It’s test preparation time on many of the Master English courses at the moment. This means I have all the students prepare a short oral presentation in answer to the common job interview question ‘Tell me about yourself’.
The test preparation is always interesting for me as I get to see many students’ CVs, and I often discover interesting things about my students.
This year one young lady, who in Italian terms is very young at 23, caught my attention. Why? Well, because this impressive individual has managed to complete both a 3 year and a 2 year degree by the time she was 23. By the way, a 3 year Italian university degree is roughly equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree, whereas the sunsequent 2 year degree is more or less a Master’s degree. Believe me when I say that finishing a degree in such a short time and by such a young age is incredible in a country where many do not manage to complete their degrees much before the age of 27, or older.
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
How did this youngster manage such a feat? Quite simple really. She started her second 2 year specialist degree before finishing her first 3 year degree course. Talk about enterprising, and her marks were impressive too.
You’d expect this person to be as happy as Larry, but she isn’t. In Italy’s topsy turvy world, she feels that she is too young. And she’s feeling quite disillusioned. It’s sad for me to see her this way. She’s done damn well and deserves praise for her efforts. Back in the UK she would have been snapped up as a high potential employee in no time at all, I’m pretty sure.
I’ve tried to give her a little encouragement, as I do with many of my students (I love to see people do well), but it’s not really my place, not being Italian.
Hopefully someone will recognise her potential and give her the opportunities she merits.
