About 700 people from different parts of the world have started their courses at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. These are participants of exchange programmes and students who have gone through the university’s standard admission procedure. On Monday, they had an opportunity to get to know WUST and its staff during the “Introduction Day”

Over one thousand people from foreign countries applied for admissions to Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Four hundred of the candidates became students of our university. These are chiefly citizens of Ukraine, India, Turkey, and Chine, with more than a dozen people from Africa. Also, almost 300 people who came to us under the exchange programmes Erasmus and Exchange started their education at the tertiary institute. They come from Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Russia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Brazil, and China, as well as Japan and Mexico.

The new WUST students were welcomed by Andrzej Moczko, Director for the Department of International Affairs: - I’m very happy that you’ll spend a part of your fantastic lives with us - he said. – I hope that the time of your education at Wrocław University of Science and Technology as well as your living in Wrocław will be an amazing experience for you. I assure you that you made a wise decision by choosing our university. You’ll experience a different cuisine and nature in Poland, and you’ll meet different people. You’ll soon find new friends too. All of this will be new and - I’m sure - fascinating to you. On our part, we’re already planning special meetings during which we’ll show you Polish traditions and culture.

Additionally, on the first day of the academic year, foreign students had an opportunity to learn about things including the scopes of most active scientific circles’ and student organisations’ activity, the offerings of the Foreign Languages Department and the Career Office, as well as listen to a policeman who talked about their rights and provided advice on safety issues. The Introduction Day ended with a meeting with foreign students’ coordinators at particular faculties of the university.

We asked new WUST students why they’d chosen our university:

Mohamed Anis Ben Smail from Tunisia: - I chose Wrocław University of Science and Technology because it offers many possibilities including going to Australia after graduation. I love this country and I’d like to live there in the future,  which is why I’m going to spend the coming three or five years in Wrocław studying Mechanical Engineering and Machine Construction in the English language. I’m not new to Wrocław. It’s my fourth visit here. I spent the past year in Lódź learning Polish. I was also considering studies at AGH University of Science and Technology or Warsaw University of Technology, but ultimately Wrocław won. Why? Because you’re a multicultural city, where a lot is going on. I’m sure I’ll feel good here. I already have a few personal favourites, such as the Old Town, the cathedral, or the banks of the river Odra. I’m sure I’ll take my new friends who don’t know the city yet to see these places. 

Lisa Nour Arida, Annisa Wahyu Fitriani and Putri Ayu Maharani from Indonesia: - We’re starting a years’ course in Polish for foreigners tomorrow, and when we complete it, we’re going to pick courses at a Polish university of our choice.  For the time being, we know a few words like “dziękuję”, “dzień dobry”, and “apple”. Your language doesn’t seem to be an easy one. You have many letters in your alphabet and the stress is completely different. But I’m sure we’ll do well. First impressions from your country? Very good. The people are much nicer than what you can sometimes hear in the media. So far, nothing has surprised us a lot, but we can see that it’s us, with our hijabs, that arouse surprise.

Nanouschka Long Cho from France: – It’s my first hours in your country and, in general, this part of Europe. The first impressions are very good. I hadn’t known anything about Poland before I came here. I only had those stereotypical images and phrases - that you’re a closed society and a country with many farms, so it’s a nice surprise. Wrocław really appealed to me - there are many parks here and places where you can spend time in interesting ways. I’m starting my Civil Engineering courses in English tomorrow, but I also want to learn the basics of your language. 

Sindy Kola from Albania: - Wrocław University of Science and Technology was recommended to me by a teacher, my family’s friend. I’m going to do Computer Science courses in English, which I couldn’t do in my home country as this field of study isn’t offered there. I’ve never been to Wrocław before and, so far, I haven’t had an opportunity to go anywhere or just see the city. My first impression? You’re extremely friendly. Albanians are said to be some of the friendliest people in Europe, a nation with a very positive attitude, but Poles seem to be even nicer.

TRAN Tuan-Anh from Vietnam: - I like travelling and visiting different countries. I have already studied in France and Spain, and now I’m in this part of Europe. I’m interested in computer science and molecular research. However, I’d like to focus on lab-based research, which is why I chose Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Here, I can combine acquiring theoretical knowledge with practical classes in a lab. It’s my first time in Wrocław. I came here just recently, but I’ve already visited the Main Square. My passion is photography, so I’m already looking forward to taking many interesting photos here. Especially given that the season is so beautiful.