Hundreds of people went this Tuesday to the Palacio del Segundo Cabo, in Old Havana, where a Fair of Studies in the European Union to publicize the scholarships offered by various universities on that continent.
The event was part of the Month of Europe, which takes place in Havana from April 9 to May 9, under the organization of European delegations and Cuban institutions such as the Office of the Historian. The objective, according to its website, is to “propose an artistic offer that highlights the links” between the Member States of the Union and the Island, and the “common heritage built” between both parties.
Within the program there are conferences, film cycles, plays and concerts, but none of these have been as popular as the fair on Tuesday. Before ten o’clock in the morning, when the doors of the Palace opened, the line was large, and it was not only made up of young university students, but people of all ages.
With patience, he said that if the applicant is not on top of the call, he can opt for the studies but “self-financing”
Inside, at the tables corresponding to different institutions and universities in European countries, they could not keep up with offering information on the available study aids. The one in Germany, in fact, had to close due to exceeding capacity barely an hour after the fair opened.
In the rest, the assistants loaded with the brochures and now only the only one they had left could take photos.
One of the scholarships offered is Erasmus+, which can be chosen either to complete university studies, or to pursue a postgraduate degree. If you want the former, warned the woman who worked at that counter, it is necessary that the Cuban university in which the student is enrolled has collaboration with the European university to which he wants to go.
The same employee asked those who approached to calmly study the calls on the websites, since they are for September and there is time to collect the necessary documents.
With patience, he said that if the applicant is not on top of the call, he can opt for the studies but “self-financing”. Several women in their 50s asked desperately: “And is it only for university students?”
University scholarships abroad are one of the escape routes most used by Cubans with university studies, although it is also a path for professional improvement.
Applicants do not always manage to be accepted in these programs, among other factors due to obstacles imposed by Cuban government institutions when legalizing many documents required by university centers abroad, however, after overcoming these barriers, many manage to leave and do not return . An example is Mexico, where hundreds of graduate students travel each year. Some, when they set foot on Mexican soil, decide to continue to the United States and others, over time, achieve residence in the country and claim their family.
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