Clara Dubois is in her second year of studies in our Bachelor in Information Systems Management program. Always fascinated by math and technology, Clara was not sure what degree to pursue upon completing high school. She did not realize that she would be able to combine both of her passions and put them into practice until she stumbled upon this bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, Clara was happy to be able to pursue her studies entirely in English. Apart from her love for these two subjects, Clara always has time for music lessons and a quick catch-up with friends.
What is a day at IE University like?
Bearing in mind that my schedule usually varies, my timetable each day depends on whether I start my mornings around 9 a.m. or if I have had a late evening studying the night before. Therefore, I am going to describe how I arrange my Tuesdays, which do not change as frequently.
9:00
At this time, I attend my morning classes in the Pedro de Valdivia Building. On Tuesdays, I have Databases and Data Modeling, which is a very useful course, as it plays an integral role in many of our technology-related projects. For each assignment, we work in teams of three in order to put whatever we just learned in class into practice. Apart from this class, I also have Information Technology for Business in which we focus on Python 3 programming language. Currently, we are applying Python into real-life situations as well as developing our individual and group projects, which we work on in groups of two. During the 10-minute break that I have, I either go outside with my classmates or grab some coffee and a snack.
14:00
Typically, I have lunch with my family, but on many occasions I go out and have lunch with my friends as a way to catch up. And if I want to work on an assignment with a friend, first we meet for lunch and then we go and work on it together. The Student Hub is a nice place to eat whatever we have ordered in the cafeteria and get some work done.
16:30
I take guitar lessons around this time. In my opinion, music is an essential part of life. Since I was 12 years old, it has always been my dream to play the guitar and the piano professionally (I take piano lessons on Thursdays). Not only am I carrying out my dream, but music also strengthens my brain’s executive function as it activates multiple areas of the brain. It is a beautiful feeling to be able to express yourself with a guitar or piano.
18:00
During my free time after my music lessons, I either study, go to the gym, catch up on assignments, or do some music homework. Studying is necessary in order to stay up-to-date with all of my courses. I like to work ahead on my projects for school, as well. This way, I have enough time to complete them properly without making any silly mistakes. Also, I’m also taking an online course regarding analytics, which takes up a chunk of my free time.
21:30
Typically, I have dinner with my family and then I relax before bed. After dinner, I watch some news, TV shows, or catch up on the latest Netflix series. Some of my weeknights are different, though. On Wednesday nights, I normally go to the cinema; on Thursday nights, I hang out with my friends; and on Friday nights, we go out dancing.
When did you start your degree? Why did you choose this degree?
I’m currently in my second year of studies. I decided to choose this degree since I couldn’t decide whether to take up either a math-related or an IT-related degree. It was my father who told me about this course in Information Systems Management. After looking it over, I thought this was the perfect bachelor’s degree for me to pursue. It had everything I was looking for but all in one degree; not only does it focus on business, but it also looks into technology and innovation.
What do you like most about studying at IE University?
I like the multicultural and diverse environment here on campus. Also, IE University fulfills what I was looking for at the time of choosing a university, which was to study my degree entirely in English. Furthermore, I also like the wide variety of extracurricular activities offered.
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities?
I’m involved in the Computer Society club. Additionally, I also participate in the mentorship program.
What are your favorite subjects and why?
I would say that my favorite subject is Statistics, Probability, and Discrete Math since I have always loved math and numbers. In addition, last year I found both the course in Java programming language and Strategy and Business Dynamics, in which we analyzed a business’ strategy and management, very interesting. This year, I would say that I like all of my courses and how there is a lot of overlap between them.