Anastasiia Kondratiuk, third-year student majoring in Professional Education (Digital Technologies) at the Institute of Law, Psychology and Innovative Education (ILPIE), Lviv Polytechnic, took advantage of a unique opportunity provided by the Erasmus+ programme and spent the spring semester at the University of Gdańsk. From February 16 to June 13, Anastasiia gained new academic and cultural experience, acquiring knowledge that will undoubtedly be useful for her future career. Read about the experience of studying in Gdańsk, challenges and impressions of staying abroad in our interview.
– How did you find out about the Erasmus+ programme and what motivated you to apply?
– I found out about it from my friends from the senior years of the same major. My teacher also asked me if I would like to go. Of course, I wanted to, because it was a great opportunity.
– What were your first impressions of the University of Gdańsk? How were you greeted there?
– We were greeted very warmly and sincerely. Everything was quickly resolved and they helped me with the dormitory. I moved in as soon as I arrived. Then they organized a meeting for all Erasmus students. After this meeting, the Ukrainians were asked to stay, and we were spoken to separately. In general, the atmosphere was very warm and friendly.
As for the university, I really liked it. There are a lot of differences, and, to be honest, I would like a lot of things from the University of Gdańsk to be implemented here. For example, I remember that there is at least one special niche on each floor where you can get water. I also like the space for students to rest when they do not have classes. Everything is organized very well: huge poufs, lots of seats, sockets everywhere, and comfortable tables. There are even special niches where you can just sit down and study. Students don’t have to look for a special place to relax or wait for classes, so it’s very convenient.
– Did you like the classes? What was the most interesting for you?
– In general, all the classes were interesting. We studied in English, and it was really interesting to see how well you perceive a foreign language and how teachers explain everything. Over time, I even started to notice that each teacher spoke in English differently. Some had a pronounced Polish accent, others didn’t. It was the same with the students, as I was not studying with Ukrainians, but with many other foreigners.
– Are the teaching methods at the University of Gdańsk different from those at Lviv Polytechnic?
– I can safely say yes. In Gdańsk, teachers behave as if they are your friends. As for the classes, everything was very mixed. In general, the teachers would tell us something and immediately ask for our opinion, even if it was the first time we came to the subject. When we expressed our opinions on a particular topic, the teachers would continue to talk, expanding our knowledge.
– What skills and knowledge did you acquire while studying in Gdańsk that will be useful for your future career?
– I’ll start with organisation – that’s what I learnt there. Next is getting out of my comfort zone. I also really improved my English. By the end of the course, I could easily talk to anyone. In fact, I learnt a lot and found out a lot of interesting things about creativity, because at the University of Gdańsk there were a lot of disciplines, classes and assignments focused on creativity.
