Mobility specification

Country:Spain

Institution:Polytechnic University of Valencia

City:Valencia

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2023/2024

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Informatics

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?neutral

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?In contrast to FI MUNI, where there is one big lecture, at UPV the lectures are in small groups of students, who together and with the same teacher have exercises and laboratories. This way you develop a better relationship with the teacher, and it is easier to ask if you don't understand something. Overall, the teaching was slower than at FI MUNI and more care was taken to make sure everyone understood the concepts of the material rather than covering a lot of material for students to drill.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?There is an ESN within the university which organises various activities during the semester. From an adaptation weekend, to field trips and parties. The university also organises an intensive Spanish course before the start of the semester, in which, besides improving my Spanish, I made friends that I had fun with for the rest of my stay.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Barrier-free access to classrooms and dormitories
Special examination conditions (e.g., extended time, quiet rooms)

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:12500 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?The university has its own page with recommendations, from my the experience is fine:
https://www.uniplaces.com
https://www.idealista.com

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?I didn't expect to spend so much on trips. Valencia has a great location where, in addition to a trip around the area, it is easy to get around, both north towards Barcelona and Zaragoza, to the centre towards Madrid and even south towards Alicante or Murcia. So if one wants to travel a lot in Spain, one should expect that the scholarship will definitely not be enough and have one's own savings ready. One can also start spending a lot unexpectedly if one surrounds oneself with students from richer countries for whom everything is cheap and they go to a lot of dinners and other events, in my case it was my friends from Norway. I certainly don't regret it, but at one point I started losing more than I expected and had to start paying more attention.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Just as Nesnězeno works in Brno, TooGoodToGo works in Valencia, where you can find unsold food in restaurants or supermarkets at great prices.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How does public transport work in the city?I've seen better

And what about transport outside the city?neutral

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Google maps for public transport worked well for me, outside of city buses I searched https://www.alsa.es/, trains at https://www.renfe.com/, and fast trains at rende and still at https://www.ouigo.com/ and https://iryo.eu/. BlaBlaCar was fine for carsharing. Ticket comparators like Omio work well, but they have a fee (they sell the ticket for more), so it's fine to use them to search and then buy the ticket from the carrier.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Park Turia, City of Arts (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias), Oceanogràfic, BioPark, city centre.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Hike in the Parc Natural de la Serra Calderona, ESN tours are great around the area, and ValenciaLanguageExchange organises interesting tours.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane

Can you pay by card?in most places

What not to forget when packing?Although Valencia is beautiful and warm most of the year and the temperature doesn't drop below 5°C in winter, the insulation and insulation of the apartments is practically zero, so the temperature outside is the temperature inside. Definitely don't forget warm clothes too, I didn't wear much and then regretted it.

🥳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?I came back from Erasmus a slightly different person. It's a unique opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and gain experience and insights that are otherwise hard to come by.