Erasmus Experience in Porto, Portugal by ima

Why did you choose to go to Porto, Portugal?

At first, I chose Porto because I've got acceptance form the university and also I heard that Portugal environment is more friendly than other European countries.

What is the student lifestyle like in Porto?

I think for the students who have scholarship, it is one of the best countries for living since the people are friendly and receptive, but for those who really wants to work hard and working is their priority in the life, it is better to choose another country, since the working (at least the research one which I am familiar with) is very slow, of course there are some exception places and institutes.

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

I strongly recommend the city and also University of Porto, but actually for master students. I should mention that the classes in some majors are in Portuguese which seems somehow difficult at the beginning. But it is possible to cope with after the first month.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Porto?

To find an accommodation in Porto is easy for those who are looking for a room, but to find a complete house with reasonable price and to find a roommate to share, is a little bit difficult. But generally, finding accommodation is not a big problem in Porto.

How much does it cost to live in Porto?

Besides the tuition fee of the university, the other expenses are mainly as below:
- accommodation: a room in average is between 160 to 220 euro (depend on the number of people and the place)
- food: the university food is 2.4 euro for each time, the average price for food and buying necessary things is between 150 to 250 euro (depends on the person expectation)
-transportation: the monthly card is about 30 euro but it has discount for the students below 26 years old and it has more discount for those who are below 26 and who has scholarship from Portugal (below 20 euro in this case)
In the single trip, every pass costs 1.20 euro.

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

The language is easier to read than to listen or to talk since Portuguese accent is difficult to understand, but Brazilian Portuguese is much more understandable.

University settles an intensive course for foreign students which is about 80 euro for around 2 months, but there are some other Portuguese courses which the government organizes for the foreigners who are going to live for at least 1 year.

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

From Porto to my country, it is difficult to find both easy and economical way. It means that the ways which are easier, they are more expensive and the flights which are cheaper, they take longer time maybe more than one day.

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

For the future students who are going to do their master or who are going to take one year program in Porto with scholarship from their own country or from Portugal, I strongly recommend this city since it is one of the best places to experience a calm and safe environment and at the same time a very good student life with international students.

The erasmus students have lots of enjoyable times in Portugal and in Porto.