Stories from Abroad

What is the overall impression of the internship?

     The experience of studying at Beijing Jiaotong University has been very helpful to me. During this time, I learned about a new teaching system and improved my academic level and developed good study habits. During this year, I learned not only about my major, but also got the opportunity to learn other professional knowledge. After studying different subjects, I got more clear about the direction I want to study in the future and what I am currently lacking. Especially through some essay assignments, my writing and logical thinking skills have improved and I understand more about how to write a good essay.

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

     I divided the preparation phase into two parts, one is preparing the application and the other is preparing to leave for the school.
     During the application preparation phase, I struggled with the paperwork I needed for my application. Because you need to dig out the points that make you a good match for the school and say why you are the best person for the job, it takes some time, but it is not insurmountable. I suggest that when you write your essay, you can write down the characteristics that the school is looking for in a person, then go through and analyze whether you possess that characteristic and recall relevant examples to use to support it. When preparing to go to school, due to the epidemic, we need to prepare some documents and understand the epidemic prevention and control measures, but you don't need to worry about it, there are teachers to help you with these issues, and if you have other problems you can ask them for help and they will be happy to help you.

     Describe your visa process. Provide suggestions for future academic mobility program participants.
     Since I am Chinese and the school I applied to is in China, I don't need to get a visa. However, if you have questions about visas, you can consult the Chinese embassy in your area.

     What difficulties did you encounter when you came to overseas institutions?
     I didn't have any difficulties when I was at Beijing Jiaotong University. However, one small problem is that the campus is quite large and has several doors and buildings, which can make it easy to get lost when you first arrive. For this problem, the school may have teachers or classmates to show you around the campus, but I would prefer to use navigation software or a school map, which is much easier and faster.

    Cost of my overseas internship
       I don't need to get a visa so I don't know how much the visa fee is. It costs about 300 RMB to travel from my place to Beijing by high speed train. The dormitory is a double room with private bathroom, and there is a common kitchen on each floor, the dormitory fee is 6000 RMB per semester. In addition to that, the school will charge you a course selection fee based on the number of credits you take, which is 300 RMB per credit. In terms of living, you can take the bus and subway to get around, and the fare is usually only a few yuan. If you want to save money you can eat in the school cafeteria instead of ordering take-out and going to restaurants. Entrance fees to visit attractions in Beijing are also not expensive and there are some free attractions. All in all, it is possible to live on about 2000 RMB a month.

     1. My impression...

To my mind, my exchange life was an unpredictable and impressive journey. Not only did I get lots of friends fr om different countries, but also did I achieve my educational productivity. I got close to lots of Russian friends, they helped me to improve my Russian language. After that we have witnessed important moments together.
As for the education, I explored the differences between education in China and education in Russia. The teachers teach different majors under different cultures. The management system is also different. To some extent, I deepened my love for my profession and my confidence in exploring it. I think it was unexpected for me. In my 4th year study currently, I got my passion that continues with the study of international business related content and its development in the context of globalization, etc.

     2. What difficulties did you encounter in the preparation stage of your internship? What advice and suggestions. Can you provide suggestions for future academic mobility program participants?

There are difficulties behind every successful achievement. When I entered the university, everything was not familiar to me, I had to put myself in a fresh new atmosphere.Most of my classmates were students who had already gone to school together for three years, and they knew each other very well; I came here as an exchange student, and I felt like an outsider. During our collaborative group work,it was incrediable difficult for me to find group to do presentation, cos students have formed before.<br>
The professors there were totally different, some of them didn’t care about the students’ learning Fundamentals of International Business, they spoke faster than I could imagine. But they were useful to me.

     3. Describe your visa process. Provide suggestions for future academic mobility program participants.

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 challenges did you encounter when you came to overseas institutions?

I’m chinese,so I don’t have such overseas problems. But the important thing was, when we met problems, we should contact our university coordinators. As for program participants, please, be ready with the language wh ere you are, so that you can ask for help sooner. And always keep connection with tutors, if you got problem, go for them.

     5. Cost of my overseas internship:

     School Tuition:¥4000

     Accommodation Fee：¥12000

     Transport: ¥200*4= ¥800

     Food: every meal about ¥2

     School Tuition:¥4000

I studied for 4 months at Chung-ang University on the Seoul campus, which allowed me to meet many students not only from Korea, but also from other countries. This has significantly helped me improve my team interaction skills, as well as increased my English level. I really liked the organization of the educational process. I learned a lot of useful information. Despite the fact that Seoul is a huge metropolis, there are a lot of parks there, which makes it a very cozy and beautiful city. It was a wonderful trip!

About the difficulties at the stages of the internship

The biggest difficulty is to provide a bank statement on the availability of an amount equivalent to $ 6,000. Also, due to the lack of direct flights, we had to look for alternative options. “Irkutsk – Ulaanbaatar” train turned out to be the best, and then “Ulaanbaatar-Seoul” flight. I advise you to book a transfer to Ulaanbaatar Airport in advance.

The process of obtaining a visa

An appointment at the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Irkutsk is made by e-mail.
It is necessary to fill out a questionnaire, prepare documents and a photo. When submitting documents at the consulate, you need to pay a visa fee.

Difficulties upon arrival at the host foreign organization

The dormitory of Chung-ang University does not provide a pillow, blanket and bed linen, so I advise you to come to the hostel in the morning to have time to buy everything you need.

Expenses related to participation in a foreign internship:

The visa fee at the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Irkutsk is $ 80.
Tickets: 50,000 rubles
Dormitory: 1290000 won (70,000 rubles)
Metro fare: 1250 won (70rub)
Meals: 10000-20000 won/day (600-1200rub)

I liked the internship, it was a very interesting experience, I am glad that I was able to take advantage of the opportunity to live and study in Poland. The main thing is to improve the English language and, of course, study in one of the best universities in Poland. I will definitely remember this period of my life forever. It was very interesting, a lot of new acquaintances, communication with students fr om different countries of the world. Of course, we faced problems because of the sanctions, but we managed to solve them. The first problem is the blocking of cards, and the second is the closure of borders. But despite all this, I really liked the trip, both academically and in terms of free time.

Difficulties at the stages of preparation for the internship

There were no special difficulties at the preparation stage. I would advise future participants of the academic mobility program to fill out all forms and collect all documents immediately, without delay.

Obtaining a visa

The visa was received quickly and without problems. I would advise you to contact the VFS GLOBAL visa application center directly, because that's wh ere you need to apply and get a visa. There are many different visa centers, but they charge money for filling out papers and registering at the VFS visa center. You can easily do it by yourself, you just need to register in advance on the website.

Difficulties upon arrival at the host foreign organization

When we arrived, we did not have half of the subjects that we chose, so we need to immediately, if possible, choose more subjects that suit you and write about this problem to the curator from the host university.

My expenses related to participation in an internship abroad

Visa 8000 rub
Flight from Irkutsk to Warsaw and train to Wroclaw 30000 rub
Travel by public transport 40 rub

Meals for a month per person, if you cook by  yourself 8000 rub
For example:
Chicken fillet 0.5 kg 220 rub
Milk ll 45 rub
Yogurt 400g 45 rub
Accommodation in a hostel + utilities I l000 rub Deposit to the hostel upon check-in 8000 rub

         The exchange semester in Germany gave me a lot of impressions and opportunities. The most important result of the trip for me is the realization of language knowledge.
I have been learning German since school and I have a certificate confirming my knowledge of C1 level. I think it's great to have and use the opportunity to practice the language in the country with native speakers, and also to go deeper into the language at the level of your field of study.

It's an incredible experience, not only in terms of language skills, but also in terms of professional knowledge. In addition, in Germany I had the opportunity to improve my English, the university offered a variety of free language courses. So, I took an engineering English course at the B1/B2 level. All the exchange students at the university speak only English.

     So I had the opportunity to practice language every day, which has always been more difficult for me than German. It is very important to learn languages, it gives a huge platform to start and an unlimited number of opportunities.
     Also for me personally, this trip was an opportunity to see my family, because my sister has been living in Germany for three years and in general I have a lot of friends fr om school there.

     The experience in the professional sphere is tremendous. It is very interesting to exchange ideas with people of the same profession, but from another country. A lot of insights emerge, and since my profession is quite creative, getting to know other perceptions of the architectural field gives inspiration to strive for new things.

- What challenges did you encounter in the stages of preparing for your internship?

     The main difficulty before the trip was preparing documents and opening a bank account. I was familiar with this process, and my sister helped me a lot. To have time to get a visa you need to make an appointment at the embassy in Novosibirsk. I advise to do this even before the official confirmation comes from the host university.

     Get the reception is still possible not earlier than a month after contacting the embassy. In general, as soon as it becomes known that the university is ready to accept you, you should immediately begin to prepare the documents for a visa, insurance and blocked account. To open an account and arrange the insurance, I used the virtual bank Fintiba.
It is very convenient, you can download the app to your phone and do everything from the comfort of your home. In addition, the whole procedure will be described step by step.

- Describe the process of getting a visa. Your tips for future participants of the academic mobility program.

You need many documents to apply for visa. Your motivation letter and curriculum vitae are especially important. You need to write them also when you apply to the university. I used the same motivation letter, but slightly adjusted content for the consulate. All documents should be checked before you travel, make sure there are enough copies of each document. Reception time at the embassy is usually in the morning, so it is very important to buy a suitable train ticket to Novosibirsk.

- What difficulties arose on arrival at the receiving foreign organization?

When you arrive to a completely different country wh ere people speak a different language, you need to adapt quickly. Fr om the airport you will most likely have to get to the city wh ere the university is located. So you need to think ahead about how to do this. In Germany is very well developed intercity transport links, you can safely travel fr om city to city on trains or buses Flixbus. If you have any friends from the country you are going to, it is best to contact them, ask them to buy a bus or train ticket for you in advance.

Also, so that money from an open bank account can flow into a personal account, you need to open one. In Germany, such a bank is called Sparkasse, which is the same as the Sberbank in Russia. Go there in the first days of the stay, because the card will be issued a few weeks. Before that you should make sure that you have a sufficient amount of cash for that period.

- Indicate your expenses related to participation in the foreign internship

The biggest money contribution for the whole trip will be oppening of the bank account, which is 5000 EUR for half a year and 10000 EUR for a year. It is necessary to have these funds in the bank account in order to certify to the German state that the foreign student will not be in poverty. Without this amount of money in the account you will not be able to obtain a visa. This money will then come into your personal account of 800 EUR per month for the duration of your stay in Germany. This is more than enough to live in Germany and pay your rent.

     The total cash fee for the national visa is about $ 70, in addition you need to take into account that you will need money for the train ticket to Novosibirsk and back. Upon arrival in Germany will need to get to the city wh ere the university is located. Consequently, there will be costs for transportation, the cost of a train or bus ticket depends on the distance from the city to the airport. Usually the cost varies from 15 - 70 EUR. The earlier to buy a ticket - the cheaper its cost.

     Also you should take into account that though education in Germany is free of charge, you will have to pay semester tuition fee that usually amounts from 200 - 400 EUR.

With this money will be issued a student card, with which you can take buses and trolley buses in the city and between neighboring cities at no extracharge.

All medical services will be at the expense of the insurance, so that in case of illness, if necessary, you will have to spend money only on medicines from the pharmacy. Pharmacies in Germany are expensive. Most of our usual drugs are many times more expensive, so it is better to stock up on the necessary ones from Russia.

Meals in Germany is quite expensive, you should be prepared for the fact that when you go to any cafe will have to spend at least 10 euros.
A very good option for students are canteens at universities.

There is always a large selection of dishes and the price is oriented to student life. Lunch in the canteen costs no more than 3 EUR.