Stories from Abroad

Last year I studied at Tianjin University of Technology. As a Chinese, it would be a pity if I didn't go to a Chinese university. Luckily, I had the opportunity to study in Tianjin as an exchange student.

Studying at Chinese universities has had a profound effect on me. Unlike in Russia, Chinese universities attach great importance to examination results, and it is much more difficult to pass an examination with a Chinese teacher than with a Russian one.

I'm Chinese, so I don't need a visa.   

Through the experience of participating in the academic mobility programme, I have gained a lot of knowledge, such as commodity supply management and the management information system. The knowledge I gained will be very useful for my professional courses and future development. I have been very lucky to study both in China and abroad, to know what student life is like in different countries.

The cost of accommodation is 1,200 RMB per year. Water and electricity fees are charged individually. Tuition costs are about the same as in Irkutsk.

 

Not only learned new knowledge, but also made new friends

1. What is the overall impression of the internship? What have you achieved? 

Studying in Shanghai as an exchange student is a good experience that I have had. It is an opportunity to get to know myself, develop new study habits and get to know the education system at a university that is new to me. This year at Shanghai University I have successfully improved my professional skills, gained invaluable experience and set goals for the future. On various courses I gained knowledge of entrepreneurship and experience in implementing projects. Participating in the development of one of the projects together with Shanghai University graduates made me realize the importance of team cooperation and taught me how to lead a team to the completion of the project. Despite all the knowledge and experience I gained at Shanghai University, I realize that I still need to constantly learn and enrich my knowledge.

2. What difficulties did you encounter in the preparation stage of your internship? 

Due to the epidemiological situation in the preparatory phase of the internship, we had to provide medical travel documents and take preventive measures. Despite some difficulties, this was not very difficult as we were helped by the teachers. There were some problems during our first arrival at Shanghai University, as all newcomers do, but the counsellors and teachers helped us to solve them as soon as possible and to integrate into the university environment. My advice to all participants of the academic mobility programme is not to be afraid of the obstacles you might encounter. Get in touch with the relevant teacher and he or she will help you.

3.Describe your visa obtaining process. 

As I am Chinese, I don't need a visa. But as far as I know, you can find the documents you need for a visa in the list published by your embassy.

4.What difficulties did you encounter when you came to overseas institutions?

I didn't have any major difficulties at Shanghai University. When I found out that I had been accepted to university, my first problem was to prepare medical certificates. Since I am in China, I did not need to be quarantined when I arrived at the university, but in order to meet the university's epidemic requirements, we had to live in a dormitory. You don't need to bring bedding to the dormitory because the university provides bedding for students. I advise you to just bring toiletries and necessary clothes.

5.Please explain the cost of your overseas internship. Your tips to reduce costs.

I don't need to apply for a visa, so I don't know how much it costs to get one. I went to Shanghai by high-speed train, the ticket for which costs about 400 yuan. The hostel conditions are good, the living cost is 100 yuan per day. The rooms are double, there is a separate bathroom and a kitchen. As for textbooks, you can buy second-hand books online and it will be cheaper. As for food, you can eat on campus. Dinner in the university canteen will cost an average of 20 yuan. To get to other parts of the city, you can use subway. The subway station is right in front of the campus entrance, which is very convenient. The fare varies depending on where you want to go. You only need about 2000 yuan a month (~22,500 rubles), which is pretty affordable for those who participate in the academic mobility program.

The high level of education at the Wroclaw Institute of Science and Technology helped me to acquire additional knowledge in the field of energy. During my studies I improved my knowledge of English and met new people from different countries.

As we were the first students who went to Poland under this program, there were a lot of questions related to the organization of the trip, what to start with, what documents to collect. I would advise to the future participants of the program not to be shy and to address all questions to the international department.

I took all the documents to the visa center, after some time I received an SMS that the documents were ready, then I came to the visa center and received a passport with a visa pasted on it. There were no particular difficulties at this stage.

The host organization gave all the necessary instructions and gave feedback throughout the training period, so there were no difficulties on arrival. 
Advice to future participants of the program - build a route from the airport to the destination in a foreign country in advance, read the information on the Internet about the ways of payment in public transport. 

Visa costs are approximately 10,000 rubles;
Travelling costs to and from a place of internship cost about 60,000 rubles (airfare, train tickets);
Russian medical insurance policy (required for obtaining a visa), about 30,000 rubles;
Policy in the country of internship (desirable) - about 1,000-1,200 rubles monthly;
On average, my monthly expenses were about 30-35,000 rubles (about 14,000 rubles for lodging, food, travel, other expenses)

The city where I studied in is full of students from all over the world, so while walking through the venerable streets, I meet passersby from completely different parts of the world, Italian "mamma mia", German "gutten tak", Ukrainian "sho and hde", Spanish "gracias" and so on... Some very funny feeling, some kind of interstate uncertainty appears, as if Wroclaw is a small universe, in which representatives of all nationalities have gathered.

The most wonderful thing in Poland is architecture. Incredibly beautiful buildings, churches, museums, cozy cafes with their unique history and sprawling design framing. Literally, in front of every other building you can freeze for a few minutes... examine every crack, study biblical scenes depicted on portals, watch the shimmering rays of sunlight in stained glass. So what about going to the university when, as you walk down the corridor, you encounter statues of almost half of the saints and martyrs of the Catholic Church. Such reverence for one's religious identity certainly deserves respect, but in my eyes it stands in stark contrast to the Russian attitude toward religion as something very intimate and personal.

I had a fairly flexible schedule, which allows me to make the most of my free time. So far I have had time to visit the Czech Republic and climb the Tatra Mountains, on the border with Slovakia, and that is just the beginning! Classes at the university are dynamic and discussion-focused. We discuss global issues, try to understand the point of view of everyone in the conversation, and the multinational composition of the group allows us to look at the economic and social problems of some countries right from the inside, from the perspective of those who live there permanently.

My studies in Wroclaw are an opportunity to learn something new, interesting, and useful, and to try to apply this knowledge in practice. I can say with confidence that I am immensely happy to take part in the exchange program, to feel part of a large and friendly international family.

The impressions were only positive, there were always people around, ready to help and go to the trouble. I was able to successfully pass the session, learn new subjects, and gain experience in intercultural communication. First of all, this internship gave the chance to receive skill to adapt to changes, opened new horizons for development and allowed to get acquainted with interesting people.

This trip did not require a visa, so the preparation was quick and without
the preparation was quick and without any complications. I can advise future participants of the program to read carefully the contracts and other documentation, which requires signing, as well as to keep calm and in advance
to collect in advance the package of documents required for travel.

I was confused by the need to collect and sign a large number of documents, pass a medical examination and the difference in training programs. In such situations, you should try to have patience and find a person who will advise and guide you in these matters.

The cost of round-trip flight was 17,758 rubles, the cost of travel to the place of training was 3754 rubles,
The cost of medical services (fluorography) - 200 rubles, travel by public transport, costs for travel by public transport, food and accommodation amounted to 1 7 - 20 000 rubles. I mostly cooked my own food, which allowed me to reduce the cost of food. Cab fare is cheaper if you pay for it with a large company, the same principle can be used to reduce costs in cafes and entertainment venues.