Life / Living Costs and life in Poznan? [70]


[I know it's a late reply, but may still be useful.]
That may be true, but it is nowhere near as it is made out to be or as bad as it used to be years ago... In terms of architecture and feel, these 3 would be my favourite parts of the city. Try any of the Ataner buildings scattered across town and you should be safe, as there are foreigners living there, including students of the medical programme thought in English, which could offer some chances if you ever wanted to chat in English.

Study / How hard is it to get accepted to Wroclaw University of Technology? / Unis in general? [37]


I would challenge that sweeping statement, even though you would probably not have to look very hard to find programmes meeting above criteria. But again, I would be surprised if you didn't in pretty much any other country.

In the medical sciences, for instance (which may not quite reflect the status quo of the technical fields), the US/EU acredited MD (Medical Doctor) programmes in English in Poznań and Kraków do the trick for many by allowing their alumni to successfully compete for specialty trainings/residencies worldwide (in Poznań, for instance, the majority of student come from US/Canada, Norway and Taiwan and work in their home countries upon graduating). I don't know how much it costs today, but several years back the cost of tuition - not to mention living - was 1/3 to 1/2 of those in the US. And obviously the admission criteria are reasonable - not as forbidding as those in some countries. I am told the teaching/theoretical preparation for the US medical exams medical is not that aweful (in Poznań at least), although the practical side is probably lagging behind "western" standards in many areas. But in general, it seems to be doing what it is selling itself for: prepares alumni to successfully enter their respective job markets, is reasonable in terms of admission criteria, wins hands down as far as costs/loans alumni end up accumulating. So overall not a bad option for many for my thinking.

Study / How hard is it to get accepted to Wroclaw University of Technology? / Unis in general? [37]


Hi again, Dominic. Very sobering observation indeed. As you have been around the academics at several institutions and countries, it would be interesting to know how do you find the faculty at WUT?

I would like to share the following story: Having earned my BS & MS in civil engineeriong from the US, I had met with dean of civil engineering at PUT (Poznań Uni. of Tech.) to discuss my options regarding the dreaded 'nostryfikacja', maybe even a PhD. Once he learned that my alma mater was not a readily recognised name, he started going in the general direction of how superior the Polish higher education system was in maths and sciences to the one I was coming from, how much more the alumni would need to take in order to pass exams and graduate, that a master's degree in Poland would be equivalent to a PhD at most US institutions of higher learning... Needless to say, I was a bit confused, but as I obviously felt obliged for the meeting, I did not want to be rude by asking the question - and knowing the answer - just how many laureates of internationally recognised awards in maths/science have come out of PUT - or any other Polish institution of higher learning for that matter? As far as I know, not one of the Fields Medals or Noble Prizes (sciences) went to a Polish university based academic... ever. Subsequently, I was surprised to find that this is a conviction that is held rather universally by the Poles, grounds typically cited are 'higher levels of teaching/material to covered' at all schooling stages, including the university...;-)

Work / Krakow: possible job offer: 6.500 PLN [20]

Warsaw is the capital + business centre, so it tends to be over-priced and over-hyped. Although I still like the old sections of the city with a lot of character.

Kraków is the cultural capital of the country, has a lovely old town. Location wise - is closer to the mountains, and also is closer and probably better connected by train with Bratislava, Praha, Budapest, Vienna, etc. should you want to travel abroad. Hence 1 more vote for the town of Krak.

Travel / Best places to visit in Poland [87]

If you are going to see Krakow, I would definitely do trips to the Wieliczka Salt Mines and Aushwitz nearby. Other points of interest in the SE of the country would be Rzeszow (and the Lancut Palace Estates) and Przemysl. Further away Torun, Gdansk-Sopot-Gdynia, Wroclaw, Poznan are the major cities worth a visit. A lot of people enjoy the nature in the NE corner: Europe's last primeval forests in Puszcza Bialowieska, and the undeveloped Suwalszczyzna would be my recommendations. In the north there are Kaszuby and the Tuchola Pinewoods. In the South you will find numerous mountain/hilly areas with pictoresque trails, palaces, castles, ruins... And the Baltic Coast with the sand dunes is not bad when the weather is good... As there are loads of places worth visiting, it all really depends on what you would like to see and how much time you've got - we would also be able to give you more detailed info then.

Study / How hard is it to get accepted to Wroclaw University of Technology? / Unis in general? [37]


I know that it's off the topic of the original poster, but wow, for someone relying on hearsay, with obviously little knowledge and understanding of how the medical programmes in English work, without going into the specifics of what they aim to achieve, foreign certification requirements, US state loans approvals, USMLE testing requirements for alumni, you don't hesitate to show off your bias and bitterness... I wonder why?

It seems you are missing the boat entirely by failing to make the effort to understand what these programmes aim to achieve. Competing/comparing with the Polish programme alumni and teaching methods/requirements would probably not be on top of their agenda. You are also wrong when you said that these programmes only require HS diploma. While that may be true for the 6yr MD programme, the 4yr MD I made reference to in previous post requires a set of 'pre-med' education, which you could have easily checked. As a result, most of the students entering this programme already have a BS degree in related sciences.

mdprogram.com/medical-programs-4-year-md.php
But why bother checking, right?

Do you think that the gov'ts guaranteeing loans and respective medical bodies would be willing to consider accrediting a programme they were not happy with? It seems your understanding of accreditation requirements is limited to the ability to conduct teaching in English.You are very quick to label foreign students as essentially inferior/brainless because they have means to pay the tuition, which, for average Polish programme student, surely seems outrageous... Yet most of these students end up having to repay the loans, some are subsidised through their governments.

Note also, most of these alumni have no intention of staying/working in Poland, so they are not a threat to the 'superiorly grilled' Polish programme alumni when competing for work on the local market... I personally know a certain graduating class, where all those dedicated/mature about their studies were successfully accepted in residencies in US/Canada, some are now working in highly selective hospitals in the country... So my question to you, delphiandomine, would be: where is the 'joke'?

Study / How hard is it to get accepted to Wroclaw University of Technology? / Unis in general? [37]

Dear delphiandomine, no need to be repeating yourself, it's clear you're clueless. There's nothing wrong in living in your own world, believing whatever makes you happy... But you are misinforming and thus discouraging potential students from coming to study in Poland. Believe me, competition is tough in this field, as there are tens of similar programmes in Central Europe. Also, by spitting bitterness and spreading bias in public space, you are effectively dragging the level of the forum down, and I refuse to partake in it.


Now I am certain you've got issues I certainly can't help you with. I dread to think a poor foreigner visiting Poland should run into you by chance - God help him ;-) So, have a nice life - just stay away, especially from Poznań, which I am frequenting!

Travel / Museums in Warsaw [8]

Hi Zooey, where will you be travelling from, how long will you be staying, and are you considering seeing places outside of the capital?

Based on your interests, I would have to say definitely the Warsaw Uprising Museum, and there's the Museum of History of Polish Jews opened just last month that could be worth a visit...

Genealogy / i am doing a halik family tree [6]

Hi Crystal,

I am not sure of how much help this will be to you, but there was a well known traveler and explorer by that surname (Tony Halik) - he also had a TV show about exotic places (anyone remembers?).

Link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Halik - you may want to click the Polish language version as it contains more information. Hope this helps.

Travel / Museums in Warsaw [8]

Two months would certainly allow you the opportunity to travel outside of ther capital - that obviously depends on your time commitments,etc. Knowing the language helps a lot if you were to go off the beaten track of the major tourist attractions, as does travel experience in this part of Europe.

There are definitely less books in English about Poland than say neighbouring Russia or Germany, but then again scale/significance factor would apply it seems.

BTW I've only started Davies's Rising '44. The Battle for Warsaw in English and I thought Davies was English (raised and eductated) only of Welsh descent?

Genealogy / Record office enquiry (grandfather born in Brzozow, Poland) [3]

Have you tried phoning the gmina offices of Brzozów? In small places like that you may or may not be able to communicate in English, so if you do not speak the language, it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask someone with good Polish to help you with the call.

Urząd Miejski w Brzozowie
ul. Armii Krajowej 1
36-200 Brzozów
tel. (13) 43 410 50
fax (13) 43 410 55

um_brzozow@brzozow.pl
brzozow.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=34

USA, Canada / Applying for a US Visa in Krakow? Good and Bad Stories. [18]

There is always talk in the media about putting pressure on the US gov't whenever a top ranking official visits there, but so far without success. Our neighbours and former socialists such as the Czechs, Slovaks, and Lithuanians can now travel easy via the Visa Waiver Program

travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html

...Poland remains the only Central European country that is not a participating nation in the VWP as of 2010, due to a visa refusal rate above the critical threshold of 3%.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program

Funny enough, one would think the key criterion excluding a country from the Visa Waiver Program would be the overstay %, and not the rather ambiguous refusal %.

I am sure many people will have both good and bad experiences with the US immigration, consular, and customs services wherever if you were you to google it. I could tell you that I once had an unpleasant personal experience with a consular officer in London, and also from talking to some Aussie and Kiwis who had the choice when flying home either via US or East Asia, they said they would rather not have to deal with US customs/immigration again - but that would not really be specific enough for this thread.

USA, Canada / Where could I go in Pittsburgh that has a high population of Polish-Americans? [39]

Hi, new member here, stumbled upon this thread now... wondering if you ever made the move to Pitts, Polka?

Life / Showing respect and appreciation by Polish people, forms of greetings in Poland. [31]

How about this one: Shoes need to go off when entering someone's home (even if hosts insist you keep then on - the one exception would be of course if hosts can be seen wearing them).

I quite like it, and it keeps the germs, etc. away! ;-)

USA, Canada / Polish-American food as compared to food in Poland? [4]

There are some good Polish delis, bakeries, and eateries pretty much anyplace with significant Polish immigration. One can easily find pierogi and kielbasa in the trendy neighborhoods of Brooklyn these days...

In terms of taste & quality I like the locally made stuff better than the typical deli/supermarket food in PL, which I think has gone downhill dramatically over the years - probably due to the pressures of keeping costs down. Even bread is nothing like it used to be. One can still find quality stuff in Poland of course in places like Piotr & Paweł, but at a cost that is out of reach for the average Kowalski. I suspect the quality and taste of the food available here could be attributed to the fact that it may still be made the way it used to be made when the business owners left PL 50-40-30 yrs ago...

USA, Canada / General differences between Poland and the USA? [184]

Was the incarceration rate mentioned yet?

According to Wikipedia, the incarceration rate in the US is the highest in the world. As of 2009, the incarceration rate was 743 (per 100,000 of national population). Poland was ranked 60th with 220... This is surprising and not really what one would expect from the land of the free...

To put things in perspective, mother Russia had the second highest, at 577; not so free Cuba 7th with 510; merrie England & Wales placed 92nd at 154; Canada was 123rd at 117; and also not that free China had 170/121; New Zealand 71st; Venezuela 99th; Australia 113th, Sweden 177th, etc...

Study / I want to move Poland from Chicago area and study.. Job prospects, cost of food, healthcare, other expenses [24]


First of all, if you cannot afford it (i.e. no scholarship), why on earth would you want to spend a fortune for an undergrad degree??? That just seems unjustified... I would agree with DominicB above: definitely explore your community colleges. You need to be able to get good grades there, decide on your major and look for ways do some research/internship, etc. to beef up your skills/chances, then apply for a transfer and a scholarship at a decent state uni... there is no need to get in serious debt for decent education. I know people with degrees from respected unis who work crappy jobs with miserable earnings, as well as those with majors such as sociology/history from no-name unis who managed to become very successful... at the end of the day, it is what you are able to make out of any given opportunity - educational institutions being no different... don't get the hype get to you...

Life / Tomasz Lis radio show? [5]

He is also on the Poranek Radia TOK FM morning talk hosted by Jacek Żakowski on Fridays.
BTW You will find many other interesting recorded shows there under the Podcasty tab:

Study / Primary/Secondary International Schools in Poznan [13]

Hi,

The two I know of are:

pbis.edu.pl
isop.pl/en

A 2011 thread: https://polishforums.com/study/international-schools-poznan-reviews-better-53352/

Food / Where would you take foreign guests for Polish food dinner in Krakow? [6]

Wierzynek was not to be missed years ago, a place with great tradition... not sure how it fares today?

UK, Ireland / Scots better than Poles? [41]

Without a shadow of a doubt the Scots have made numerous groundbreaking contributions in all areas of life, science, and politics... for more details I would highly recommend this eye opening book:

How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman amazon.co.uk/How-Scots-Invented-Modern-World/dp/0609606352

Law / U.S. Citizen Living In Poland - How To Get Non Immigrant Spousal Visa From Poland? [7]


Unfortunately, that's the law and there's little one can do to get around it - I understand your frustration.
In a way I see their point - they are just trying to cover their backs - tax payers' hard earned taxes ;-)...
However, have you checked whether the sponsor need to be a relative, i.e. will a friend's affidavit not suffice?

USA, Canada / Would like to move back to Poland from New York after living in USA for 20 years. [155]


That web calculator seems to be giving accurate enough results - most people in the lower tier will pay +/-25% in basic paycheck deductions. However, most employers do not offer free medical/dental insurance, and this could easily add $200-$1,000/month for a family depending on the employer and the level of coverage (most large employers will offer several options). In addition, most of the insurance companies will charge a small fee every time you go see a specialist (and when one buys medications) some have pretty high 'deductibles' for out-of-network specialists (sometimes even in-network). And there is the DOUBLE TAXATION (tax paid on top of your taxed income), for instance in the form of the omnipresent state tax (8.75% in NY, 7% in NJ) every time you buy an item (price says $0.99 - you pay $1.08 at the cashier) or use a service (basic supermarket food items are exempt), and property tax being very significant (2-54% of property value), or when one buys a USED car - never mind that it could have been sold and bought five times before you... So all in all, these taxes add up considerably...


That's 2-4%...

USA, Canada / Would like to move back to Poland from New York after living in USA for 20 years. [155]

Correct, I've forgotten about the VAT in EU. However, the difference is that it is already included in the price of most items/services, and here it is not. Also, businesses can easily deduct the VAT in PL from products such as fuel - I am not sure if that is the case here.

Law / Jobs and Economic Status in Poland [64]


The figure that is repeated in political discussions is +/- 2 million, i.e. those who reside/remain outside of PL, predominantly young people <40.
It could very well be that this figure includes those returning, as well as those leaving.

Travel / Driving from London to Poland Poznan [7]

I had always taken the Dover-Dunkerque ferry crossing (DFDS Seaways now), perhaps not the quickest, but probably still the cheapest, and very frequent. Then just follow your sat-nav through B/NL/D...

Travel / Driving from London to Poland Poznan [7]

About 1,150km/10 hrs form Dunkirk to Poznan. We had always stayed in a local B&B midway in Germany (fairly inexpensive) and tried to do at least a couple of hours of sightseeing before continuing on the following day. If you are technically minded and not familiar with Germany, you will no doubt enjoy a closer encounter with the German approach to practical civil engineering solutions in general...

Might also be worth noting that if you are not familiar with the driving style in Poland you are forewarned that drivers there in general do not exhibit the same level of safety awareness as in the UK (speed limit and traffic signs/warnings are often ignored), so you might be in a bit of a shock at first if you have not experienced it ;-)

Good luck and enjoy the drive!

Life / Etiquette in a Store and Market Queues in Poland [146]

Sadly, I can only agree with the posters here. In addition to the frequent queue cutting, disorganisation, and lack of respect for others in public, my other top gripes would be:

- Lack of change when paying cash. I don't know why it is, but I cannot remember a day without this being an issue at least once. This simply does not happen in countries such as the UK/US.

- Blatant disregard for traffic rules such as speed limits, no passing zones, etc, and lack of courtesy combined with low level of safety awareness displayed by drivers. This obviously goes beyond plain irritation in situation when you feel your life is in jeopardy.

Not so sure that years of communism are to blame here. I observe the exact same behaviour on buses/subways daily in NYC in the 'less privileged' parts - lots of tired/indifferent stares.

Life / Living Costs and life in Poznan? [70]

You will find at least a couple of vegetarian, cheap but decent bars where mostly the students eat. But overall, PL is a meat lovers' country.