Exchange at Universidad de Navarra, Spain

A little over a month into my exchange semester, I have nothing but good things to say. I am a 4th Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering student, and am currently studying at TECNUN, in Donostia/San Sebastian, located in the Basque country of Spain, 20km west of the French border.

As I am a double major student, I only have two restricted electives in my course program. As a result, my subjects are as follows:

UTS Subject	TECNUN Subject
Electromechanical Automation (48531)	Fluid Power (02163)
	Electric Drives (02067)
STM90849	Prototyping (02164)
CBK91080	Energy Technology (02181)
	Spanish 1 (04103)

Studying at TECNUN is very different to UTS, as the university is just FEIT students, and thus is only made up of 4 buildings and roughly 1000 students. Therefore, classes are often a lot smaller than UTS and offer a more interactive learning experience. However, as the campus is part of the Universidad de Navarra (based in Pamplona), the facilities at the university are up to date and offer new and unique technologies for use in practical subjects, such as Prototyping (02164). Classes are formatted similarly to UTS, however, with a mixture of lectures and practical sessions for most subjects. Some subjects, such as Energy Technology and Electric Drives, are small enough that the lectures and tutorial-based activities are integrated, rather than being separate timetabled slots as at UTS.

San Sebastian (or Donostia is Basque/Euskara), is an incredible city to live and study in, and is a great change of pace compared to Sydney. While TECNUN doesn’t have its own dedicated housing, there are a few third-party university housing options. However, I opted to live in a shared flat closer to Zurriola Beach both in hopes to practice Spanish with local roommates rather than other exchange students, and have easier access to the city and beach. Despite living on the other side of the city than university, Donostia is small enough that it is still only a 20 minute bike ride into campus. In terms of living and activities, Donostia is great for someone who likes being social and spending time outdoors, as there is always something going on, with opportunities to go hiking, surfing or playing volleyball, as well as going out with friends. The city also provides great access for travel through Spain and other countries such as France and Portugal by road, or the rest of Europe easily accessed by plane from Bilbao or Biarritz.

I can’t recommend Donostia enough as an exchange destination for UTS engineering students. It is a great change of pace from Sydney, and offers lots of opportunities to meet lots of people. If you are intending to study here, I recommend getting here a little before your commencement date. This allows you to find accommodation, if you are planning on living in shared accommodation as I am, as well as meet some people before you start the semester. Buena suerte!

Reece Johnston

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering)

Global Exchange Student

Universidad de Navarra – TECNUN, Spain