Mobility specification

Country:Poland

Institution:Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk

City:Gdansk

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2025/2026

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Education / Department of Art

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?manageable

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Since this is the Academy of Fine Arts, there were a number of things that were a bit different from what MUNI students might normally be used to. We're pretty close to that at Arts and Visual Arts, so I don't know how much to describe it. One works primarily within the confines of the main studio they choose.

What was quite surprising to me personally was the way of writing down courses and then the communication paths in those courses and studios. One gets comfortable with the friendliness of our IS and then it takes a little more time and a lot more energy to get on the tracks of another university.

At the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk there are fixed timetables for students of individual disciplines - but as an Erasmus student there is complete freedom in the choice of subjects. You just have to take into account that 90% of the courses are in Polish and the teachers don't always speak English. Which for us Czechs (and Slovaks) is not such a problem - either in that they understand us and we understand them (you get used to it). But as far as enrolling in courses is concerned, the time competition in IS is turning into a real competition. Do you want to take the course? Then you have to show up in person for a specific class and make arrangements with the teacher. You won't find out that maybe the class isn't on that week, or that everyone has to move to another room. So sometimes it can be a bit of a treasure hunt with an unclear outcome (whether you'll find it and whether they'll even say yes to your participation). At the same time, I also had the chance, as an Erasmus student, to literally fight to enroll in interfaculty courses with 100 other people in the room (signing a paper, significantly limited capacity included).
The treasure hunt is a bit longer at first, even after you've gotten comfortable in the courses and studios, to figure out what communication channels they use. A regularly updated schedule in IS? There isn't. Mail communication? Not everywhere. Google Classroom? Only somewhere and only sometimes. Messenger? Where things are only communicated verbally on the spot. And it doesn't matter how important the information is.

But as I say, it all settles down over time, and one gets used to the variety of communication channels, and also to the fact that if you go somewhere and no one is there, you can go sit in a coffee shop and work on other things because you probably missed some important information but it is not your bad.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?We had about 3 events within the Erasmus office - 2-3 days orientation, including a welcome brunch. Then a Christmas get-together and a farewell breakfast. But then the different studios also have their opening, Christmas and end of semester parties and sit-ins.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:22000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?One of the first pieces of information one gets from the university is that they have no spare capacity in the halls of residence. They have about 30 places for the whole university. So I searched mainly through various FB groups, including the ASP group (AVU Gdańsk).

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Basic food is very cheap - especially in Lidl, Biedronka, as well as transport is very affordable. But as for discounts, e.g. on food for students etc., you have to look extra hard and it's definitely not as easy to find as here. Going somewhere to eat was quite unrealistic for me, so you often end up (if you don't have time to cook) with a zapiekanka from Žabka. But at the same time, I think that's part of the experience. Žabka and its zapiekanka.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?neutral

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Jaktojade app for both, but I don't know where to buy a monthly student ticket to Gdansk. The app makes this thing opaque and you can only buy it for part of Gdansk. Otherwise there are classic tickets in the ticket machine at the stops, or even a non-discounted ticket you can beep directly in the connection.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?yes

How do you rate the availability of healthcare?terrible

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Malbork!

Share your best experience:Definitely ice skating on the frozen Motława next to the frozen boats right in the centre of Gdansk and on the beach! For the strong and the weak, skating on the sidewalks is also available every day:D and all month long (no gritting!).
Also the snow storm in Malbork was an incredible experience.
But what I enjoyed the most was being able to take the tram directly to the beach whenever and hike around those beaches, because there's tons of nature almost everywhere. With the sound of the sea, it was the most beautiful thing both at the beginning and at the end of the semester when the sea would freeze and form ice floe.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Train

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?I don't think so. The city is very accessible.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Warm boots and a waterproof jacket. An umbrella is absolutely useless in Gdańsks rains, because the wind is going full speed.
Or just accept the fact that you can walk in the rain without an umbrella.:D

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?In Poland, I felt like I was at home. Warmth and closeness. University was really worth it, even the development sometimes hurt!