How to enroll in a bachelor's program in a European university and win: the experience of a Russian student who had learned in Finland, Austria and Bulgaria
Choosing a university for many is not an easy task. Stay or go abroad? I chose the second and did not regret it for a second.
Entered the Finnish Polytechnic at IT, at the moment completed the third year of undergraduate studies. After two exchange programs in Austria and Bulgaria have accumulated a large store of knowledge about the education system in Europe and how the guys from the CIS countries get there. First, I will share how I chose the university. And then I will subjectively tell you what factors should be considered when choosing a university.
At the end of the tenth grade I passed the international English IELTS exam, just in case. And a good result prompted me to urgently look for a way to keep my knowledge of the language at a level.
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Originally wanted to UK. But the undergraduate admission system meant an additional year of study at the A-level. I didn’t want to lose a year, because a year of study is a lot of money. As a result, I considered only countries in the European Union, as they are closer to home than the US or Asian countries.
It seemed to me that it was very simple to go to any country in the EU, because English is the key to all doors. And, probably, this phrase is applicable in travel and business, but not in education. At some point, I stopped looking for a bachelor's degree in Spain, France, Italy and Germany, since there is nothing to do there without knowing the local language.
The applicant is not much different from the student. Freebie above all. There were only two countries with free education in English: Finland and Sweden.
But Sweden at that time was slowly beginning to close free programs. I was afraid that, having entered there, I might find myself in a double situation, when initially the free program would suddenly be paid. So I chose Finland.
The admission process was simple, I will not focus on it. Basic requirements - IELTS + test for knowledge of mathematics and physics, which was held in St. Petersburg + motivation letter. The process is described on the admissions.fi site, so I just invite you to study it.
A huge plus for admission was that the diploma of secondary education at the time of admission was not required. Thus, I was able to go to university a month before graduation from school and begin the school year in September.
You can go to a prestigious university. You can emigrate to your dream country. You can choose the university only as a starting place for travel. By the way, traveling will really become very simple if the country is in the Schengen zone.
I advise you to consider a few things when choosing a university:
Top law firms and investment banks hire fresh graduates from prestigious universities only. So everyone should start with the QS rating, as the best brains go there. The main thing to remember is that there are many beautiful places in the world that are not in this rating.
If you know the official language of the country, you have much more opportunities in this country. You can go to a language school near the university if you need a good language urgently. Someone pulls up knowledge of German in Austria from B1 to C1 per semester, someone pumps English in Bulgaria from zero to B2 in two semesters.
You can learn about the quality of subjects taught by contacting local students via Facebook. If you like a university, but have minor weaknesses in specific areas, then you can always get some kind of knowledge through various free online courses from the same universities from the QS rating. I did not see a better introduction to programming than the Introduction to Computer Science course at edx.com. I also advise you to look at courses on coursera.org for general reference.
There is no need to strive to look for a university without tuition fees: in the end, there may be more expensive than in a university with paid tuition. Always consider all possible expenses. Services like Numbeo will help you understand which cities are cheaper.
Do not forget to estimate the cost of transport to the university, the cost of a visa, insurance and accommodation. Everywhere there may be pitfalls. For example, if you find a cheap room and at the same time go home for the summer, you still have to pay for the room.
You can try to reduce the cost of training if you get a grant. There are many grants in the EU, but there are even more people who want to receive them, so we carefully study the information on grants on the websites of universities of your interest.
If you don’t need training for your resources, there is an option to find an opportunity to make some extra money. Someone works as a waiter or guide, someone teaches languages. Many students from the countries of the Balkan region are leaving for the summer under the Work and Travel program in the USA and by the autumn they are returning from $ 3000- $ 5000 in the account. Programmers successfully freelancers. Remember that in a small town may be lower cost of living, but work there will be more difficult. Also, some universities have agreements with companies in which it is strongly recommended to train.
For me, studying at a university is first and foremost an opportunity to meet as many talented people as possible with whom you can communicate and work after graduation from a university. So it is very useful to understand in advance what kind of people it will be useful for you to work in the future. In this sense, traveling to Germany and communicating with the Germans, if you are then going to work in the United States, may not be the best idea.
Almost any university in the EU supports the Erasmus + program, which I was able to use to go through exchange to Austria and Bulgaria. At the same time, all program participants are provided with grants for life and flight, which drastically reduces costs.
In universities, the culture of university clubs can be strongly developed. So, at American University in Bulgaria, I was in a wonderful documentary club. As part of the club's activities, several directors were interviewed and traveled to Greece for a film festival.
Of the more useful clubs, there is InnoBarentsLab in Lapland UAS, where students help small businesses in the Barents region to develop.
Abroad, almost no one knows about the exam, so focus on the average score, if you decide to do. A high grade point average in a diploma and knowledge of the language are necessary requirements for admission, and in some cases even sufficient.
All problems are solved. The specific processes of admission to university differ from each other. But they are designed so that you can study and live there. Three whales that will help you get to the desired university and stay there - this is language skills, hard work and resourcefulness.
Write a motivation letter first of all for yourself. Understand why you need a university, and then look for those universities that will help you achieve this goal. If there are entrance exams, be cunning, find examples of previous exams, and prepare for them.
Good luck!
Entered the Finnish Polytechnic at IT, at the moment completed the third year of undergraduate studies. After two exchange programs in Austria and Bulgaria have accumulated a large store of knowledge about the education system in Europe and how the guys from the CIS countries get there. First, I will share how I chose the university. And then I will subjectively tell you what factors should be considered when choosing a university.
How I chose Lapland University of Applied Sciences
At the end of the tenth grade I passed the international English IELTS exam, just in case. And a good result prompted me to urgently look for a way to keep my knowledge of the language at a level.
')
Originally wanted to UK. But the undergraduate admission system meant an additional year of study at the A-level. I didn’t want to lose a year, because a year of study is a lot of money. As a result, I considered only countries in the European Union, as they are closer to home than the US or Asian countries.
It seemed to me that it was very simple to go to any country in the EU, because English is the key to all doors. And, probably, this phrase is applicable in travel and business, but not in education. At some point, I stopped looking for a bachelor's degree in Spain, France, Italy and Germany, since there is nothing to do there without knowing the local language.
The applicant is not much different from the student. Freebie above all. There were only two countries with free education in English: Finland and Sweden.
But Sweden at that time was slowly beginning to close free programs. I was afraid that, having entered there, I might find myself in a double situation, when initially the free program would suddenly be paid. So I chose Finland.
The admission process was simple, I will not focus on it. Basic requirements - IELTS + test for knowledge of mathematics and physics, which was held in St. Petersburg + motivation letter. The process is described on the admissions.fi site, so I just invite you to study it.
A huge plus for admission was that the diploma of secondary education at the time of admission was not required. Thus, I was able to go to university a month before graduation from school and begin the school year in September.
How to approach the issue of choosing a university in the EU
You can go to a prestigious university. You can emigrate to your dream country. You can choose the university only as a starting place for travel. By the way, traveling will really become very simple if the country is in the Schengen zone.
I advise you to consider a few things when choosing a university:
University Ranking
Top law firms and investment banks hire fresh graduates from prestigious universities only. So everyone should start with the QS rating, as the best brains go there. The main thing to remember is that there are many beautiful places in the world that are not in this rating.
Tongue
If you know the official language of the country, you have much more opportunities in this country. You can go to a language school near the university if you need a good language urgently. Someone pulls up knowledge of German in Austria from B1 to C1 per semester, someone pumps English in Bulgaria from zero to B2 in two semesters.
Quality of education
You can learn about the quality of subjects taught by contacting local students via Facebook. If you like a university, but have minor weaknesses in specific areas, then you can always get some kind of knowledge through various free online courses from the same universities from the QS rating. I did not see a better introduction to programming than the Introduction to Computer Science course at edx.com. I also advise you to look at courses on coursera.org for general reference.
Cost of
There is no need to strive to look for a university without tuition fees: in the end, there may be more expensive than in a university with paid tuition. Always consider all possible expenses. Services like Numbeo will help you understand which cities are cheaper.
Do not forget to estimate the cost of transport to the university, the cost of a visa, insurance and accommodation. Everywhere there may be pitfalls. For example, if you find a cheap room and at the same time go home for the summer, you still have to pay for the room.
You can try to reduce the cost of training if you get a grant. There are many grants in the EU, but there are even more people who want to receive them, so we carefully study the information on grants on the websites of universities of your interest.
Job
If you don’t need training for your resources, there is an option to find an opportunity to make some extra money. Someone works as a waiter or guide, someone teaches languages. Many students from the countries of the Balkan region are leaving for the summer under the Work and Travel program in the USA and by the autumn they are returning from $ 3000- $ 5000 in the account. Programmers successfully freelancers. Remember that in a small town may be lower cost of living, but work there will be more difficult. Also, some universities have agreements with companies in which it is strongly recommended to train.
Networking
For me, studying at a university is first and foremost an opportunity to meet as many talented people as possible with whom you can communicate and work after graduation from a university. So it is very useful to understand in advance what kind of people it will be useful for you to work in the future. In this sense, traveling to Germany and communicating with the Germans, if you are then going to work in the United States, may not be the best idea.
Possibilities of a European university
Almost any university in the EU supports the Erasmus + program, which I was able to use to go through exchange to Austria and Bulgaria. At the same time, all program participants are provided with grants for life and flight, which drastically reduces costs.
In universities, the culture of university clubs can be strongly developed. So, at American University in Bulgaria, I was in a wonderful documentary club. As part of the club's activities, several directors were interviewed and traveled to Greece for a film festival.
Of the more useful clubs, there is InnoBarentsLab in Lapland UAS, where students help small businesses in the Barents region to develop.
Finally, a pair of lifehacks
:School hacking
Abroad, almost no one knows about the exam, so focus on the average score, if you decide to do. A high grade point average in a diploma and knowledge of the language are necessary requirements for admission, and in some cases even sufficient.
Life hacking students
- If you are already a student of a Russian high school and are going abroad, then you can often convert estimates for matching subjects. This will at least reduce the load at the university, and maybe it will allow you to finish the university earlier.
- If you have been studying for one to five years in the Russian Federation for undergraduate studies, then you can enroll in the UK without an A-level.
All problems are solved. The specific processes of admission to university differ from each other. But they are designed so that you can study and live there. Three whales that will help you get to the desired university and stay there - this is language skills, hard work and resourcefulness.
Write a motivation letter first of all for yourself. Understand why you need a university, and then look for those universities that will help you achieve this goal. If there are entrance exams, be cunning, find examples of previous exams, and prepare for them.
Good luck!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/291582/
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