Six reasons to go study in Poland
1. Polish universities are interested in our students. Many of them provide free places for Ukrainians and reduce tuition fees upon request.
2. Studying keeps pace with new technologies: study materials are available online, and almost all universities have an "Electronic Dean's Office" system. For example, you can independently create your own class schedule.
3. A student's schedule is quite flexible: there may be 2–3 free days during the week.
4. Student mobility is well developed: during studies you can go for a semester or a year to study at another European university or do an internship at an international company for free.
5. Universities cooperate closely with employers: lectures are given by practitioners, and curricula are adjusted according to new trends in the labor market. Universities also have Career Offices that send students fresh job openings from partner companies.
6. There are many discounts for students in Poland. For example, a student ID gives a 50% discount on public transport and a 51% discount on trains.
Six reasons not to go study in Poland
1. Polish universities still lag behind their European competitors in quality of education. Moreover, tuition fees in the latter may be much lower than in Poland. Therefore, before going to Poland, it is worth looking at what universities in other countries offer.
2. Attending lectures is not mandatory, and much information has to be processed independently. Therefore, students with poor self-discipline will find it difficult to study.
3. You are not expelled for failing an exam. The exam is postponed to the next year, and the student must pay and retake the course for the subject they failed.
4. There may be housing problems: not every university can guarantee a place in a dormitory for foreign students.
5. Foreign students without a residence permit during the academic year (excluding the 3 summer months) are only allowed to work for 6 months.
6. Due to high competition, it is quite difficult to find a job after graduating from a Polish university.
Ukrainians about studying in Poland
Ihor Beizyk, Higher School of Banking (Wroclaw):
– I wanted to get a higher education in international business and finance: it is well developed in foreign universities. So when I learned about the Teraz Wroclaw project, I decided to apply for participation. My knowledge of Polish and good grades in my certificate were enough to get a budget-funded place at the Higher School of Banking.
Upon arrival for studies, many may think that studying in Poland is easier than in our country. But it's not. Here, the emphasis is on practice rather than theory. And classes are taught by practitioners.
Furthermore, an internship is a mandatory part of the curriculum. And the university helps find a place for it. For example, I did mine in Denmark. Another feature of the educational process is that studying keeps pace with new technologies. For instance, we have an "Electronic Dean's Office": each student has a personal page where they can see their grades or download lecture presentations and other study materials. The Career Office also sends fresh job openings from partner companies there.
Moreover, through the "Electronic Dean's Office" you can independently create your class schedule. Thanks to this system, I don't attend classes three days a week.
As for the studying itself, for lectures and seminars, even if it's the same subject, you have to take separate exams during the exam period. By the way, you are not expelled for failing an exam; it is just postponed to the next year. But the student must pay and retake the course for the subject they failed. However, cheating is also strictly dealt with. For example, student essays are checked for plagiarism.
However, I cannot say that the quality of education always satisfied me in every way. Not all teachers teach their subjects well. Also, housing is not always easy in Poland. For example, my university has no dormitories at all. Luckily, I managed to find a place in the Wroclaw University dormitory. For a room with free internet, I paid about 300 zloty (66.5 euros).
Iuliana Shevchuk, University of Warsaw:
– While studying Polish language courses, I took part in an international Olympiad in Polish, where I performed well. As a prize, I was offered to choose any university and specialty to study. So I enrolled in "Polish Philology". On top of that, I also receive a scholarship of 900 zloty (200 euros) because I have a Pole's Card.
What I like here is that a student can create their own schedule, and studying some subjects can be postponed from one semester to another. Attending lectures is not mandatory, but you must attend seminars. You can miss no more than 3 times. All absences must be made up, otherwise you will not be allowed to take exams. By the way, a lot of homework is given for seminars. It is also difficult because a lot of material is given for independent study. And all of it really needs to be read, because later we write a test.
What I don't like very much is that in the dormitory you have to share a room with two other people (single rooms are rare in Poland). It's good that in the dormitories there are so-called "quiet study rooms" where you can calmly prepare for classes.
We thank for assistance the advisor on scientific and educational cooperation of the Polish Embassy in Ukraine Anna Kuzma, professor of the University of Warsaw-NaUKMA Oleksandra Gnatiuk, and head of the Slavic Languages Center Magdalena Grigoriev.
Liudmyla KOLB,
"Segodnya".