelona in my opinion is a very good city to live, since it is very multifaceted. On the one hand, you have the sea, the beach, all the restaurants near the promenade, the promenade ideal for sports, but you also have the mountain, Collserola, with some very nice paths to go for a walk or do sports. It is full of restaurants, stores, museums and modernist buildings, such as the Sagrada Familia or Casa Batlló. The university is in Sarriá and one of the things I enjoy most in Barcelona is walking around this neighborhood and eating in the mythical Bar Tomás de Sarrià.