_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Such a chance to join FEA USP Ribeirao Preto. I’ve studied there one semester (2011), and this was amazing. The university is really huge, with a strong student life and you feel directly like at home. For me USP was a really good university and I learned a lot but also met many local people really nice and interesting to meet foreign people.
About the city, RP is the perfect size for an exchange semester, all the students are living close to each other’s, you can make sport, there are many events and you can discover the culture like nowhere. It’s also easy to travel and to discover others regions.
USP FEA RP is finally a really good atmosphere to deal with Brazilian culture, learn about local people and be beaming. I also loved the rhythm and how people are taking care of us at the International Office, allowing us to be quickly in the mood and to learn Portuguese. As far as I know this experience was grateful and will be perfect for the future, as I plan now to going back to work there.
Well, do not hesitate, you will not regret it, have the best time and learn many things, about a country that worth it! ‘Tudo bem’ como falamos.“
Aurélien Cornubert, Kedge Business School (France)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Foi simplesmente maravilhoso! Em geral, o intercâmbio pode te ajudar a te conhecer melhor e ter um crescimento pessoal, além disso, morar numa cidade como Ribeirão, tão linda! comunicada com o Brasil tudo, é fantástico. E nem falo da qualidade humana do pessoal da FEA RP e da USP inteira, são inesquecíveis!. Fiquei apaixonada de ter feito meu intercâmbio como fiz...no Brasil! Obrigada!"
Montse Santiago
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Mexico
I'm a French student and had the opportunity to spend one year as an exchange student at FEA-RP. I had there maybe the best experience of my life, discovering a new culture, language, and atmosphere! I improved my knowledge too; first during classes with good and interesting professors, but also during my travels where I learned a lot about the history, the diversity, and the specialties of Brazil. I also met many welcoming and generous people who became really good friends. I will never forget this year and hope to come back soon to Brazil to do an internship or to work, as there is a lot of job opportunities for foreign students.
Hélène Laherre
Student of IÉSEG School of Management
France
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The six month of exchange student in Brazil was the most exciting and exotic moments in my entire life. Every single day was true education for me because when I was in my country I never thought about life. Every single day was so hectic and competitive so I never had a time to think about life. But in here I saw almost every people were enjoying their lives not much worrying about money and competition. That was really shocking moments and the best lesson that I learned in Brazil is not about the agribusiness or politics or economy. The best lesson in here was how to live happy life and I would like to express my deep gratitude for all the people that I met in Brazil.
What I learned and listened about Brazil was totally different with what I see and experience. Except transportation, everything in Brazil makes me happy and satisfied. Especially, Brazilians are very nice and generous so I almost felt like I am in my home. If there are some people who want to visit Brazil and they are worrying about traveling because of the crimes then I strongly recommend that everything you see in the TV and newspaper is totally exaggerated. Here is so peaceful and the people is very nice if you don’t do silly thing then you will experience most wonderful time in Brazil. I hope people would come to Brazil and experience nicest thing in this beautiful country.
교환학생으로 지냈던 6개월 동안의 시간은 내 인생에서 잊을 수 없도록 행복한 순간들이었다. 내가 브라질에서 지냈던 1분 1초의 시간이 흥미롭고 나의 자아를 단단하게 만들어 주는 시간들이었다고 말하고 싶다. 특히, 한국에서 국제관계 학을 공부하고 남아메리카에 많은 관심이 있던 나에게 브라질의 일상을 경험한 것은 아주 유용한 경험이었다. 한국에서 내가 배웠던 것과는 정반대로 브라질은 아주 평온하고 열정적이 나라였다. 이곳에 옴으로써, 나의 미래에 대해 더 많이 생각할 수 있게 되었고 더 많은 확신을 배워간다. 내가 사랑하는 나라가 모두에게 사랑 받는 나라가 될 수 있도록 브라질에 대해 더 공부하고 브라질을 위해 일하고 싶다. 모두가 이 글을 읽고 브라질에서 교환학생을 할 수 있는 기회를 가졌으면 좋겠다.
Inyoung Seo
Student of Keimyung University
South Korea
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mi experiencia en FEA-RP, USP, fue una de las mejores experiencias académicas culturales, ya que conocí muchos amigos de varios países, compartí clases con alumnos brasileros, hice trabajo s muy interesantes en idioma portugués e inglés, así como también tuve que estudiar para las pruebas.Siempre senti un ambiente puro y confortable, rodeado de amigos que estuvieron siempre dispuestos a ayudarme en mis inquietudes, las risas en el sofá, los eventos, largas charlas y ricos salgados en el convivio, el compartir la hora de almuerzo y a veces cena en el famoso bandejón, son recuerdos que siempre llevaré en mi mente y en mi corazón. La oficina internacional, nuestro departamento en el cual podemos sentirnos acogidos, siempre dispuesta a ayudarnos y organizarnos de la mejor manera para lograr con éxito nuestros objetivos.
Ribeirão Preto, una ciudad muy caliente, pero así mismo existen varias maneras de refrescarse! Un delicioso açaí, un sorvete, un churrasco y piscina, siempre serán buenas opciones. El ônibus a veces un dolor de cabeza! pero solo es cuestión de aprender los horarios establecidos y salir con anticipación a la parada. Un lugar donde puedes conseguir carona, y convertirse en una oportunidad para conocer nuevas amistades. Por esto y muchas cosas más estoy eternamente agradecido con FEA-RP, USP y con esta linda ciudad en el estado de São Paulo! Gracias! Y a los próximos intercambistas les deseo muchos éxitos en este maravilloso lugar!.
Wilson Adrian Noboa Sevilla
Estudiante de La Escuela Politécnica Del Ejército
Ecuador
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A dream came true when I received the acceptance letter of FEA-RP. I had the opportunity to study for one year in Brazil and I fell completely in love with the country and its people. I studied two semesters at FEA-RP and would like to highlight the agribusiness lectures, that gave me many new insights and perspectives. Furthermore, it was very helpful that most professors accepted exam answers in English as I was still a beginner in Portuguese once I arrived. This means you are able to study at the FEA-RP even with very little Portuguese knowledge if you are willing to invest in your language skills during your studies abroad. Your fellow students will help you a lot to learn the new language; it was easier than I thought.
Ribeirão Preto is not a touristic city at all. However, Ribeirão Pretanos are very welcoming and it is an easy task to make local friends and if you would like to spend a year of eternal summer this city is the place to go. Visiting the famous Amazon, Pantanal (my favorite), and of course, Rio de Janeiro is no problem at all because you have the option to enroll in morning and night lectures which means you can allocate your lectures in the first part of the week. I was living with two lovely flatmates and this brought me very close to the Brazilian way of life. I can highly recommend FEA-USP as a host university.
Simon Lehmann
Student of ZHAW School of Management and Law
Switzerland
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Meu nome é David Rodriguez e sou estudante de economia da Colômbia. Inicialmente é necessário dizer que a experiencia de intercambio acadêmico neste pais foi uma das melhores coisas que tenho experimentado até agora na minha vida. Adorei o jeito das pessoas com os estrangeiros, a comida, a universidade, a FEA, os novos amigos - brasileiros e estrangeiros -, as cidades e os lugais tao maravilhosos que o pais tem, etc.
Isso foi possível só graças à ajuda de International Office e o ITEAM, pois a orientação que ofereceram pra nos sempre foi a melhor. Agora só posso expressar a eterna felicidade que sinto pela experiencia que a USP deu pra mim. Muito grato com Brasil :)
David Rodriguez
Student of Universidad Nacional
Colombia
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
During the summer after finishing my first year at university, I along with three others went to study at the University of Sao Paulo, at the Ribeirao Preto campus. We were on the Brazilian Business and Culture programme, which lasted three weeks. The course was taught in English but we had Portuguese lessons, which were helpful as they taught us how to understand basic Portuguese that is spoken everyday and they appreciated the effort! They were also effective because we could put into practice what we had learnt on the same day.
The range of courses offered expanded my knowledge and gave me an insight into how other countries work; how they have different principle industries which completely changes what they focus on compared to the UK. As an economics student, this year we mainly focused on economic theory and touched on some of the European and British economy, however, on this course we learnt about how Brazil is so different to Europe, with one of their main industries being agribusiness, how they deal with shocks to their economy, which highlighted the vast differences in our countries. This is just a touch on one of the international aspects I learnt about.
The course didn't just consist of classroom lessons; we also attended many technical trips, showing us how many different industries operated in the country. My favorite was the sugar cane plant, where we saw how sugar was made, right from the beginning of the process where the cane had been cut. The size of the factory was unbelievable, it took us over half an hour to walk round and see everything.
We didn't only stay in Ribeirao Preto, one weekend we went up to the capital, Brasilia on an overnight 12-hour coach journey, which showed how diverse the country was and its size compared to the UK. We spent the last day in Sao Paulo, which was great; we saw some historical sights and it was interesting to see how even in the different states, the cities are so different.
My favorite part of the course was that many students who attend the university took part in the course. The Brazilian culture is so open and the people were so warm, I'd definitely say I have made friends for life. Having them on the course helped improve my Portuguese, as they were always there to help. It also meant we had personal guides around the city as they would show us hidden treasures. A lot of the students wanted to improve their English skills so it worked both ways, they'd help our Portuguese whilst we helped with their English.
I would recommend this course to anyone considering applying, even those who weren't should! It doesn't matter if your course is unrelated to business; the cultural knowledge learnt is invaluable. If you're anxious about travelling, as I was because I had never travelled alone, this course is perfect because everything is planned and you're never left to sort yourself out, which is great. If nothing else tempts you, the weather should, its around 28-30 degrees everyday, which is their winter!
Darshni Nagaria
University of Surrey
United Kingdom
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It has now been almost 8 months since I entered Brazil. Being back in Germany for one month, gave me time to reflect about this exchange at the FEA-RP in the sunny Ribeirão Preto.
Because of my academic year preparations for the exchange semester were fairly difficult. Getting done all the different preparations was not that easy with the time pressure. On top of that I never lived away from my parent’s house for more than two months. So it was very exciting but also a big adventure. I have to mention that it was necessary to prepare myself by studying Portuguese well, spending every day time on an app and studying in class between 4 and 8 hours per week. But it was essential, because the amount of people without any academic degree speaking English is literally zero. One day after my last exam in Germany I flew to Sao Paulo, going first to the sea in Guarujá. It was more of an adventure trip right from the start, because of changes in the transport. Another bus had to be taken to the harbour of Santos, crossing the bay by ferry. I am glad that we had the help of a Brazilian, who lived in Guarujá and spoke English fluently. It was great that he showed us the way and showed us the Brazilian hospitality.
But the most influence had for sure my family in Ribeirão Preto. It was great that I could live with Brazilian and international students from France, Belgium and Germany for seven months. Their presence, help and tips were awesome. My República with now more than 20 people is the República SPARTA. Back then we were around 10 guys. The shared house had all the things you could wish for: Pool, snooker table, big TV, a barbecue and a net to chill in on hot days. The second house we lived in had even better accommodation adding a balcony, sauna and a large outdoor living room. The conditions had increased even further shortly before I left with an additional house next door with an additional pool. A paradise! It was always very clean with cleaning service three times a week, which is very unusual for student’s places. Personally I loved most our three palm trees with fresh coconuts and the pool to jump into right after waking up. First I could not at all understand that the monthly rent for this dream house was identical with the costs for a simple 2-room student’s apartment in Germany. Everything from water over electricity was already included. Even the costs for the cleaning lady. From the first moment I visited the República I was enjoying the company of the others so much that it was certain that I wanted to live here. You became not just a temporary member of the house, but a true brother and SPARTAN. This is very obvious by many former residents visiting regularly the house. One of them is Felipe, who even invited me and my friend to his parent’s house in Minas Gerais to spend Christmas with him and his family. We even stayed for New Year’s Eve having a really good time together. The friends I found at SPARTA are some of the best I made during my entire stay.
The student’s life in Ribeirão Preto was very very good. Everywhere you can find small bars and restaurants with very good food and drinks. Prices are well affordable e.g. for the cinema paying with a student’s discount only 7 Reais. The canteen of the university, called Bandejão, was perfect for student being able to have as much food as you wanted for a symbolic price. Twice a day the kitchen cooked for more than 12.000 student. The best was not the cheap price about this place, but the possibility to come together with you friends and fellow students.
Bars with live music and traditional Brazilian dances could be found as well as the clubs of the city. But way better have been the USP-faculty parties and the República parties. I met a lot of really nice people and could listen to popular Brazilian music. Furthermore going to the parties is way more cost-efficient than going to the few good clubs of the city. But it was as well always pleasant to hang out with our friends at home. Waking up not knowing what would happen that day has been every day a big adventure.
The International Office as well as the I-Team was all the time very helpful and involved in making our stay as pleasant as possible. Whenever we had problems or wishes we got help very fast. Never the less the stay was just like Brazil itself: a chaotic mess. I got used to improvising and adapting frequently, trying to forget about my German nature of having everything more or less scheduled. But I learned to become more flexible while keeping track of tasks and duties. I think it is very important to maintain self-disciplined otherwise you get lost in the jungle of intense talking culture and the joys of Brazil. I think I returned with good hybrid of both.
Coming to Brazil one thing was very important to me: getting to know the people and culture of the country. I am very happy that it was that enjoyable. On top my personality developed greatly in this half year.
But even with this much fun, I was always aware that this country is a dangerous place and everything a big adventure. Especially when I was travelling on my own I was taking risks that I never could perfectly calculate. I have to say that I got lucky in the end with trusting my gut feelings, strategies for preventing dangerous situations and always being extra careful when I met people on the street.
I became another person due to this adventure of my exchange semester and I am very grateful for the time I was able to spend with these amazing people at FEA-RP. It will always be an important time of my life and I am very happy that made this choice!
"Coming to Brazil one thing was very important to me: getting to know the people and culture of the country."
Robin Beyer
Hochschule Ruhr-West
Germany