https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bhd_kO-Ijc
Six months ago, Ángela Bellini, Valentina Hermida, and Jimena San Nicolás, architecture students at Universidad ORT Uruguay, left Uruguay on an academic trip as participants in an exchange program. Their destination: the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastián, Spain, where they would take courses in the “Fundamentals of Architecture” program at the Higher Technical School of Architecture.
The trip, which began as an academic field study, turned out to be one of the most enriching experiences in the lives of these aspiring architects. During their stay in Spain, they got to know a different society—its culture, architecture, cities, and traditions. They had unforgettable experiences and formed friendships they never could have imagined. That’s why Ángela Bellini says without hesitation: “If you have the chance to do it, do it.”
For architecture students, exchange programs are among the most important experiences in their professional development, as they allow them to experience other cultures firsthand; and since architecture is a true reflection of culture and society, these programs provide them with a unique tool for their education.
Living temporarily in another city offers the opportunity to discover new architectural, urban, and social dynamics. And with that knowledge, one is able to develop new perspectives on the practice of architecture.
In the classroom, students learn to design, build, understand societal issues, and use their imagination to find creative solutions to those problems. Through student exchanges with universities around the world, future architects put this knowledge to the test, assess its scope, learn from others, and come to understand the true nature of the connection between architecture, culture, and society.
The School of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay its students the opportunity to take courses as part of their degree program at prestigious universities around the world. The university has more than 100 exchange agreements with countries such as Germany, Australia, Belgium, Spain, China, South Korea, the United States, Estonia, France, Finland, the United Kingdom, Israel, Italy, and Mexico, among others.