Erasmus Experience in Rzeszów, Poland by Veronica

Why did you choose to go to Rzeszów, Poland?

I thought it would be the cheapest place out of the options in Poland, and it has been. The economic factor is a big plus as it means that I can use my money to travel a lot and the basics (food, transport, accommodation) are very cheap.

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

I get a grant for one term and one for being on an Erasmus internship, they give me €300 a month.

What is the student lifestyle like in Rzeszów?

I'm only here to do an internship, I don't know what the atmosphere at the university or what the classes and professors are like. But the Erasmus students I'm with are really cool. I also have to say that there are a lot of Spanish people here.

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

I would recommend the country, in general, for it's affordability and because there's a lot to explore in the different cities. Here in Rzeszów, the tourism here is based around visiting Rynek, the main square in the city. Although you do pass through it several times a week so you'll end up getting to know it more than well enough... It's not a very interesting city from a tourist perspective.

I don't have any first hand experience of the university, but I do know that it can be different depending which course you're on. In general, they're not very demanding (not usually) and they give you good grades.

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What is the food like there?

I think the food is pretty good. Pierogis are the most typical food from here, they're dumplings filled with whatever your want. They have soups and sausages and kebabs, which are not very traditional, but they're the most common thing in the city. If there aren't 5 kebab places in the main square, there aren't any.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Rzeszów?

The university assigned me my accommodation here thanks to an agreement that they have with my home university. It usually goes like this, there are several residences and they put you up in one, depending on where the faculty you go to is located. But if you don't like it, you can always change. They usually cost about €100 a month.

How much does it cost to live in Rzeszów?

It's really cheap to live in Rzeszów, so you go through money far too quickly. But, like I said before, accommodation, food, drinks, partying, transport... everything is really cheap.

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

The language is impossible, if you don't know some Polish before you get here, you can forget about being able to understand anything, you won't. You'll end up learning the usual generic words and they'll teach you some others, but very few. In my case, it was quite the chore, because in internships we can just get by with English and even then there aren't many people who can speak it very well.

In general, the young people there can hold a conversation with you if you speak to them in English. You can speak to some of the adults, too, but they won't speak it very well and they're not the majority of adults there.

English is vital for interacting with other Erasmus students, and that's what you'll end up speaking with them. But not with any Polish people, nor even in their language.

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

The cheapest way is to buy your plane ticket as soon as possible. I got mine with Ryanair with extra costs for luggage, but it wasn't the best option. I would recommend that you travel with Ryanair with hand luggage and get the rest of your stuff sent to you once you're there. A lot of people have had things sent from Spain during the course, and then do the same for your return journey.

In general in Poland, planes fly into Krakow (a 3 hour bus/train journey to Rzeszów) or to Warsaw (a 6 hour bus journey). There's an airport here, too, but only certain companies fly to it, it's all about comparing the different options.

But if you fly to either of these two airports, the bus/train is really cheap (€3 or €4), don't worry.

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Where would you recommend for a night out in Rzeszów?

The big nights in Rzeszów are on Thursday and Saturdays. Although you can go out any day from Wednesday to Sunday. They opened a new club this year, Akademia, which usually hosts university nights out on Thursdays, it's full of Polish people and the few Erasmus students. As for other places, the best one is Fashion Time, free entry every day apart from Saturdays (€2. 50 to get in), they have karaoke on Wednesdays and Saturday is the big night at Fashion Time.

Another place where they usually put on university nights is called Grandt, but I can't tell you anything about it, I've never been.

Then you have all of the pubs on the square, and there are a lot of them, where you can have a few beers, listen to some music, watch the football...

The most well-known places are: Pebex, where their signature is serving beer in jars, Piwarka, which is great for watching the football, Black Cat, where they play the best music, Carpe Diem, Underground...

And to eat in Rzeszów? What are some of your favourite places to go?

Grotesque is good for traditional Polish food, it's tiny but welcoming and the food is incredible. It's one of the few places that serve Polish food, because then you have everything else: burger places, pizzerias, kebab shops (lots of them)...

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Rzeszów isn't a great place to come if you want to be surrounded by monuments, historic buildings, big tourist centres that are full of life. Rzeszów is small, everything is very spread out and very monotonous. But you can always go on trips, which is the best thing about being here!

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Do you have any advice for future students in Rzeszów?

Get moving. If you do end up in Rzeszów, you'll quickly realise that there isn't very much to do or see here and even less when you don't have good weather, which at least would let you have barbecues and to spend the day outside. So it's best to get the list of places you can go from polskibus.com and go on visits and quick trips around Poland or cities in nearby countries (Vilnius, Riga, Prague, Berlin, Budapest).