Study in Poland

Two and a half years ago, I passed the consulate examinations and went from Belarus (I was tired of being engaged in Web 2.0 projects in a bright office with a view of the Neman) to Poland to study.

Brief information on the quoted prices - 1 zł ~ 10 Russian rubles, 700 Belarusian rubles, 2.5 Ukrainian hryvnia.

Polish language and culture.

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Poland is still a Slavic country. Therefore, in spite of all the European Union and NATO, we can agree here, make useful contacts for a bottle of vodka - by the way, the Poles believe that they invented vodka. People relax and have fun to the fullest. The attitude towards migrants is normal, stereotypical thinking and the approach to “newcomers from the other side of the Bug” is usually limited by the level of alcohol consumed.

Polish for the uninitiated sounds like a combination of sounds “pshhshshshshsh”, however, easy to learn, especially if you know Belarusian and Ukrainian. In everyday speech, there are several false friends of the translator - for example, "dyvan" is a carpet, "chair" is a table, and "ksheslo" is a chair. Mathematical vocabulary and physical language also have a number of their own characteristics, for example, the integral in Polish is “tsalka”, and the differential is “little gun”.

Older people understand Russian, young people in English. In general, Russian as a foreign language is studied by 6% of Poles, so maybe you are lucky :)

The dominant religion is Catholicism, in large cities and in the east there are Orthodox churches. Religious intolerance I did not notice.

Entry conditions and exams.

To begin with, check whether you have Poles in your lineage, or at least those who were citizens of Poland before 1939. If there are such - forward to the consulate with documents to submit to the Card of the Pole - then the process of obtaining a visa is greatly simplified.

To enroll in a programmer (operator / electrician / any technician), you must pass 4 exams - written Polish, mathematics, physics, interview. Most of all difficulties arise with physics - the difference in terminology strongly affects. Anyone can do, not necessarily an ethnic Pole. The only difference is that an ethnic Pole will receive a scholarship in the amount of 900 Zł. Another important condition is that no more than 3 years must pass after entering the school (or, as was the case in my case, the technical school).

If you successfully pass the exams, you enroll for free training at the zero preparatory year. A thing is generally harmful - during the year you study Polish, the basics of higher mathematics, physics and the fundamentals of computer science in kindergarten mode, it is difficult to call it a study. On computer science, learn the basics - how in Polish there will be double-click, menu items Excel, Windows, the basics of Linux and similar things that you study for half an hour using Polish-language software.

After this year, you have the right to apply to any three Polish universities in your profile. Some of the most prestigious (for example, AGH ) require that after the zero course you have an average of 4 or higher grades (on a five-point system), some require additional exams, but most of you need to complete this course.

Training.

The Polish education system is included in the Bologna process, which means that you first go to college for 3.5 years to get an engineer title by the end of them. The educational process looks like this - you spend very little time at the university (usually 3-4 days a week, 3-4 lectures), and you have to spend a lot of time on the tasks at home. To skip theoretical lectures as a rule is possible, but only 1-2 passes are allowed for practical classes. Teachers in technical colleges, as a rule, are sympathetic to foreign students, and the limit of permissible absenteeism for them is increased (went home for a visa, etc.)

Among the older teachers of such disciplines as Physics, Mathematical Analysis (affectionately referred to as students "Anal"), Theory of the Electric Field and so forth. the majority speaks Russian quite well, in libraries one can find textbooks in Russian of various Soviet publishing houses. You can also meet guest workers - C ++ was taught by a Ukrainian from Kiev.

There are practically no “left” subjects - we are given courses of copyright, labor law, the foundations of sociology, in general, for the entire period of study, such courses 5-6 are no more. You can choose a foreign language - my university offers English, German, French, Spanish, Russian and Polish for foreigners, however, if you really seriously want to master a foreign language, I do not advise you to attend them - the level is quite low, and this trend, unfortunately, is observed throughout Poland.

The university, as a rule, provides each student with a set of free software - Visual Studio, Windows XP and Vista, AutoCAD and other utilities. Participation in the MSDN Academic Alliance program is a standard for Polish universities.

There are many exchange programs - ERASMUS / SOCRATES and individual. The easiest way to exchange for a semester is to drive to Turkey - the Poles do not want to go there, the most difficult thing is to go to Scandinavia, the competitions are organized.

My university ( Krakow Polytech ), among other things, offers students tennis courts, mountain tourism, two gymnasiums, a cycle track, judo, a swimming pool and other sports disciplines. Physical education lasts 2-3 semesters for free and necessarily, if you wish, you can pay 50-70 zł per semester and go there voluntarily.

After graduation, universities tend to take care of their graduates a little and open Career Centers, sign contracts with firms, so it is very difficult to remain an unemployed engineer after a state technical university.

The school year begins on October 1 and ends on July 1. After the New Year, it is usually necessary to come to study on January 2-3, the Poles are Catholics, and the New Year is practically not celebrated.

Life, food and transport.

Prices in Poland are uneven, here I will quote exactly Krakow. I rent a room in a private house, there are 6 rooms in it, in which only students live. A double room costs 660 zł, the hostel is cheaper (250-300 zł), but to get a place you need to stay 10-20 hours in a queue. The place is guaranteed only for students of zero and first year.

The products here are nasty, a lot of chemistry - so the choice is yours, buying milk for 2 zł, which can not spoil for six months or for 5 zł, is natural. You can buy a subscription to the dining room, a month is about 300 zł, once a day you will normally eat. There are no problems with fast food - casseroles (a long bun with meat, cheese and mushrooms) and kebabs are sold at almost every corner. Beer - 2,5-4 zł. In general, the prices of products are not very different from those that exist "on the other side of the Bug."



Urban transport in Krakow is perfectly organized - the network of day buses has about 55 routes, there are express trains, a network of trams - more than 30. There are no bus routes - they are not needed - urban transport runs according to the schedule and covers the city completely. There are night buses that start at 23.30 and end at 5.00. They are organized so that they cover the whole city, moreover, once an hour they all meet for 3-4 minutes in one place. Student ticket - 1.25 zł, pass on all lines - 47 zł. Krakow ranks 9th in the world in terms of urban transport development.

Having a car in Krakow is pointless - the old center is practically closed to cars, and the streets of 18-19 centuries adjoining it cannot withstand flow. I chose a bicycle - a simple mountain can be bought for 200-300 zł, it will be enough to go to the university and back every day.

A side job - there is a lot of work for students - from crushing advertising leaflets (5-12 zł per hour, the maximum is paid when you stand in the promotional jacket and cap and you are checked every hour, at least - when you throw out leaflets in the nearest trash can and then you just come for money ) before working in IT offices. I work on weekends in Internet cafes, repairing computers for residents of the surrounding area, earning 1,500 to 2,000 zł per month.

Legalization - upon receipt you will be given a visa. In order to continue to stay in Poland, each year it will be necessary to make a so-called stay card. It is necessary for her to have a temporary residence permit (they will do it in a hostel or the landlord will do it), a source of funding (a bank account of 10,000 zł or a certificate of scholarship), insurance (provided by the university) and 400 zł of state duty.

Entertainment.

In Krakow, there is where to go - from tyts-tyts clubs, ending with elite theaters and restaurants with a 200-year history. Entrance to the club is usually free, but a student card is required, a nominal fee of 10 zł is charged for parties with the participation of famous DJs. Beer in the bar - from 6 to 20 zł, depending on the proximity of the club to the center, its reputation and target audience. In a decent institution for student taste - no more than 8-10 zł.



Visiting the museum will cost 4-12 zł, it is best to postpone this event until the Night of the Museums, when for 1 zł you can visit them all. The theater will cost from 20 zł (student card to the usual performance) to 80 zł (premiere). Invitations to the theater can be obtained free of charge from the university, helping to organize some small parties.

For the adaptation of the Russian-speaking population, it also organizes the KrakowRussianParty once a month for everyone.

Perspectives.

The IT industry in Poland is quite powerful. There are also large companies, Comarch, and representative offices of world giants, Microsoft and Autodesk. Knowing the Russian language will help you get a good job - many Polish companies work with Ukraine and Russia. For example, at the last elcomUkraine, I met a guy from Kazakhstan who recently graduated from college and worked in an electrical company. Most of his work is precisely to go to such exhibitions and present their products there.

You can stay to teach in the university - the salary is decent, the university will provide a place in the House of Assistant, again, in IT and about IT specialties, teaching in the university can easily be combined with work in the enterprise.

UPD. Oh bad.

The medicine. Probably the most disgusting in all of Europe. Ambulance, for example, with a “stomach ache” cannot be caused, even if it is an acute attack of pancreatitis - you have to go to the so-called most. "Ostry Dyżur" - inpatient ambulance at the hospital. When you come to a simple reception for the first time, you have to fill out a bunch of pieces of paper. So, I filled out 2 A4 pages of the questionnaire for my girlfriend, who came to the doctor with a temperature of 40 degrees.

Post office. Strikes, strikes and strikes again. Poland is famous for strikes - it was from them that Solidarity of Lech Walesa began. Letters in the country for 2 weeks - routine.

Railways. A delay of half an hour is not considered late. Shortage of seats in the car - standard. However, it is compensated by an advanced Internet schedule, and by buying tickets for a specific train on the date and direction.

Summary.

It is easy and pleasant to live in Poland. At least I am pleased. I am not too detached from my homeland, both in territorial and mental terms. I like studying, work too, people are quite pleasant, what else do you want?