Kristjan Hočevar, athlete and student of the Bachelor's study programme Engineering and Manangement

I am a student of the undergrduate study programme Engineering and Management, but I am also an athlete. I am a road cyclist and I compete for the Adria Mobil Cycling Club. There are three reasons why I decided yo study at the University of Nova Gorica.

The first reason is the fact that the university offers tailored modes of study to athletes, so it is easier to combine one's sports career and studies. The second reason is actually the study programme itself, which covers a wide range of disciplines, and when I was deciding what to study, I was interested in a lot of study areas, but, on the other hand, none of them attracted me to such an extend that I would specialise in that particular field. So the study progamme Engineering and Management was the right choice for me, as it covers technical and also social sciences.

The third reason why I chose to study here is the mild climate of the Goriška region. As road cycling depends on weather conditions, it was an advantage for me that, while in other parts of Slovenia there is a lot of snow in the winter, this is not the case here, so I can cycle throughout the winter and prepare for the new season.

I am satisfied with my choice of studies and if I had another choice, I would choose the same study programme. The main advantage is that the status of a student athlete allows me to be more frequently absent from lectures and tutorials, so if I have some stage races or training camps I may be absent. For example, last year I could not sit for an exam on its regular date due to competing at a race, so I agreed with the lectured on an alternative date on which I then successfully passed the exam.

And there is a tip for future students – A lot of courses can be pased by taking part in partial exams and I always took this opportunity. This is much easier, so at the end of the semester, in the main exam period you just have to pass one or two exams and not five or six.

Last, but not least – to all athletes interested in studying at the School of Engineering and Management: the lecturers are extremely nice and flexible, so your sports career is not an obstacle if you wish to study at university.

Kristjan Hočevar, athlete and student of the undergraduate study programme Engineering and Managment, School of Engineering and Management