The Erasmus + Program was presented at Sofia University. In the Central Foyer the students had the opportunity to visit stands where they obtained information about partnering universities.
The event was organized by the Department of Protocol and International Relations at the oldest high academic institution in this country. Tatyana Tsaneva, head of the Department, welcomed the students and said that such a presentation of the program was done for the first time at Sofia University. She also remarked that most of the universities, partners in the Erasmus + Program had sent plenty of information material. She appealed to the students to use the website and the Program’s facebook page to get up-to-date information.
Professor Maria Stoycheva, Vice Rector of Sofia University, expressed her joy that many students had become interested in the academic exchange between Alma mater and the universities of the European Union. She also noted that Sofia University had always sent and reciprocally welcomed many students because it is the biggest Bulgarian university and the only one present in international rating systems. It is also a desired partner to prestigious universities from the member-states of the European Union.
Professor Stoycheva stressed that the Erasmus Program has exceptional contribution to not only the academic but also the professional development of the students.
“As member of faculty at the University and as researcher I would like to share with you that contemporary science is no longer the science confined to the academic study; it is the research that each one of us conducts by the hour. Nowadays both teaching and research work are predominantly team work. That is why we want to stimulate you from your undergraduate years to participate in such exchanges, to get familiar and move in more actively and at an earlier age of your professional career. You should check your yardstick with international teams and see how the educational system is implemented at other universities, and when you return you should make sure that the quality of teaching at your university is of world standard,” the Vice-Rector said. Professor Stoycheva noted that many members of faculty at the University participated actively in international teams and could present world achievements in their work.
Associate Professor Mira Markova, Faculty of History Erasmus Program Coordinator, presented briefly her experience and expressed her opinion that that was the optimal youth program at the EU in the domain of education and teaching. She talked briefly about the development of the program and about her work as coordinator over the years, and appealed to the students to show more active interest in these issues, to ask questions in order to have good orientation concerning the opportunities they were given.
Associate Professor Markova stressed that for the students it was vital to participate in the program because it would be valuable experience to them. She recommended that they opt for longer mobility to have enough time for adaptation and time to practise the foreign language, enhance their language competence, open up new horizons, gain experience and experience different cultures and methods of teaching.
Within the framework of the event Krasimira Krivorova and Zheny Ivanova, coordinators in the Erasmus Program at the Department of Protocol and International Relations, presented the Erasmus + Program, introduced its history succinctly, gave some practical advice as to how the students should choose their optimal university, what period of tuition they should opt for, what problems they might face, the conditions for application, etc. They presented the advantages of the program using data based on real statistics of shared experience of former student-participants in the program. Thus, it became clear that 80% of the students had improved or developed new study habits, improved the practical skills relevant to their professional development, and more than 90 % of the young people had gained more confidence both in their abilities and in the ways of better cooperating with people from different cultures to adapt to and work efficiently in new situations.
The students had the opportunity to listen to the personal experience of Simona Andreeva, a student-participant in the Program.
The next meeting dedicated to the Erasmus Program will be held on February, 20th at 3.00 p.m. at Aula magna at Sofia University.
