68 reviews
4.27 / 5 based on 68 reviews

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0
Jesus C
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Activities, Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Cafe Brama is a very good place to meet people, like the Irish pub next to the Kolumna Zygmunta (I don´t remember right now the name); Club Proxima and Park discos are places with a varieted programme on night music (every night a different style of music); I would say that even a bar meleczny (milky bar) is a good place for eating ... er ... Polish tipycal "food" and involve a bit more inthe big city of Warsaw
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Useful |
5
Jesus C
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: On campus
Why?
All the Erasmus community were living at the same residence; thet was positive in the sense that all the foreigners were in close contac; but it wasn´t so good idea if you wanted to live just with Polish people in order to learn fastly their home language.
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Personal comments
When I lived in "Akademik Radomska-Ochota" in Warsaw, we enjoyed a recently re-built building, so it was in perfect conditions; we had some furniture for us as well and all the erasmus students lived almost at the same floor; that made easier the contact among us. But it take some months for the university office to translate us from Hotel Hera, our first residence, to Radomska. There wasn´t very good organisation. I have to complaint that all the erasmus had to pay 50 zlotys more every month just because we were foreigners. I don´t think that is quite fair.
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1
Jesus C
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Personal savings
Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
Obviously, because I decided not to waste my time and visit as much cities of Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary as possible, and it took me a lot of money at travels, telephone cards... and postcards.
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Telephone, Travel:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing, Overall:
was the same price as at home.
Food, Nightlife:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
It was an authentic adventure: after studying all the advertisements abount banks accounts, I decided to open an account at Bank Pekao S.A.; It was O. K., but I had some language problems at the begginning; later on, my bank at Spain had a problem and I only could get my money throutgh a transfer two weeks after I ordered it (I had to be two weeks eating just spaghetti and bread...nive thing).
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0
Jesus C
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
It was a great chance to learn Polish language (To bardzo trudny jezyk), and, having into account that in the future the relations between Poland and the European Community will increase, I decided to take profit from it. I followed a course of Polish at the University, and my teachers at the course as well as polish friends helped me to learn this difficult language and to be able to speak it fluently at the end of my time there.
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Useful |
4
Jesus C
Overall
I wish I had known...
I would have liked to know more about Polish language and culture; then I would have felt fastly involved at my arrival. I´d like to repeat the experience, now that I know more about Poland.
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In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
They started to work with the Erasmus programme just the year I studied there, so they are learning to know about exchange programmes; however, It´s a very good chance for everybody to know something more abot Poland, and warsaw specially, at one of the most importants universities at the country.
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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
Poles know that their future depends on the acces to the European Union, so fron the fall of the communist government they´ve been opening their mind and culture; most of them speaks English or other language (I was surprised about the lot of poles I met who spoke Spanish). Just one thing more: if you travel to Krakow, do not sleep at the local young hostel, is terrible (I still fell pain in my back);and try to visit Aushwitz, the concentration camp; you shouldn´t miss it.
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Useful |
4
Jesus C
Academic
Course recommendations
The University of Warsaw has plenty of
courses relating to very different aspects, specially relating to Law, Social Sciences and International Relations. I had the chance to attend a course on English and European Law, imparted in English by British professors coming from University of Cambridge. That can give you an idea about the courses thet you can follow at the university or one of their associated centres.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
A closer relation in respect to foreign students, if they feel more involved, they can really provide a higer profit making it more famous abroad
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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