Erasmus Days at BUT – the first step to study abroad
31-03-2022
What are the most common questions from students interested in studying abroad?
– “First of all, they ask about the countries they can go to, about scholarship rates and about the international exchange during the pandemic” – says Marta Orpik from the BUT International Relations Office.
It is worth emphasising that Bialystok University of Technology has concluded over 300 partnership agreements with universities from all over Europe. Each of them is ready to accept our students within the Erasmus+ international exchange programme.
The most popular destinations for students of Bialystok University of Technology are Portugal and Spain; recently also Greece. Students of the Faculty of Architecture have already blazed a trail to the university in the Netherlands, and it is there that they willingly spend a semester of their studies.
Scholarship rates for Erasmus+ participants vary from country to country. In the winter semester 2022/2023, those who go to study in countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Turkey and Hungary will receive 450 euros per month. The highest rate, 520 euros, will be given to students who choose universities in, for example, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the UK. In Portugal, Spain and Greece, students receive a scholarship of 500 euros per month.
Studying at a foreign university is within reach!
We met Michał Dzienisik at the information stand of IRO BUT at the Faculty of Computer Science: – “I am most interested in a mobility within my field of study. I would like to see how studying computer science at a foreign university is like, and at the same time visit another country, learn a language, simply – see the world. I would like to go to a university in Spain or Portugal. Most probably it will be Universidad De Las Palmas De Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands”.
When asked what would make them want to study abroad, two students from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences – Julia and Olga – say that it would be the adventure. An additional advantage is getting to know a different culture, making new friends. – “I would aim at colder countries, like Norway. I would finally see the aurora borealis. The adventure and the desire to get to know the world would convince me to go. I am interested in it and I make no secret that I would like to go on an internship abroad someday” – adds Olga Kowalewska, a second-year student of agricultural, food and forestry engineering.
Apart from new experiences, the trip may also translate into higher professional qualifications – “I do not know what the level at these universities is like, so I do not know what the professional competences are like, but for sure language is a very important thing and also foreign contacts that make it easier to find a job or do an internship abroad, such as within Erasmus. I think it is definitely a great professional experience”, says Michał Fiłonowicz from the Faculty of Architecture.
Adrian Kaliszuk, a student at the Faculty of Management Engineering and chairman of the Erasmus Student Network at Bialystok University of Technology, knows almost everything about international student exchange. On a daily basis, he cooperates with BUT students who have gained experience at a foreign university. He organises Orientation Week and many other integration events for foreign students who came to study at the BUT faculties.
– “The balance between outgoing and incoming mobilities is unfavourable to Poles. Last semester, about 50 of our students went abroad to study, while almost 230 Erasmus students came here. I think that the barrier that stops us from going abroad is the language, both in terms of everyday communication and the offer of courses provided by universities. It is worth checking this before leaving for studies, signing the so-called Learning Agreement – which subjects can be “rewritten” after returning to Bialystok University of Technology, so that you do not lose a semester of your studies”, says Adrian.
– “It is also worth checking the cost of accommodation. Lisbon and Porto are relatively expensive cities, here you have to pay 200-300 euros for a room. But in smaller towns, such as Viana do Castelo (partner university – Instituto Politecnico De Viana Do Castelo, Portugal), a place in a dormitory is about 100 euros. It is also a beautiful location – a beach, surfing school” – adds the president of the ESN at BUT.
Erasmus Days is an event that supports students in taking a decision to study abroad. What do those who have already been abroad with Erasmus+ say?
– “It was my dream to get to know another culture, to see more of Europe. Studying abroad is an amazing idea, and BUT makes it come true. A trip to Italy as part of the Erasmus+ programme enabled me to fulfil my plans. Although it seems that Italy is not far away, it is a completely different culture and people, and studies also look different,” said about the benefits of the trip Konrad Długozima, who spent half a year in sunny Italy.
Recruitment for studies for the winter semester 2022/2023
Students interested in mobility within the Erasmus+ programme should definitely find out about the language exam deadline. Passing it is the first stage of eligibility for participation in the programme. Then students should submit the candidate questionnaire to the departmental Erasmus+ coordinator. At this stage the university’s internal recruitment process ends, the next steps are sending the documents to the foreign partner university, which may ask the student to supplement the documentation, e.g. the form for granting a place in the hostel, preparing a transcript. Certainly, all students who go abroad to study must prepare a Learning Agreement, which is a document that determines which subjects, which the student will complete at a foreign university, can be recognized in the home faculty after returning.
Information stands where you could talk, get information materials and interesting gadgets were available:
– on Wednesday, 16 March, at:
Faculty of Computer Science (8.30-11.30 a.m.)
Faculty of Engineering Management (12 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
– on Thursday, March 17, at:
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences (8.30-11.30 a.m.)
Faculty of Architecture (12.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m.)
– on Friday, 18 March, at:
Faculty of Electrical Engineering (8.30-11.30 a.m.)
Mechanical Engineering Faculty (12.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m.).
Read more:
International Relations Office of Bialystok University of Technology
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