Active student life in Poland. Interview with Altynai Andasheva.

Being a student is not only about studies – it is also about all the memories about things happening during this bright period of life.

Our today’s guest is Altynai Andasheva, who has just joined the second generation of NAWA Digital Ambassadors of Poland. Altynai was born and raised in Kyrgyzstan, however, for the last 3 years, she has been living and studying in Poland.

While studying International Marketing at the University of Lodz, Altynai also works for an international IT company. She is an active participant of  the student’s activities in the university. 

Today we are going to talk about the opportunities of joining international student organizations, volunteering projects, and internships for students.

Ready, Study, Go! Poland

Hi Altynai! From Kyrgyzstan to Poland. What a journey you have had. There should be a reason for that, right?

Hello! Since my childhood together with my dad we have been visiting international education fairs at my home country. Thinking of a place for my studies in the future, I was considering Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

It is not a secret that these countries are more affordable than the other located in Europe. At the last education fair I visited, I have met the representatives of NAWA (Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange) and the University of Lodz. Meeting those people was one of the key factors why I have chosen to study at the University of Lodz. Also, at that moment, the University of Lodz had a special 50% tuition fee discount. And the university was offering my desired programme taught the English!

Costs of living in Poland is considerably cheaper comparing to the other European countries like Germany, Italy or Switzerland. Prices of everyday products are pretty cheap too. If you are interested in costs of living in Poland, please follow the link.

What about your student’s life? Do you participate in university activities, student organizations or volunteering programmes?

I do! Actually I am a volunteer for the ESN (Erasmus Student Network). The student organization gave me the opportunity to meet people from all around the world. As a part of what I do there, I have been helping the foreign students coming to Poland for the first time with the adaptation during the first days if their studies.

I have been also an active participant of Erasmus programme. Many students have heard about Erasmus academic exchanges, but not all of them about Erasmus + projects and internships.

Erasmus + projects are two-week-long organized events that happen all around Europe. The projects are funded by the European Commission. Usually, the topics of those projects are entrepreneurship, environment protection, social issues and phenomenons, science, and art. You can have a lot of fun participating in them thanks to people that the programme gathers around them. And the best part is that it is almost free ? Travelling and studying, isn`t it a dream? It changes people`s lives.

You can use the following website to search for Erasmus + short-term projects: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects_en#search/project/keyword=i&matchAllCountries=false

 

 

What a chance! Are there any language requirements to join the programme?

Well, Polish is not required here. If you speak English, this is more than enough. There is a huge international community of people coming from all around the world. Of course, it is nice if you can speak a basic Polish as a sign of respect to the Polish members, but still, it is not necessary.

How did the pandemics influence your active lifestyle? Has everything switched to online?

Unfortunately, it is not as active as it was before. Many activities and projects have switched from offline to online. And, as you probably know, online activities are not as interactive as offline. During these times I decided to concentrate more on my full-time job and studies. However, I still take part in ESN initiatives in Lodz, during which we try to build a community centre for foreigners coming to Lodz.

As we are heading towards the end of our interview, can you give a piece of advice to our readers who are planning to come to Poland for studies?  

Hmm… People in Poland are very open. They are always ready to help and support you. I could recommend learning more about this country before you come here. Join the Facebook groups, e.g. “Foreigners in Lodz”, “Foreigners in Warsaw”, etc.  If you write there your questions, someone will definitely answer you and offer help.

I also recommend you participate in every activity your university offers. You can meet a lot of great people. It will help your personal growth and gift memories for the rest of your life. Get everything out of your student’s life ?

 

Thank you for reading! You can find this and many other interviews with people studying in Poland at our website and over the IGTV section of our Instagram. Make sure to follow us as there is so much more to come!