Hello, everybody!! I'm 17 years old, and I'll be going to Poland next year as an exchange student. Unfortunately I don't know yet where in Poland I'll be, but I would love any advice you have to give me about what life is like, what the schools are like, what I should do to prepare, etc. I'm so excited, but I'm really unsure what to expect, so anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated.
You didn't write where you live, Caroline? If in the US, you may have some culture shock at the beginning but you'll get used to it. Of course, the bigger city the better for a student to live - I suggest Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Gdansk, or Wroclaw. There are some very good universities in Poland - not sure what interests you. The teaching level (on "daily studies") is a little higher than in the US, but there are too much theoretical things to study so it's not very useful.
I'll tell you one thing: You'll be swamped with friends. Everyone will want to sit next to you and you'll be the coolest kid around. The desks in schools are shared with another uczeń, not like in the US where you have your own desk. The schools in the US have exchange students from Russia, Poland and other countries. They always post pictures of them in the paper and make a big deal out of it and everyone wants to go out with him or her.
That's because I've been the "Cool New Kid" in 7 schools. From US to Poland and back and living all over, and since you're from a different country, that makes you even cooler!!!!
