The dream of many young people to enroll at Unicamp and experience university life here began at the UPA. Over its 20-year history, this traditional event on the calendar of schools across Brazil has allowed thousands to learn about the course offerings, laboratories, libraries, and community spaces, and to chat and ask questions with Unicamp undergraduate students and professors. The experience at the UPA was instrumental in many choosing Unicamp at the beginning of their academic journey.
Discover some stories of those who had their first contact with Unicamp through a UPA, chose the University and, this year, will be present at the 20th anniversary celebration working as a monitor, a support professional for students and teachers or bringing new generations to also be enchanted.
“Ask questions, we love to answer them”
One of the things visitors love most about UPA is the opportunity to experience university life through the eyes of those who live it every day. By speaking with undergraduate students who serve as tutors, you can ask questions about the class routine, get tips on how to make the most of the university, and get other information that makes a difference when choosing a course.
That's what happened to Larissa Marangoni, a second-semester Biological Sciences student. She says she's been attending the UPA since 2022, and visiting the different units has twice captivated her with the possibilities: in 2024, she enrolled in the Geology program after discovering the Institute of Geosciences (IG) at the UPA the previous year. Working as a monitor at the unit, she was able to visit the Institute of Biology (IB), which led her to change careers.
"The UPA experience was very enlightening in several ways. I was able to learn a lot about the course curriculum, get my questions answered about the job market, and learn about various areas of activity at Unicamp," she says. "The fact that these are students who present all of this makes a huge difference in the experience because they are truly experiencing it." This year, the student will be exhibiting at the Mammalian Ecology and Behavior Laboratory (Lama) and offers this advice to those visiting Unicamp for the first time: "Ask questions; we love to answer them. Talk to the students, share your concerns, and walk around a lot, visit everything you want. The fatigue will pass, but the experience will be unforgettable!"
Gabriel Polettini also came to the UPA for the first time in 2022. Now a second-semester Mathematics student, he remembers making an effort to visit as many units as possible. "By an estimate, I walked about 12 km in my first UPA. I think I was a little excited (laughs)." For the young man, the event was a great opportunity to understand the reality of each course.
In this edition, Polettini will balance the activities of the Institute of Mathematics, Statistics, and Scientific Computing (IMECC) with those of the junior enterprise of which he is a member. For first-time visitors, he recommends this strategy: students who are still far from the entrance exam should visit as many spaces as possible so that, in future editions, they can dedicate more time to in-depth knowledge of the areas with which they most identify. "There's nothing better than arriving at UPA, whether in the second or third year of high school, with your area of interest already established and spending as much time as possible experiencing the moment at that institute," he recommends.
Bringing new generations
The UPA also serves as a space for former visitors to return to the university with new generations. This is the case with Lucas Marçola, a mathematics professor in Registro, São Paulo. He participated in the second UPA in 2006. "The experience was incredible. That year, the UPA took place inside the gymnasium [Unicamp's Multidisciplinary Gymnasium], where there were booths with students and volunteer teachers explaining the courses," recalls the professor, who chose to study Chemical Engineering based on his experience at the event. At the time, he failed the entrance exam. "I was so excited that, on the day of the test, I was very nervous and didn't do well on the essay, failing to advance to the second phase." But his dream of studying at Unicamp came true in 2016, when he entered the graduate program at the School of Chemical Engineering (FEQ), earning his master's degree.
Marçola notes how much the UPA has grown since its first editions. "Today, students can contact the college where they want to study and see up close the laboratories, classrooms, library, academic centers, junior enterprises—in short, the entire structure that makes up the program," all factors that make his students enchanted and eager to take the Unicamp Entrance Exam. He also believes that the various admission modalities are a differentiator that benefits students. "After the change from SARESP to Provão Paulista, in high school, where students take the exam over three years and the sum of their scores determines the final result for admission to São Paulo state universities, Unicamp has become closer to its students," comments the professor, who will bring around 100 students to the UPA this year.
Geography teacher Letícia Sales, from Indaiatuba, had a similar experience. Her first UPA was in 2015. "I already had a degree in Environmental Management, but I wanted to pursue a second degree and was torn between Environmental Engineering, Technological Chemistry, or Geography, which had been an option since I was a teenager." Her youthful plans worked out, and that year, she was accepted into Geography. She returned to the event in 2023, and Sales realized that the UPA is now much larger. "At the time, my students really enjoyed it, especially the third-year students, most of whom were focused on Unicamp. Of that class, two of them passed in 3, in Dance and Philosophy." This year, she will bring her students again and will take the opportunity to work on topics discussed in the "Life Project" class, which she teaches. "I highly hope that the visit will awaken in them the desire to pursue a degree after high school, and they are eager to get to know the university."
Another professor returning to Unicamp with his students is Lucas Trentin, who teaches Chemistry. It was at the UPA in 2012 that he became interested in the university's program. "I was impressed by the size of Unicamp and the diverse environment of a public university," he recalls. "Before, I was also interested in engineering. It was only by experiencing the UPA experience and talking to the students that I was able to focus my choice."
The opportunities he found at Unicamp took Trentim far: here, he earned his master's and doctorate in Physical Chemistry. Furthermore, his experiences as a tutor in undergraduate and graduate programs led him to choose teaching. "This year, I'll have a new perspective on the UPA, now as a teacher, supervising my high school students," he celebrates. For young people coming to Unicamp for the first time this year, he recommends focusing on interaction and sharing experiences with university students. "At a time of such anxiety about such an important decision, simply reading about your favorite courses can limit your choices and perspectives. That's why I think this university experience that UPA provides is so important," he advises.
Once in the UPA, always in the UPA
There are cases where the charm of a UPA lasts a lifetime. Priscila Beckedorff is one of those people. Her first encounter with Unicamp came in 2003, at one of the events preceding the UPA. The enchantment was immediate and because of a special place: IMECC. "I visited the activities and, even before lunch, I had a lecture by Professor João Frederico da Costa Azevedo Meyer, also affectionately known as Joni. After this lecture, I told my mother, who was with me, 'This is where I want to study,' and I fell in love. To this day, I remain in close contact with this professor and tell him that it was because of him that I fell in love with this place."
Beckedorff enrolled in the Mathematics program in 2005, and every year she participated as a monitor at the unit. She recalls that, back then, the event was held over two days. "We were exhausted on Friday, but we had to recover for Saturday." After completing the program, she taught in the state school system, but homesickness got the better of her. After passing a public service exam, she worked at the Unicamp Hospital de Clínicas (HC) between 2010 and 2012 and, in 2013, returned to IMECC as a staff member. Since then, she has participated every year at the UPA, from internal organization to the event itself.
She reflects that the UPA has been improving every year, striving to present to young people everything the units—and Unicamp—have to offer. After so many years of accumulated experience, and looking forward to the next UPAs that will surely come, Beckedorff leaves her message, eager for the 2025 edition: "Talk to the students and professors, ask your questions, and don't give up! Keep striving to get into the best university in this country."
