The Buddy Programme is a service at the University of Andorra (UdA) that helps international students to adapt to Andorra and UdA campus life, and at the same time promotes cultural and linguistic exchange between local and international students.
When an international student arrives at the University, a local student (mentor) becomes their guide during their first months in Andorra. The mentor assists them with academic issues and with cultural and daily aspects of life in Andorra, such as administrative procedures, transportation, leisure activities, Catalan language, etc.
Main goals of the Buddy Programme:
- Facilitate the adaptation of international students to UdA life and the country in general
- Promote multilingual and multicultural experiences among UdA students
- Help resolve the kinds of doubts and worries that tend to arise during the first weeks in a new country
Welcome session
Before the start of the academic year (early September), an orientation and welcome session is organized for all international students. In this session, students meet academic coordinators, attend informative and practical sessions, and take a guided tour of the UdA campus.
Mentors
Mentors are a group of UdA students who volunteer for the Buddy Programme for a variety of reasons:
- To help international students learn about the UdA, Andorra and the Catalan language, and adapt to new life as students in a new country
- To learn or perfect foreign languages first hand from native speakers: international students
- Participate in a variety of activities to get to know and understand different cultures
- Make new friends in a multilingual and multicultural environment
International students
They are students who come from all over the world to study at the University of Andorra, either for a few months or for a full degree.
They participate in the Buddy Programme in order to:
- Adapt quickly to the new university and the new country with the help of fellow students
- Get to know the natural environment, culture and leisure of Andorra through the activities offered by their mentors
- Learn or perfect the Catalan language in the best possible way: speaking it with Catalan speakers
- Make new friends in a multilingual and multicultural environment
Advantages of the Buddy Programme
Mentors
Act as a guide for an international student
Get to know new cultures and ways of doing things
Learn or perfect another Language
Two elective credits upon accreditation of fulfilment of the objectives
International students
Have a person of reference to resolve doubts
Get to know the University of Andorra and how it works
Have an authentic immersion experience in Andorran culture and Catalan
Adapt quickly and efficiently to a new country and new university
