Why education specifically? First, it is a very valuable experience that can be obtained in European countries, including Spain. Second, those who have ever been to Western Europe know how advantageous it is to be a student here - most of the most interesting places to visit give students significant (usually 50%) discounts. Third, study helps quickly improve your language skills, integrate into the country's culture, and make friends; fourth, you get the opportunity to participate in many European conferences and congresses in your specialty and communicate with professionals from different countries. So what needs to be done to make all of the above a reality?
Step 1. Information
I participated in a competition for a grant (in Spanish - beca) from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI). Citizens of Ukraine can participate in five competitions for grants from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (see table). I participated in the competition under program II.A, which offers a wide selection of educational opportunities. A necessary condition for participation is having a higher education.
Step 2. Language
How well do you need to know Spanish to participate in the competition? There is no unambiguous answer to this question. Of course, if you have perfect command of the language, both studying and adapting will be much easier. But this does not mean that such deep knowledge is necessary to obtain a grant. Unlike American programs, the competition for grants in Spain does not even conduct a language test. Nevertheless, you must present a certificate of Spanish language proficiency indicating your level.
There is an official diploma D.E.L.E. - a diploma of Spanish as a foreign language. Unlike TOEFL, D.E.L.E. can be taken at three levels, and you determine the level yourself before taking it (basic, intermediate, advanced). Thus, even with modest knowledge of Spanish, obtaining an official diploma is quite realistic. When submitting documents for the competition, such a diploma is given preference. A language proficiency certificate can equally serve, for example, a certificate from a language school or courses stating that you study Spanish so many hours a week at such and such a level.
From my own experience, I have seen that with great desire, it is quite possible to learn the language on your own to a certain level in order to be able to study in courses at a more advanced level. In the certificate I provided, it was stated that I was studying Spanish courses at a level of 3.5 out of 5, five hours a week. In the end, it turned out to be enough.
Of course, my level of Spanish, which I "reached" in three months (though being in a language environment - in Madrid), did not allow me to independently make the necessary translations of various important documents. Friends helped with translations while I continued to study Spanish. After all, it is one thing to submit documents, and quite another to actually come to a foreign country for a year, and for study at that... Without the language - no way!
Step 3. Procedure
From October 2003, the competition for grants for the 2004-2005 academic year and summer 2004 opens. Last year the deadline was January 31 (for program II.A), so there is plenty of time to submit an application. Note that the competition is held worldwide, not only in Ukraine. The entire application submission procedure takes place online at www.becasmae.es Here you will also find two large files in Spanish. The first is a list and description of all programs, requirements for them, and the selection procedure; the second is instructions for filling out online forms. After registering on the site, you get access to application forms, where you should enter the following information: personal data; academic data (university, specialty, level of education, field of study, topic of study, grade point average with a calculation of points - for example, 5 out of 5, maximum - 5, and total number of hours); Curriculum Vitae in Spanish (if you have scientific publications, do not forget to add them to the list; publication titles do not have to be translated into Spanish, English is sufficient); confirmation of Spanish language proficiency with the level indicated; the program for which you are applying; the Spanish university where you would like to study/conduct research, the topic, specialty, field of research and the study program you are applying for, the duration of study, the need to extend the grant.
Despite the fact that you receive the grant from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you will work at a specific university, which must be interested in the topic you are developing. Finding a university is a very crucial moment. This is where you need to show particular persistence and perseverance - because, in essence, the rules of grant competitions are very similar. The more time you spend choosing a university and gathering information about its programs, professors, and current topics studied, the better your chances of fitting the trend, which is very important for the commission that will decide the fate of your application. Fortunately, the possibilities of the Internet are enormous. It is advisable to enter into correspondence with universities and professors who work on topics close to yours or of interest to you. After all, it is the university administration that makes the final decision on whether to accept you or not.
You will also have to independently write a program of your study/research (the so-called project) for the entire duration of the intended grant, which should include: the topic title; a motivation letter; a description of plans upon completion of the project and future professional goals; the expected degree/educational level; two recommendation letters; a technical and professional presentation of the project.
It was the technical-professional description of the project that was a difficult task for me. As I managed to find out from Spanish acquaintances, it means what is usually written in the introduction to a term paper or thesis - exactly how you intend to implement your project (methods, means, resources, step-by-step tasks).
After you send all the forms via the Internet, you will need to print three documents from the site, fill them out and, together with the legalized diploma, mail them to Spain to the person responsible for selecting scholarship holders at the university of your choice. One of the documents is all the information you provided online; the second is fiscal obligations to Spain (usually it looks like this: "I have no obligations to Spain, since I have never worked there"); the third is an application to the university for a specific faculty/course/program, etc.
However, sending a diploma legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the embassy to Spain is not cheap, and you don’t want to part with the original when you don’t yet know whether you’ll be granted the scholarship. I, for example, sent a copy of the notarized translation of the diploma into Spanish and a letter explaining that for financial and time reasons I cannot yet provide the legalized diploma. If your diploma is legalized, still send a copy; the original will be requested at the embassy in case of a positive response.
My final deadline for submitting documents was January 31. During the last three days of submission, the website was not working (this happened quite often throughout the entire application period). In the end, the deadline was extended to February 3. I received the first letter from the committee on May 12, informing me that I had passed the preliminary selection. It is from this moment that you should begin legalizing the diploma, as this is a troublesome matter, and in the event of a positive response, you will need to provide it to the embassy within two weeks.
On June 6, I received a message that my application had been selected and submitted for final approval. Also came a list of documents that I had to provide to the Spanish Embassy in Ukraine within two weeks. The list essentially included everything I had written in the online application. Among the new documents, only a medical certificate with translation and legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the embassy. Note that the certificate will be valid only for three months.
Once you have submitted all these documents to the Spanish Embassy in Ukraine, you can relax. Already on June 7, I received a letter from the Spanish Embassy in Ukraine with congratulations and a list of documents needed to obtain a visa. And on August 12, I received a letter from the committee stating that based on the final results of the competition, I would receive the grant.
Advantages of the Spanish grant
Fluent knowledge of Spanish is not required, there are no additional tests or interviews, and the financial costs before receiving a response on the grant are reduced to translating the diploma and sending it to Spain. The entire application process takes place on the website, which eliminates paperwork. The detailed instructions and information resources on the website make it easy to navigate filling out applications, choosing programs, and tracking the entire selection procedure, as well as the rights and obligations of a scholarship holder upon arrival in Spain.
If you are already ready to conquer this peak, remember that the website sometimes does not work, and if pages with documents do not load, don’t be nervous - just try again in a day or two. As for your chances of receiving a grant, they depend only on you. For the 2003-2004 academic year and the summer courses of 2003, the statistics are as follows: under program I.A, 160 grants were issued (11 of them received by Ukrainian citizens); under I.B - 128 grants (2); under I.C - 67 (2); under II.A - 282 (4); under II.D - 9 (0). So in total, Ukrainian citizens received 19 grants (Russians, for comparison, - 14).