On Friday, February 6, the in-person edition of Welcome Days, held in Arenals Hall on the Elche Campus, brought together 123 incoming students from different mobility programs who are going to be studying during spring semester at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH).

The remarkable turnout for this event marks a new milestone compared to previous welcome days for incoming students, which are organized by the Vice Rectorate for Internationalization and Cooperation in conjunction with the Service of International Relations and Cooperation.

For this semester, there were two Welcome Days event opportunities for incoming students. On January 28, there was an online meeting, and it addressed topics related to university life, along with relevant advice and instructions for getting off to the best possible start at the UMH.

The in-person session began with words of welcome by UMH Director of Mobility, África Martínez. She encouraged the students in attendance to get involved with activities promoted by the UMH and to make the most out of their experience.

Throughout the morning, the exchange students learned in greater detail about some of the services that the university offers. Participants in this activity included the Language Laboratory, Office of Healthy Campuses and Athletics, UMH Life, Libraries, Occupational Observatory, Club Erasmus, Area of Environmental and Sustainable Development, Office of Culture, Equality and Diversity, and the Language Office.

New features for this edition of Welcome Days included drawings of prizes for those attending, and these prizes included vouchers to use UMH sports facilities, for daily meals in the Arenals Hall cafeteria, a ticket to visit the Santa María Basilica of Elche, plus coupons for products from the UMH Store. Every student in attendance also received a welcome pack tote bag that was full of information of interest and other products to help them begin their stays at the UMH in the best manner possible.

Welcome Days concluded with a brunch offered on the roof terrace of Valona Hall. There, the incoming students could take in the campus views, get to know one another better, in addition to sharing their first impressions of the UMH. This event aims to bring the university and its academic life closer to students from other Spanish, European, and even farther away universities, to help facilitate better integration during their exchange periods at the university.

Participants on hand for this event hailed from many foreign countries, including Italy, Germany, Mexico, France, China, Uruguay, Poland, and Brazil. Close to one half of the students present are Erasmus exchange students, while the remainder form part of the Destino, SICUE, and Buddy programs.