Hardworking Spanish Physics student swapped Barcelona for the Bay

Please note, this page has been archived and is no longer being updated.

Successful physics student, Judit Maynou won’t be regretting her decision to stay in Swansea when she receives her First Class Honours BSc Physics degree at Swansea University’s Summer Degree and Award Congregation on Friday 28 July.

Judit MaynouJudit, aged 21 from Barcelona, came to Swansea in the second term of the academic year 2015/16, as an international exchange student from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona.

Judit did very well in the term, passing the modules with high marks. At the end of the term, Judit expressed a very strong wish to transfer to Swansea University permanently and complete her studies here, including obtaining a Swansea degree. 

Judit passionately preferred Swansea over Barcelona, both for the level of quality of teaching in the Physics degree, as well as the lifestyle, including beach volleyball and all the other activities Swansea has to offer.

A transfer at the end of level 2 can be complicated but throughout the process Judit remained very focused and was determined to succeed. 

Judit returned to Swansea as a full time Swansea University student for the academic year 16/17 and did extremely well obtaining a First Class Honours degree with an outstanding average of 78% in her final year. She is now planning a Master degree to be taken in Spain.

Speaking about her time in Swansea Judit said: “When I first came to Swansea University it was as an international exchange student but I was so impressed with the quality of the teaching and the facilities on offer that I wanted to stay. 

“When I arrived here it was February and it was cold and raining, and I knew barely nothing about the city since none of the people I know had heard of it before.  On my second day I went to see my tutor and I had my first volleyball training session in the evening. And already from that day I saw how nice the people were to me, how dynamic the university was in general and I felt very welcome. Immediately after, I got used to the lectures, the new activities and my new friends. I loved living on my own and doing so many new little things every day. Although the weekly coursework took some time, it was not hard to keep up with it if I was constant and did a little bit every day.

“My Personal Tutor and Overseas Students Coordinator Professor Gert Aarts was so supportive and after a lot of hard work managed to arrange for me to transfer to Swansea University. A decision I have never regretted. 

“Having studied in two different universities made me experience the hard work that my degree required in two different ways and life styles, and I am extremely grateful for the amazing opportunity I was given. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is willing to get out of their comfort zone and take this kind of challenging adventure.

“In September, I am going to complement my Physics degree with a master’s degree in Barcelona. I can honestly say that it was the high quality of teaching provided by the Physics Department that enabled me to achieve a level of degree that was beyond my wildest dreams. Although I will be returning to Spain I do not regret swapping the beaches of Barcelona for the beautiful beaches of Swansea Bay.”