Type of housing: On campus

Arranged by: Host university

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why? In my opinion, there is simply no cost to independence. The university dormitory has everything that a student needs: security, a strong wifi connection, interaction with the local populace, an ever-present service crew, dorm parties. However, visitors are not allowed to go to rooms from 22h to 7h in the morning; this can be a real drag, you don't want to have to constantly bunk at your friends' place come those overnight parties. The university dorm is extremely cheap for European prices (I believe it was 190 Euros per month by the time I left). However, on a personal note, I'd gladly pay 100-150 extra just to get that extra level of privacy.

Personal comments:
The uni. residence is relatively close to all the university faculties (it is within the campus grounds that house the Law, Statistics and Economics faculties). Lisbon is a walking city, so unless you study at the science faculty on the other side of the river. I suggest you avail of the accommodations at the Residencia Alfredo de Sousa for convenience's sake. You will get to not only meet Portuguese residents here, but also other exchange students (from North and South America, Australasia and Africa). Living in this dormitory was indeed a great cultural experience. There never was a dull night whenever I stayed in the dorm. The residence committee also organizes in-house parties. Security and service is extremely efficient and amiable to boot (but you must speak Portuguese or get a friend to mediate). The Wifi is VERY STRONG (note that Koreans, Taiwanese and Singaporeans will find this comment laughable :D). The residence also boasts the cheapest meal available for those on a tighter budget (2.15 Euros a meal!). As far as the peripheral establishments are concerned, there is a bus stop just outside the residence. 2 Metro/underground train stations are also within walking distance. For those who love to shop, there are 2 malls that are within walking distance: the El Corte Ingles department store, and Amoreiras Shopping Center, both of which have their respective Metro stations. Overall, I really recommend that you accept the offer of the Erasmus office to stay in this residence if you do not have the luxury of immediately finding flat-mates who eventually should share in your rent expense. Ideally, you will only do this for the initial semester. Afterwards, go hunting for flats for your 2nd semester to be more liberated. By this time, you would not have only been exposed to the daily grind of life, but would also be able to AVOID the hassles met by your peers who decided to get a flat for the first semester of ERASMUS.

Describe host city:

Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment

Activities, Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal comments:
NIGHT SPOTS: In Bairro Alto: go to the Erasmus corner (you'll know the exact location by the time you get there), the 1 Euro shot place and the cheapest beer is there along with really OPEN and friendly people :P In Cais do Sodre: Irish Pub all the way! CLUBS: Pricey: The LUX; Kremlin; Kapital; Kubo Normal: Santiago Alquimista; W Disco Just for fun: Alive Bar; any disco with other Erasmus people NOTE: Do not miss any party in DOCAS CAFE: the corner cafe always has great coffee (get a bica for a fully flavored shot of espresso) Food: splurge; eat all their delicacies; Portuguese cuisine is as much of a gustatory experience as any other cuisine out there, probably even more! Events not to miss: As an Erasmus student: meeting w/ the mayor; the ROMAN RUINS THAT ONLY OPEN ONCE A YEAR (Google when) As a student of UNL: the Gala and the annual "hazing" of the freshmen As a person: ANY and every party, bar hopping, late night excursion with non-countrymen, Erasmus trips to other cities and countries, etc. Places: A. "The streets and sidewalks of Portugal are its greatest monument" B. Belem Tower; Vasco da Gama area; Alfama district; Colombo mall (note: citizens of countries with HUGE malls should not bother to consider this unique); all their monuments which are in the center of rotondas/roundabouts; Jeronimos Monastery; Oceanarium; Roman Ruins; Aqueducts; Zoological Gardens; all the Cathedrals; etc.

Course recommendations:
A normal undergraduate (licencaturas) student should take 30 ECTS or 15 American credits worth of courses at the very least (the norm for this is 4 courses). These are the courses I took plus comments: 1. International Management: In my opinion, we should all take this course on Erasmus as management majors. Do NOT take it in your home university, take it in the host university because the different perspectives just make the course much richer than that at home where you barely listen to the internationals anyway. 2. Information Systems: Professor graduated in MIT so he has higher standards. Students can use either English or any of the 4 Romance languages in the FINAL EXAM (not as impressive as it seems, I'd like to see him be able to understand some Germaic or Sino languages as well). Most local students dread the professor. However, the contents of the course are useful. 3. Social Sciences: VERY boring and is known to induce sleep ever so often. However, it is relatively easy to pass and even ace this course. (For all party-goers, take this giveaway instead of history) 4. Information and Games: For those who are either 3 years removed from calculus concepts OR are not economics majors... DO NOT take this course. You have been warned. Though I passed as a management student, I could say that I will not redo this error if given the chance. For those who need this in their program: professor is approachable and gay (in more ways than one I heard...), lectures are very organized. I ranked the choice of courses under a "Could've been better" because I only had 174 ECTS / 87 American credits upon the second semester of my 3rd year (as to how I survived 87 credits in 2.5 years... I've no clue). You need 180 ECTS to have masters options available. And I must say, if that had happened, I would have ranked every aspect a "pretty good" at the least. BTW, crammers rejoice and despair. Finals are given weights of at least 50% so the score may make or break your marks. However, this system gives you 2 cycles of exams which makes failing a formality in a bureaucratic attempt at redemption. Fail the first, pass the second (note: you can only take a total of 2 courses for the 2nd round of exams, so you CAN fail) On a final note: you may take as many courses as possible. There is NO deadline to DROP a particular course. Extended non-attendance and not taking the finals can be indicative of dropping a course. Yes, the system is sweet. (at least when I left)

Personal comments:
Note: this is 1st of all a cultural experience, so open up and SPEAK in class. Just chill, do your thing and you should be fine. If you are having difficulty, ask for help or drop the course (note: do not abuse the no deadline drop)

Language of instruction: English

Main source of funding:
Personal savings

Other sources of funding:
Family
bilateral contract which waived tuition

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
I come from Metro Manila, Philippines... low cost of living + huge gap between rich and the poor = several people who feel like kings here yet are middle class citizens all over the world. OK, breakdown of WHY: premise A: If I had lived a non-extravagant life (food + travel + party), I would have basically incurred the same expenses a normal class AB guy in the Philippines would have incurred. premise B: Even at these prices, Portugal was very cheap for me. Think of the price as a tad bit higher than USA prices in the basic amenities and necessities department but pale in comparison with USA prices in the area of luxury. For Food: a. I cooked more for myself only = less people to spread amongst the expense b. used more premium ingredients c. ate out at restaurants more For Telephone: a. it can be avoided (even placed at a minus by using Skype), but my smart phone was locked to a local Filipino company so... I decided against my better judgment to use it instead... b. if you buy a local SIM (I did for local calls and texts), the cost will be equal with that at home... assuming you are a class AB citizen of Manila who is on a postpaid account c. If Skype is not you cup of tea, or your laptop's mic broke or etc. etc., ask the residence reception for your room's extension number. Skype to landline calls are EXTREMELY cheap. For Housing: I don't rent at home. But rent is around 160-190 Euros for the uni. dorm and anywhere around 200-500 Euros at a normal flat in the city. For travel: It is Erasmus... say yes to everything travel-related

Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone, Housing: was more expensive than at home.

I wish I had known...
That it would be so overwhelming!

In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!