10 Advantages of studying in Lisbon!

Inspired in the previous posts that I wrote about Milan, I remember that it could be a great idea to write something similar about Lisbon, especially because it can be really useful to other students that are thinking about coming to Lisbon, or doing their Erasmus in the capital.

After three years studying in the capital, which two of which I was sharing an apartment in the city center with other colleagues, I think that that was enough time to have a solid opinion and knowledge of the city.

Note: I already wrote another article about the positive particularities of Lisbon. So this post is going to be more focused on the advantages of the academic world, things that I noticed while I was studying in Milan. My faculty in Lisbon was that of Architecture at the University of Lisbon, so most of my impressions are going to be based in this experience, even if some of the points are more generalised.

So here we go!

1. The canteens are really cheap

Almost every University campus in Lisbon has its own canteen. The public faculty - in the University of Lisbon- and all the other associated faculties have really cheap options close by.

For example, in the Faculty of Architecture, located at the campus in Ajuda, there is a canteen, where you can have lunch for €2. 5: including soup, a main dish and desert. The food is not always great, but is an excellent option, for those of you who don't have time to cook, neither time to prepare the meal the day before.

These spaces are cosy, and are usually open almost every day, so no matter what time students go to have lunch, they can always count on their food. In most of the cases, you just need to show your student card, and you can have access to this range of prices.

2. Accommodation is cheap and nice

Despite being the capital, Lisbon has reasonable prices for accommodation. There are few Universities with their own dorm, but usually, the offer is enough to all the students that come to study here.

In my case, I lived in an apartment, sharing it with two other girls, and it was located in the neighbourhood of Alcântara, really near my faculty (around 10 to 15 minutes by bus). The experience was good, because the neighbourhood is quiet, mostly students or elderly couples. Nearby it had everything that I needed, and besides the bus, I could always take the tram (and I really loved it). From my kitchen window I could see the background of the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém, two important cultural sites in Lisbon, and next to it, the Tagus river.

I had a room for myself, more like a studio, because it included my room and a kind of office, I just needed to share the bathroom and the kitchen. The apartment wasn't that big, but it was enough for me. It was a building from 1910, really traditional, with the typical Lisbon style. I paid €180/ monthly for everything, plus the bills.

I noticed that sometimes they charged higher prices to Erasmus students, but there are always ways to get around this. In the faculties there is usually boards where the homeowners puttheir ads - on these you can find more affordable prices than the ones that you will find online.

Another good idea for the ones that want to arrive in Lisbon and already have a house is to talk with some students of the faculty. It's really frequent among the Erasmus students, it will be funnier and can be a good way to start your cultural exchange.

3. There are a lot of spaces where you can study under the sun

Lisbon is a nice and warm city, always used by a large number of students. There are parks, coffee shops and outdoor seating areas everywhere, and it's great to study while enjoying the sun, the outdoor and the good weather, which lasts all year.

Regarding the gardens, there are two that are worth to see: the Garden of Campo Grande and the Garden of Gulbenkian. The one in Campo Grande is a cosy place, recently renewed, and is really close to the Universities since is located in the "Cidade Universitária" (university city). Besides the green areas, there are sport places, benches, and a really nice coffee shop that is strategically located in the centre of the lake, it really gives a good atmosphere to the place. Recently, a building designed for the purpose of studying in it was also built, and is the place for students to go when the weather is not that nice. The building has two floors, and the ground floor has a Mc'Donalds, a bathroom and a space with Wi-Fi. For the ones whose faculty is not nearby, no worries, because the metro station is a 5-minute walk - station of Campo Grande (Green or Yellow Line).

Another park that I really liked to go to was the Gulbenkian Park. This space is a dream for art students. The Foundation Museum is one of the most dynamic places in Lisbon, constantly with a enviable schedule, full of expositions, conferences and events, everything always with student discounts. On the inside there is a library where you can silently work, it also has a small coffee shop and an outdoor seating area.

However, during the sunny days the best thing to do is to take a beach towel and stay under the shadow in the green shinning field. This is a quiet place where a lot of students come to study for the final exams before the deserved summer holidays. Located nearby the S. Sebastião metro station (Red line), although you can easily come by bus from the Marquês of Pombal station.

I could stay here all day long talking about the nicest places, but I think the best to do is if you discover the students spots or the hidden ones with a view to the river for yourself.

4. Every Faculty has a Students' Association

In Milan I still don't understand how they work, but I guess even if they exist they are not that dynamic and active like in the academic life in Lisbon.

Almost every faculty has its own Students' Association that consists of a group of volunteer students whom we can ask for help and about some academic issues/ questions that we might have. Usually, these groups have an important role when the Erasmus students arrive because they guarantee that every situation is solved in a more informal way and also they take in consideration previous similar situations.

Sometimes these Associations organise a welcome week for the students that have just arrived. It's good to know that in any case you will always have someone to call on.

In the bigger Faculties, where there are a lot of fields, Núcleos de Curso (in English - the association of each field) are quite common. There are also more specific associations that focus on students support and organise activities for each field.

For my experience I can say that this little particularity helps the integration of the Erasmus students in the different groups and creates a more receptive environment for the students that come with some hesitation.

5. The community is open to Erasmus students

The Portuguese are known for being welcoming and friendly people. In general, the youngest ones speak English really well, so communication is not a barrier.

The Erasmus experience is really rooted in our academic community because is really usual for students to go abroad for six months or for one year. For this reason, the community became more open and curious about other European students that choose Lisbon for their Erasmus.

At least, in my faculty, most of the Erasmus students had the opportunity to get in touch with local students during their stay as most of the times they were invited to group activities or even to participate with them in a work group.

Regarding that aspect, I thing Lisbon is a much friendly city for the ones that are shier, than Milan, the city where I'm currently doing my Erasmus. Maybe this is because of its informal environment or its dimensions, but without a doubt the friendly and cosy environment that the Portuguese give helps a lot.

6. Most of the professors have a good English level

In almost every faculty, professors have a good level of English. Besides the professors, usually are older, they have been doing efforts to improve their communication skills in English, trying to avoid tough situations, especially because Portuguese is a hard language to learn and even harder to become fluent in.

Some more avant-garde schools, for example, the New Business School (Faculty of Economy and Management), already have masters in English. In my University, at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Lisbon, professors always ask on the first day if there is any foreigner student probably because they can't follow the class in Portuguese. If someone says yes, they will try to give the class in English or the professor will translate the most important things. In the other cases when a professor doesn't speak English, they will advidse the student to attend the same class but with other professor that is able to speak it.

Most professors can also speak other languages like French or Spanish. Most of the professors are between 50 or 60 years old, so when they were in school, the studied language was French, so they can usually speak it with a good level. I saw some professors in my University doing exams in French!

7. Different extra-curricular activities are organised in the University

Universities in Lisbon have their own life and students love to give some contribution to their dynamism. I'm not just talking about parties, but I'm also referring to conferences, events, expositions and so many other things.

I will give two other examples to you. In my Faculty an annual exposition with the students' work that stood out during the year in different classes is organised every year. This way, the younger students can come and visit the Uni and have a clear idea about how it is: how the school facilities are, what we do in the different classes, and this is great for them, because this way they can do a more conscientious and informed decision.

Another activity that my Faculty does is the Cycle of Conferences. Different professionals from directly related fields are often invited to present their work and to answer some questions of the students.

It's not only great for the local students because they can have a more clear idea how the labour market works, but is also extremely didactic for the Erasmus students because they have the chance to meet important Portuguese professionals, and also get to know the know-how of the Portuguese work.

8. The classmates are welcoming

Usually the Portuguese are really friendly. I speak for myself, I always had a lot of curiosity about the Erasmus students that were in my class. The Portuguese - I think I can generalise - speak a lot and are always intrigued how things work in other countries or why they chose Lisbon, as well as small details about the way of working.

In a more personal perspective, Lisbon is a city that doesn't disappoint any student expectation. Maybe it's even the opposite: for the ones that come from a close culture, perhaps in the beginning can be a bit weird, but after it the joy and the dynamism will become contagious.

9. The city has a cozy dimension

Lisbon is not a very big city, but neither small, it has the perfect size. You can walk mostly everywhere, and when you can't, the underground can always take you to any part of the city in a really efficient way.

It's really good to have everything close-by, as you can just walk from one place to another. Besides that, Lisbon is a city that you can get to know in six months - but you have more than enough to entertain yourself for an year. In here you have access to National Parks or to the ocean (less than 1 hour ride), that is a plus point.

This can also mean that you have all your friends in short distance, helping to develop your friendship network and they can help you anytime, which is always a positive thing for the ones that are far from home. For example, in the neighbourhood where I used to live, there was also a place where everyone else spent some time. It was a really comfortable situation, because every time I needed something or even just someone to talk to I had friends close-by.

With reference to another situation, in the last semester, I had a Ukrainian classmate that was living a few metres away from me. I remember that we were really close, and one day when her washing machine brooked down I could help her, and that way she saved some change because she didn't have to wash her clothes in some other place.

10. It's a city with a lot of light

This is probably one of the things that I miss more of Lisbon: the light. There are people that even call it the city of light. Lisbon has a very high solar radiation index, when compared to other European capitals, and is during all year.

This is because it has the perfect geographic position - the hills reflect the sun light, just like the water of the Tagus. The truth is that is a lively and welcoming city for this reason. The light also helps to prevent depressive cases and to have more desire to work and study!

It's also nice to have a free afternoon and know that you can enjoy the sun light while going for a walk in one of the National Parks. Due to its latitude, even in the winter, there are more daylight hours in Lisbon than there are in other cities in the Northern Hemisphere.

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