I'm a 20-something girl, who will be moving to Warsaw in february 2014 to study Political Science.
I'm looking for good advice to where I can rent a room in a nice flat.
As a Dane, I'm very fortunate to get study-support from the Danish government, when I travel abroad to study. Therefore it's actually not that important for me to live in a cheap flat in a cheap neighborhood. I'd rather spend more on a room, and live in a pleasant flat in the centre of the city near other young people, cafés, cinemas and places to hang out.
Sounds like the main campus. In your place I'd be thinking about South Central Warsaw, the area around Plac Zbawiciela / Plac Konstytucji, as far north as aleje Jerozolimskie, as far south as plac Unii Lubelskiej, as far west as Niepodległości, as far east as the river. Lots of bars / cafes, young people, places to hang out. The buildings there are mostly 1950 to 1970.
Thank you so much, I've framed the area on google maps. Now I have an idea where to look.
Is it normal for students in Warsaw to live in the city-centre, or have the flat-prizes pushed the young in to the outskirts of the city like you see it in for example London?
Is it normal for students in Warsaw to live in the city-centre, or have the flat-prizes pushed the young in to the outskirts of the city like you see it in for example London?
You get both. Flat prices on the outskirts can be just as high as the centre because the buildings there are from the 1990s or later.
You should be able to get a decent one bedroom flat (i.e. bedroom and a separate living room) in that area for about 2000zl per month (maybe a little higher now that the area has become rather fashionable).
Is it normal for students in Warsaw to live in the city-centre, or have the flat-prizes pushed the young in to the outskirts of the city like you see it in for example London?
I am not from Warsaw, but I think that they live everywhere and in few per one apartment which is in the center rather than in the suburbs. Also Warsaw is many times smaller that London. There are also dormitories. If you could get place in renovated students dormitory then you would get the most from studying in Warsaw experience. But usually there is less spaces than demand, because they're cheap. Perhaps you can get priority as a foreign student.
I haven't decided whether to take lessons in Polish or not although I'd like to. It depends on how many hours a day I will be at the University. However, my mother is Czech and I speak Czech close to fluently, so I'm pretty sure that I would be able to learn the basics of Polish within a few months. Furthermore I think that the University offers lessons in Polish to exchange-student.
Only curious, as it simply makes sense to me to try to learn the language of the country in which one wishes to live/work. Relying solely on English might not always be advisable:-)
However, my mother is Czech and I speak Czech close to fluently, so I'm pretty sure that I would be able to learn the basics of Polish within a few months.
Without a doubt. I know Ukrainians that have been here a year and speak Polish pretty much fluently.
as it simply makes sense to me to try to learn the language of the country in which one wishes to live/work.
It doesn't always make seance. If somebody changes country each 2 years for example. Learning a language is A LOOT of effort and time, which one can spend in much more pleasant way.
Completely free choice in most cases. Erasmus exists to allow students a chance to study abroad, funded by the European Union. Perhaps more than any other programme, Erasmus really breaks down national barriers in Europe.
People choose to go all over Europe - there are quite a few British students in France, many Polish students all over Europe, you can find many Portuguese/Spanish students in Poland and so on.
My first choice was actually Berlin. My main foreign language in gymnasium (high school) was German, and a semester i Germany would be a good opportunity to freshen up my unfortunately now quite poor German-skills. But there was only one spot for a student from my university and I didn't get it.
My second choice was Warsaw. To be quite honest I don't know much about Warsaw or Polish culture because I've never been there and I don't know anyone from Poland. But I have a feeling that Poland is an exciting country to be in right now because of the changes that (I heard) are going on economically. The average Dane knows close to nothing about Poland (or the Czech Republic or other countries from Central-Europe) and I think that's a shame, because I feel that theres a lot to be discovered. Am I right? :)
Also, as I mentioned before, my mother is Czech, and I have a very close relationship to the CZ. I think and hope that I will recognize some of the things I like about the CZ in Warsaw (like the food ;) )
Berlin has been a popular destination for Poles (owing to its close proximity). I know a number of Polish students who are currently matriculating at the TU (Technische Universitaet) and whose German skills have naturally had to improve. Confess to not knowing many Danes studying in Poland, though a fair number of Norwegians:-)
A brief aside.
Umpteen years back, I was an exchange student in Kobenhavn. My friends all thought I was being a jerk learning Danish in order to prepare for my trip. "Everybody speaks English!", they kept telling me. Still, I persevered with my Danish.
Sorry 'bout that there. Didn't mean to appear condescending (nedlagende). It's only that in Denmark it seemed nearly everybody under thirty at the time wanted to chat with me in their "school" English, and while unfailingly polite to them, since all they wanted to do was practice, I grew a little tired of it after a while. I kept trying to tell them in their native language that I wanted to get to know them as Danes, not imitation Americans!
Loved Kobenhavn to pieces, but loved the west coast of Jutland even more:-)
