60 reviews
4.14 / 5 based on 60 reviews
Useful |
0
Stuart G
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
Read more >
Travel, Nightlife, Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
The nightlife in Warsaw is incredible, especially for students. I wont mention any one place as you can find them easily, just make friends with someone local or go to an Erasmus party to meet people. The clubs and pubs open much later than in the UK. The prices are much cheaper. Most of the crowds are students and very friendly. You will not find as many foreigners as in Places like Krakow or Prague (a good thing, in my opinion).
Read more >
Useful |
0
Stuart G
Housing
Type of housing: dormitory room
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: dormitory room
Why?
best way to meet people (local students and other erasmus). cheap. organised by the staff. great parties!! the dormitory was specific to the faculty.
Read more >
Personal comments
i recommend the dormitory for the above reasons. the facilities could be better/cleaner, but for me this was outweighed by the fact that the people were all so friendly. the room itself was great and i was lucky enough to share with a local student rather than another erasmus student.
Read more >
Useful |
0
Stuart G
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning the local language a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language
How much did you improve your the local language?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Basic phrases
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
Polish is very difficult! Luckily most students and staff speak (embarrassingly) good English (also in some cases; German, Spanish, French or Russian). I learnt basic phrases in Polish because I think it is rude to visit a country and not try -this was always appreciated. Outside the University, most young people can speak English, so in restaurants/pubs/clubs etc things are quite easy. It helps that the people are generally very friendly. Communication was never a big problem.
Read more >
Useful |
0
Stuart G
Academic
Course recommendations
I just had my Final project to perform during my stay. I did not need to take any courses, although I was invited to take any that interested me. I had my own space in the lab with internet access (I recommend you take a laptop).
Read more >
My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Organisation could sometimes have been better since I only had a relatively short stay. However, I completed my project in time and it was well received by my home University in the end. However this would obviously depend on your work and supervisor.
Read more >
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Useful |
0
Stuart G
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Personal savings
Other sources of funding:
Family<br>
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't want/need to work
Personal spending habits
I found Poland to be much less expensive than living in the UK. Food cost about the same in the end because I ate out alot (laziness and not-so-great kitchen), although some of the restaurants I at which we ate were amazing. I didnt use the phone much, but texts were cheaper. I actually bought a cheap phone there, but most people just bought a Polish SIM card. The University accommodation was roughly 1/3 of what I pay in the UK for my flat. A Polish beer (0.5L) is about £0.50 to £0.80 (and tastes much better than anything in the UK)!! -some places even have a weekly free beer night... Clubs were cheap to enter for students. With your Polish student ID you get 33% on travel (which is cheap anyway), so a 3 month metro/bus/tram pass was about £15. Trains had similar discount (and don't forget to reserve seats).
Read more >
Food:
was the same price as at home.
Overall, Housing, Nightlife, Telephone, Travel:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Always carry your Polish student ID; 33% transport, entry to clubs... You can usually find a cash machine ("Bankomat") at metro stations. Remember though, some UK banks charge for withdrawls abroad.
Read more >
Useful |
0
Stuart G
Overall
I wish I had known...
No because they put me in touch with a student before I left who answered any questions.
Read more >
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
Go! I loved it and wish it could have lasted longer. I will definitely be back to visit. Maybe I was lucky this year with the nice people that I met (Erasmus), but it seems that everyone in Poland was really welcoming and helpful to us!! We all really enjoyed our stay. The staff were friendly and helpful too, I think they like to encourage international visitors. They gave me lots of their time for discussions and they allowed me access to their laboratory facilities for my research.
Read more >
During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Centralna station is an "experience" not to be missed ;) Try pierogi. If you'll be there in winter take a big coat, hat, gloves... (-25deg!) but spring/summer can be very hot. Take a backpack for going away at weekends. Cheap internet access was available in our dorm rooms. Try to go to an Erasmus party early in the term to meet lots of other international students, but more importantly join some Polish people for a party!
Read more >
en 
English
Español
Français