My Erasmus Experience in Ljubljana, Slovenia - Faculty of Economics

Why did you choose to go to Ljubljana, Slovenia?

I was in Slovenia few years ago and I fell in love with this wonderful country and its beautiful nature. Moreover, University of Ljubljana has one of three best faculties of economics in Eastern Europe.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I got scholarship for 5 moths - 2 000 Eur (400 Eur/month).

What is the student lifestyle like in Ljubljana?

Ljubljana is a city of youth and freedom. You meet young people everywhere you go and when you walk through Ljubljana´s streets you feel the special student vibe this city has. All young people from Slovenia speak English fluently and most of older people too. Amazing thing in Ljubljana is possibility to use city bikes (it costs only 3 euro/year) and you can travel by bicycle around the whole city. Also, when you are Erasmus student you can join a lot of different groups which are created by students (salsa, skiing, board games, trips, playing musical instruments and singing under the bridge :)... and so on). Faculty of Economics organized also some trips and activities and you can also join some activities organized by ESN (e. g. night canoeing, pub crawl... ).

Would you recommend the city and the University of Ljubljana to other students?

Go to the Ljubljana if:

• you are really willing to study;
• you like small capital cities (everything is close in Ljubljana) which are not crowded (there are not even 300 000 inhabitants in Ljubljana);
• you like mountains, lakes, nature, green landscape, amazing blue water in the rivers, caves, waterfalls (then you should visit Triglav, Soča, Bled, Bohinj, Velika Planina, Krvavec and another beautiful places);
• you would like to travel to Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Austria or another Balkan or Middle Europe countries.

Lake of Bled:

Don´t go to the Ljubljana if:

• you expect that Erasmus in Ljubljana is just about having fun/ traveling/ chilling - in my case I was surprised because we had much much more things to do for school than I have in my home university in Slovakia. In Ljubljana I had many projects, assignments, short tests and so on. But it also depends on which courses you will choose and how many courses you need to have.
• you prefer big cities with many people, crazy nightlife and fast-going life.

What is the food like?

It is really favorable to be a student in Ljubljana because of meal student system - studentski boni - with which you can eat cheaply in school canteens and selected restaurants around whole country. Traditional Slovenian food is really hard to find in Ljubljana (you need to go to smaller towns). But you can find there some Balkan restaurants and taste typical Balkan food (plus some Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Italian... ).

Slovenian Food:

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Ljubljana?

No. I applied for dorm and I got it, but make sure you apply on time.

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How much does it cost to live in Ljubljana?

I got scholarship 400 Euro/month and it was enough for me to pay for food, accommodation, transportation and some parties. Dorms cost around 100 Euro/month, private accommodation is more expensive (app. 150 - 300), bus transportation for one month costs 20 Euro... when you wanna party hard, it is expensive here as well as eating in restaurants without meal student system. Compared to Slovakia, life is more expensive and without scholarship I wouldn´t survive :). And especially public transportation within country and to foreign countries is really expensive --- rent a car!

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

For me language was okay (I could understand some words) as Slovene and Slovak are both Slavic languages but for another nationalities is hard. Language courses are available whole year.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Ljubljana from your city?

Definitely by car. Try webpages as http://www.blablacar.com or http://www.prevoz.org.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Ljubljana?

Top Six, Nebotičnik, Cirkus.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Ljubljana?

Cantina Mexicana, Nebotičnik, 123.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Ljubljana castle, Metelkova, Nebotičnik, Three bridges, Galleries, Museums, Cemetery.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Ljubljana in the future?

Try everything you can and be open to amazing things that Ljubljana and Slovenia offer.