The experience of four German journalism students in Chile
Anna Laura Schnieber, Julia Brunner, Lea Wulfert and Wiebke Scheffler, are Public Relations and Journalism students at Westfälische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen University, Germany. This university has an international partnership agreement with internacional with Universidad Santo Tomás, which allows for foreign students as well as “Tomasinos” – students from UST – can be part of the International experience program, for a semester or a year, in which the Chilean institution takes in students and teachers from foreign universities, promoting interaction between different cultures and an international collaborative alliance.
Anna, Julia, Lea and Wiebke decided to have an international experience studying Journalism at Universidad Santo Tomas, San Joaquín campus, experiencing what it feels like to be “Tomasinas” for a term.
Study Journalism at UST
The four students arrived in Chile on August 1st and, since then they have been able to visit several places in and around the metropolitan region.
Anna Laura Schnieber
Anna is only 21 years old and has already visited more than 10 countries. She credits her experience in Chile for making it easy to improve her Spanish; furthermore, during this time she has been able to visit La Vega, Barrio Italia, Plaza Concha y Toro and Parque Metropolitano, as well as the most prominent Chilean cities, such as La serena, Copiapó, Calera, Vallenar, San Pedro de Atacama and Valparaíso.
Julia Brunner
Like Anna, Julia Brunner is 21 years old. She is staying at an apartment located in Parque Bustamente, place in which she has been able to meet other young foreigners. It is her first visit to Chile and during her stay she has been able to travel to San Pedro de Atacama and visit places in the Metropolitan Region such as Cerro San Cristóbal, Cerro Santa Lucia, and The Museum of Human Rights, La Vega, Central Market, La Moneda, The Bellas Artes Museum, Sky Costanera amongst others. Some of the high points of her stay have been the price of fruits and vegetables which is a lot more accessible than in Germany, as well as the Chilean culture and people.
Lea Wulfert
22-year-old Lea arrived in Chile motivated by wanting to improve her Spanish and travel outside of Europe. Also to insert herself in a culture that is worlds away from her own. During this period, she has traveled alongside her exchange mates to San Pedro de Atacama and Valparaíso, places she describes as breathtaking, as well as Cerro Santa Lucia, Cerro San Cristóbal, Sky Costanera, La Vega and the Market. Lea is delighted by the kindness of Chilean people and how comfortable she has been with her class mates.
Wiebke Scheffler
Wiebke had already been to Latin America prior to her Chilean experience: when she was 5 years old she moved with her family to Ecuador, where she lived for 9 years. For this reason she has a special connection with this side of the world. When she found out about the partnership between her university and Santo Tómas, she didn’t hesitate and made the decision to live this experience in Chile. She highlights the people, their kindness, gentleness and the creative atmosphere of downtown Santiago and Valparaíso.
These four young women, when reporting their experience, they were surprised and grateful for the close relationship between students and teachers at Universidad Santo Tomás.
International Experience Program (Programa de Experiencia Internacional – PEI)
The international experience program offer al UST students the option of going abroad on exchange to partnered foreign institutions.
The exchange period can have a length of a semester or a year of studying abroad, period during which the students are still considered, for all intents and purposes, a regular student of our institution.
- Foreign Exchange Requirements for Santo Tomás Students
- Requirements for Foreign Exchange Students