Hrybtsova Arina

Specialty – Management, 073-22-1,

Silesian University of Technology, 01.03.2024 – 14.07.2024, specialty during the mobility – Management and Production Engineering

Direct speech from the participant:

– Describe the features of the learning process at the host university.

It is essential to keep not only the contact details of the instructor for each subject you have chosen but also at least one student's contact. Instructors do not always inform us if a class is canceled or rescheduled, as we, as Erasmus students, are not assigned to a specific group.

–  Where did you live (dormitory, rented, hostel, other)?

In the "Barbara" dormitory, there were no problems. The room was very nice and clean, with a bathroom, and there was a shared kitchen on the floor. The dormitory staff provided all the necessary cleaning supplies. They also immediately explained how to pay for the dormitory (monthly payment).

–  Did you receive a scholarship for the mobility program? If so, how much did the scholarship cover the minimum necessary living expenses?

Yes. The scholarship of 3600 PLN covered 100% of the expenses: accommodation, food, transportation, and clothing.

– From your experience, what should future mobility program participants pay attention to when preparing for it?

Make sure you have gathered all the necessary documents (passports, printed passports, your 3x4 photos, student ID, insurance, student visa, printed invitation from the university, and the document confirming your accommodation in the dormitory), as well as a first aid kit (if you have a weak immune system, the first two weeks of mobility will be very challenging). Also, ask yourself once again if you are ready to live without your parents for almost half a year and if you are mentally prepared for the first weeks when you will need to walk a lot, study, and speak (no one will do it for you).

–  What unexpected issues did you encounter during your mobility?

The difficulties were only at the beginning when I realized that not everyone in Poland knows English (as I naively imagined), and I don't know Polish (this refers not to students and professors, but to employees of banks, pharmacies, post offices, and so on).

– Briefly describe your expectations from the mobility program and whether they were fulfilled.

I expected to improve my English, test my independence, learn something new related to my field and beyond, make many new connections, promote the message that there is a war in my home country, and learn Polish at a basic level. All of these expectations came true.

– What educational and cultural events did you participate in during the mobility?

A multinational dinner (representatives of different countries prepared their national dishes and treated others), Polish Easter, a week of games (events for students: contests, competitions, and concerts), excursions to factories, mines, mountains, and cities in Poland, and a visit to Auschwitz.

– Share your most vivid impressions from the mobility.

A trip with students from different countries to Zakopane and each session with Jacek Pradela for conversational English.

– Would you like to go on a mobility program again? If so, where?

Yes! To Germany, Norway, or one of the Baltic countries.

– Would you recommend participating in the mobility program?

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