"In the diplomatic degree program , it's not about being brilliant, it's about being tenacious."

"In the diplomatic degree program it is not about being brilliant, but about being tenacious. And not to have bad luck, because luck alone is not enough to pass, but misfortunes and injustices do exist and can sink even the most prepared candidate ," he says. Now he is finishing his training phase at the Diplomatic School and will soon be joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  

Maria's interest in diplomacy began before she started college. "When I was finishing high school , my father brought me the civil service examination program. I had no idea what I wanted to study, because everything (or almost everything) seemed interesting to me," she recalls. Maria then thought that the civil service examination fit her interests: a test that included general knowledge, an essay - she loves writing - languages and the subjects, of great variety and that aroused her interest.

"I thought that those who chose that path became scholars little by little. The passion for knowledge was instilled in me by my father. The Degree in International Relations (my mother discovered it) seemed too complete to exist. Already in my second year, I enrolled in law courses to fill in my training. After graduating in 2019, Maria decided to apply for the diplomatic degree program , although she actually started studying in September 2020. "I was excited to be a representative of my country and, above all, to be able to provide a public service. I wanted to be able to help Spaniards abroad. I love the international world, the idea of being able to be in the European Union, NATO or any country and be useful," she says. 

Maria emphasizes that throughout this process she has had the support and financial aid of her family. "It has result much harder than I could have imagined. I was aware that it was not going to be an easy road, that there are many hours of daily study, that your life is put on hold in a certain way while the lives of others move forward. But I could not think of what it was going to cost so many tests, so much tension, falling twice at the gates and wanting to get up, you do not know how, but why".

Maria remembers some of those colleagues who fell by the wayside and assures that the important thing is to persevere and be constant. "Many candidates are not used to failure, with me I studied with brilliant people who are very competent and hardworking and always have been, but when it came to face the exercises of the civil service examination nothing of the above had prepared them for the Fail And we have to reckon with it. 

There were 700 candidates for the exam and Maria was one of the 28 people who got a place. According to Maria, there is no recipe for success in issue of hours or study schedule. She advises order and routine and adds that the preparers are a fundamental part. "The main obstacle is undoubtedly the mind, which has to be worked on. If these years have helped me to know myself: what is good for me, what I need, what I should avoid, who to surround myself with, how to control my nerves or how to hide them. To be quiet and to listen a lot". 

One hundred questions, one essay and "un cante" to fulfill a dream

The diplomatic degree program exam consists of four exercises: a subject test of 100 questions with 5 more of reservation on the syllabus and other questions of general culture or related to the syllabus in some way; a language exercise (English and French), which includes a written part and an oral part; an essay to write on a current topic proposed at the time; and a "cante" of 4 topics (15 minutes each, in total 1 hour explaining the topics that are drawn by lot).

The syllabus consists of about 200 units, and is written and structured by each person as he or she sees fit, with the financial aid of the preparers and manuals. "The most complicated exercise varies for each candidate, but in my case, although I failed the fourth on two occasions, my greatest fear was the languages. It requires a mastery of both and it is a very long exam in which many hours are spent and several months of tension are spent waiting for results," he recalls. 

Maria found out that she had C civil service examination when she was on a trip. One of her best friends dared to refresh the website and told her the results. "I had been waiting so long that I decided not to obsess and just keep visiting the city without looking at my cell phone. When he told me there was C started to tremble and entered a cloud from which I still haven't come down. I had never received so many messages and congratulatory calls. It was without a doubt one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I immediately called my family and they helped me process it. When after so much sacrifice a dream comes true, the emotion is difficult to explain and impossible to transmit. 

Maria affirms that, when it comes to considering applying for the diplomatic degree program , a person must be constant, must be clear about the goal, why he/she wants to apply and also reserve time for him/herself. "To be part of the diplomatic degree program , one must deal with uncertainty, the psychological abuse of studying without knowing the results, long waits for grades, friends falling, sometimes unfairly. One must work on patience, adaptability, be willing to meet people from all subject, to talk to anyone with Education and respect, to be quiet, to go beyond words, to avoid prejudices, to be willing to serve everyone and to be ready for any setback. And when it seems that you already know it all, think twice. There will still be skills to discover and many events to experience".