Inna Demyanko, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
When, in which country and in which educational institution did you start your studies abroad?
In 2014, Slovakia, Banska Bystrica, Matej Bel University.
How easy was the admission process for you? Have you passed the exams? What difficulties awaited you upon admission?
I applied for English-Spanish translation, I only had to pass one exam (English). They did not test the second language, but they require level B2. In terms of the test itself, the grammar questions were not difficult. The difficulty was that there were some of the general questions about the realities of the English-speaking countries, where it was required to know some dates. There were still questions on the literature and part with the translation. To translate Slovak text into English, for example.
Where are you studying now? Do you like to study at a university?
At the same university, I like it.
What special you can note in the educational process?
Spanish and English are taught by native speakers.
What were your first impressions immediately after arriving at the place of study?
It was terribly scary before the first lecture, which, by the way, was then canceled.
Was it easy for you to establish contact with local residents, other foreign students? Was there a linguistic or cultural barrier?
Making new acquaintances was not a problem, Slovaks strive to help foreigners. It’s also interesting for them when a student arrives from another country. But there are problems with the language barrier. It seems like you understand them, but due to the small vocabulary, you can hardly keep up the conversation. But many people know English.
How would you rate your place of residence? Can you describe in detail the conditions (furniture, staff attitude, condition of living rooms, baths, etc.)?
All the hostels, as I managed to notice, are different. Now I live in šd 3. There are several blocks, I am in block A. There are four so-called bunks on the floor. The rooms can have a different number of people. For example, in my bunk, there are two rooms. I live alone in mine, and three people in the next one. Toilet and bathroom for the whole bunk (in my case for four people). The kitchen is on the floor (it is one for four bunks). There is a refrigerator and an electric stove in it. In my room there is a bed, a table, a chair, a lamp, a cable connector, a socket, a shelf, a wardrobe (very small), a bedside table and a balcony. The windows are plastic. There is no Wi-Fi, you need to buy a cable. There is not a lot of space, but the plus is that I live alone. Bed linens are issued, but it is better to take your own. A cleaning lady comes in to pick up the trash. Rumor says, she cleans the rooms. At the entrance to the hostel sits a watchman (Slovaks call him vratnik). You don’t have to communicate with them often, so there are no problems either.
What difficulties did you face upon arrival that you were not ready for?
Were not ready for the lack of Wi-Fi in the first place.
What are the prices for housing, food, entertainment, small expenses in your city? What monthly amount does a student need?
Dorms are different. In mine – for a room with one person 61 euros per month. If we talk about apartments – it can be 200 and 300 euros per month. As for food, depending on the supermarket. Such as Kaufland or Lidl are the most optimal. Terno (in the Europe shopping center) and Tesco will be more expensive. The trick is that one necessary item can be bought only in one store, and the second – in another. Speaking of prices, from what I buy, milk in a bottle or packaged costs about 70 cents, also there are often discounts on fruits. So, a basket of peaches (1kg) cost somewhere around 80 cents. Yogurts from 25 cents and above. Donuts 50 cents. Chocolates from 40-50 and above. Water from 20 cents. Ice cream from 30 cents. You can get 2 kg of cornflakes in Kaufland for 2 euros. Sometimes events like fairs or marathons are held here. Minor expenses – travel for a student with a student card – 30 cents. If without – 70. In the dining room, too, lunch costs about 1.70, portions, as a rule, are not small. They cook well. Have more than 100 euros per month. When study begins there is a need to print a lot of materials. Laundry in our dormitory is for 2 euros and 1 euro for drying machine.
Did the employees of the company help you and how do you assess the organizational work on entering the university and leaving for study? Are there any suggestions for better work?
They helped a lot, 10 out of 10!
If you were asked to give advice to prospective students, what would it be?
Take an umbrella. It’s always raining here.