Poland: Experience Europe in a Unique and Incredible Way Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

All of the classes besides my language course were taught in English. The subjects related to sociology and the general humanities and were all extremely interesting, although primarily lecture-based. Since the other students were primarily from other European countries, the material was always presented very clearly. Classes were small and I always saw a lot of the same people so it was really easy to meet other students. The workload was NOTHING compared to classes at UT--we had hardly any assignments until the last week of school (except for the Polish classes, which were demanding but so much fun), and instead of taking exams at the end of the semester we had to write essays or give presentations to earn our final grades. Living without the constant pressure of schoolwork allowed me to experience so many other things, mainly through traveling. At the same time, the classes were all really worth going to, and overall my academic experience there was really rewarding. I gained a sense of direction in regard to my thesis and general fields of interest, and constantly refer to things I learned in class. All of our classes were held either in the main square (20 min walk from our apartments) or just outside of it. Most of the classes were 2 hours long and generally there was little communication between professors and students outside of class.

On-site administration of your program

Our resident director was really helpful and always open to questions (although didn't always respond promptly). We saw him fairly often and there were lots of organized trips and activities so whenever we had issues that needed to be addressed they were taken care of in person. He was really knowledgeable about our expectations and generally everything was well organized. I felt like the program was really great.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Everything was arranged for us before we arrived. I moved into an apartment where my roommate, another American student, was already living. I had a huge bedroom to myself which was already furnished. The apartment came with everything we needed, including Internet (I bought bedding and bathroom supplies--that was about it). We had everything we needed already there. Beautiful bathroom and kitchen with nice views over a street. The neighborhood was great. There was a huge daily farmer's market across the street that had everything--clothes, candy, fresh produce, meat, fish, bread, etc. There was also a 24 hour store just a block away. It took us 20 minutes to walk to the main square, or a five minute bike ride. Unfortunately during my time abroad our street was under major construction, but if it hadn't been we would have also had perfect access to tram lines.

The food in Poland is amazing. My grandparents are Polish and all of the food I ate there just reminded me of childhood. Because of the exchange rate, I could get a full, 3 course meal for about $2. I'd definitely recommend student cafeteria places and "Milk Bars" which are Communist style eat-ins. But even at the fanciest restaurants, the food was abundant and cheap. I ate more than I've ever eaten in my life even though I hardly cooked. It would have definitely been a bit difficult to delve into traditional food if I were vegetarian--but then again, there are some delicious dishes without meat as well as fresh veggies readily available at markets.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The program trips were always fun because we had things planned for us and free accommodations. We went to Zakopane and went hiking in the mountains during the winter and later in the semester went to Prague, which was amazing. We were always given a lot of freedom and even the arranged events were always fun. The laser tag at the end of the semester was even amazing. But aside from the program I was also able to find the time and money to do a lot of traveling. I went to Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Germany, Holland, and Greece while I was abroad. Not to mention Poland itself, which is really large compared to other European countries. Even just staying in Krakow was a blast, because there were always new places to see and things to do, like going to music festivals or coffee shops or historic sites.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt extremely safe in Krakow. The population of the city is around 800,000 but 200,000 of its residents are students, so even at 5 a.m. there are people partying in the main square and lots of security. Health care seemed pretty simple-- we paid up front and were reimbursed later. But I didn't get sick at all and don't think there were any real health issues to worry about.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

There was a language mentor/tandem partner program through which I met with Polish students who also wanted to learn some English. These were held weekly and always fun. But mainly I practiced my Polish in everyday interactions (stores, restaurants, etc.) because not many people spoke English (unless we were at a place where a lot of tourists would go or where the employees were younger). In the city it wasn't too important to speak fluent Polish but I always avoided speaking English when I could. I made sure to surround myself with locals a lot and most of my closest friends there either were Polish or spoke Polish fluently--however, they all spoke English really well too.

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• Apartment

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• Americans