How I went to Italy to do research on Computer Science

How did I find out about the University of Trento?

There was a great desire to study abroad. I was twice in the United States on the program WORK & TRAVEL and I think that this has largely changed my outlook. So, I studied, like many other IT-students, in the Ufa State Aviation Technical University, where I received bachelor's and master's degrees. He came to the dean, and our dean is a legendary woman, in the best sense of the word, and I say: “I want to study in graduate school abroad - preferably in the USA”. She: “for the US, look for yourself, but we have a partnership with universities in Italy, Germany and Austria. On July 19, a Computer Science professor from the University of Trento, Italy, will arrive. ” I came to the presentation of this professor, sat down and listened, after which I talked with him for a couple of minutes, during which he asked me to send my resume.

How did I get a grant for the student?

A resume should always be honed and ready to be thrown into battle. As a result of my correspondence with the professor, he gave me a link to the grant (research in the field of social networks). To receive it, I had to create a certain package of documents and send it all by mail to the university secretariat. After the documents were sent by me, it was necessary to wait about 20 days to receive a response.
Finally, in early September, I received a letter of happiness saying that I had won this grant and that they were waiting for me at the University of Trento. My joy knew no bounds. At work, I immediately warned the management that in about 1.5 months I was leaving (this was how much I took to prepare the documents, including the visa and tickets).
As a result, I arrived in Trento on October 19th, from where I write this post.
')

What am I doing here?

At the moment I am not a PhD student (graduate student) of this university - I have a contract for six months, during which I will conduct research in the field of social networks and related fields and, if everything goes well, then I become a full-fledged PhD student. I deal with the fact that I read scientific articles on this topic, analyze what the world has already achieved in this area, put forward hypotheses, trying to understand what else can be applied, or how one can apply already existing knowledge.

Accommodations

I live in a separate room in the hostel, which is quite comfortable and I pay 290 euros per month.



All students and researchers studying with my professor get a MacBook Pro 13 "worker." Internet is free in the room, dorm, faculty and university-related buildings. The university is 20 minutes away by bus or 9 by train from the hostel.

A month pass for the city and suburbs costs 23 euros (works in buses and trains). Each student can get a free bicycle - but for some reason I didn’t get it, everything was taken apart. For 35 euros you can get an annual card to visit the gym, pool and other sports facilities. Products and equipment generally cost the same as in Russia or slightly more expensive. In relation to cellular communication, several operators are represented: Vodafone, Wind, TIM, TRE. I made a WIND plan on the phone for 6 euro per month with 300 minutes prepaid for calls within the network and 17 euro calls to Russia. As a mobile Internet, a TRE operator’s SIM card was purchased with 3 GB of prepaid traffic per month for 5 euros.

About nature and terrain

Landscapes here are such that it is worth taking down the lords of the rings or even Pandora from Avatar. From the balcony of my room offers a beautiful view of the city and the mountains stretching into the clouds. The city surprisingly combines various arches of the 13th century, medieval cathedrals and modern Italian architecture. Italians are trying to do everything beautifully.

Other

During my acquaintance with Italy, I found a lot of interesting things for myself. In more detail about it and some other aspects of life of the researcher in Italy I will write in the following article. And yes, women are really beautiful here.