First-hand Erasmus information about studying in Poznan, provided by Veronika Bukovec
(University of Vienna English studies, Erasmus student in Poznan for spring term 2012)
Adam Mickiewicz University is one of the main universities in Poznan, Poland
(http://www.amu.edu.pl/en/home/about-us/newsletters). The English language department
(http://wa.amu.edu.pl/wa/en) offers a wide range of different courses in the different fields of
English studies (linguistics, literature, cultural studies, language skills, etc. See the following links for
the different degree programmes:
http://wa.amu.edu.pl/wa/files/20121007_filologia%20angielska_EN.pdf,
http://wa.amu.edu.pl/wa/files/20121007_siatki_i_stopien_filologia_angielska_nauczycielska_EN.pdf,
http://wa.amu.edu.pl/wa/files/20121007_siatki_i_stopien_filologia_angielska_celtycka_EN.pdf,). As
an exchange student you can attend courses for BA or MA or teaching degree
(http://wa.amu.edu.pl/pnja/). In Poznan, the students are organised in groups and each group gets
an individual time table. As an erasmus student you can choose between all these courses and time
tables.
Some courses run for two semesters, so it is advisable to start your experience in Poznan in the
winter term. If you go in spring term, you can still choose from many courses which run for only one
semester.
The English department organises all sorts of activities and meetings. They also organise, for
example, the “Young Linguists Meeting” which usually takes place in Poznan in the spring. As a
student of the department, you can attend the conference for free.
In addition to the courses offered at the English department, AMU has a large selection of classes
held in English at many different departments of the university. This gives you the chance to attend
classes in different fields of studies which are all held in English. This programme is designed
especially for exchange students, but also many Polish students attend the classes. The programme is
called AMU-PIE (http://www.amu.edu.pl/en/year-at-amu/a-year-at-amu/amu-pie: you can also find
sample time tables on their website).
If you are an Erasmus student at AMU, you can attend Polish language classes for free
(http://www.schoolpl.amu.edu.pl/go.php/en.html). You can choose between 4, 6 and 10 hours per
week. I think that learning a different language is very valuable if you study a foreign language.
If you are interested in staying in a student dormitory (you have to announce this during your
application process), the university will arrange your place in one of the students dorms. Usually,
these are double rooms. The student accommodation is very cheap (~100 Euro per month).
As an exchange student you will have a Polish student mentor who will help you to settle in and get
yourself organised. The Erasmus Student Network is very active in organising many different
activities and events. They also coordinate the tandem-language-programme which gives you the
opportunity to work together with a second student and practice your language skills (Polish etc.)
Poznan is a really nice and interesting city. The old town is charming and there are all sorts of sights
to see. There are very nice restaurants, cafes and bars all over the city. Many young people and
students live in Poznan. With your Polish student ID you get discounts in many different places. In
general, the living expenses are much less than in Austria. For public transport in Poznan and also for
using the Polish railway, you get student discount with your ID. Poznan is around three hours away
by train from Berlin, Wroclaw (Breslau) and Warszawa (Warschau). It takes a couple of hours to go to
Gdansk (Danzig), Torun and Krakow (Krakau).