I am trying to decide where to study in Poland: at a public or at a private university.
I did some research on internet and could read that diplomas from polish private universities are worth very little, and that graduates from private schools are rarely considered by employers for interviews. That's true?
So, would it be much better to study at a public university like University of Warsaw or Jagiellonian University?
There are only public universities in Poland. In Poland they don't call "universities" the private "higher" schools; only Third World posters on PF do. But bear in mind, that your Polish diploma shall have very little value or even none outside of Polish borders. In conclusion, what's the point to study in Poland unless to specialize in Polish language?
Not only in the US but also in all developped countries at least. I would personally stay away from those so called "English-language" programs organized in Poland just to attract Third World students. If one means to study in English, I doubt Poland is the place to go;)
This is very true. In the US, a Polish degree is viewed as subpar compared to a Bachelor's earned here.
not sure that would be necessarily the case for areas such as engineering and sciences - the material covered in PL or any other UE nation for that matter would very often be more specialised that in the US.
t. I would personally stay away from those so called "English-language" programs organized in Poland just to attract Third World students.
again, very sweeping statements. while that may be true for some areas of study, if you look at the medical courses offered for example, they are about 1/3 of their US price tag, and offer US recognised degrees...
I would personally stay away from those so called "English-language" programs organized in Poland just to attract Third World students.
Exactly. They are doing business - nothing to do with education - on the fact that these "students" are hoping to get a foothold into Europe. See all the postings here from Turks, Pakistanis, Indians, Jordanians...asking about residence and working permits...And applying for for example maritime studies in Gdynia.
not sure that would be necessarily the case for areas such as engineering and sciences
Actually, in the US for engineering we follow something called ABET accreditation. This is something American employers look for because colleges that offer ABET approved courses go over the very necessary skills engineers need. I could be wrong, but I don't think any Polish universities are ABET approved.
the material covered in PL or any other UE nation for that matter would very often be more specialised that in the US.
I'm assuming you're talking about the Bachelor's level. That entirely depends on the university when it comes to the US. For example, some undergraduate colleges will offer a very broad education in something like electrical engineering where students would cover the fundamentals of power, communication networks, nanotechnology, wireless transmission, electronics, etc. while at other schools students would be forced to concentrate on one of them.
Either way, it doesn't matter since nowadays engineering students are expected to go to graduate school. At the company I work at, we encourage our engineers to take graduate courses to gain expertise in a specialized area.
they are about 1/3 of their US price tag, and offer US recognised degrees...
You would still have to take specialized exams to be recognized as a medical doctor in the US. (From what I hear, it's a lengthy process too)
because colleges that offer ABET approved courses go over the very necessary skills engineers need.
This is a good point - having an overseeing QA entity in place in the form of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is a big plus. I think that one of the greatest ills of the education system in general in PL is the omnipresent cheating at all levels, which goes without saying does not reflect well on alumni of Polish universities.
You would still have to take specialized exams to be recognized as a medical doctor in the US. (From what I hear, it's a lengthy process too)
That is true, there is a number of exams, and medical alumni of foreign universities will have ONE extra exam to test their language and patient skills, so overall not an insurmountable task.
And are worth perhaps 1/3rd of a US degree too.
This has been discussed on the forum in some detail... My opinion is that what you get out is directly proportional to what you put in (rubbish in -> rubbish out). You will find plenty an unsuccessful slacker faulting their university for not giving them the tools to be able to pass the required exams, when the reasons are more often simple and hit closer to home. but that does require, i am afraid, just a bit of maturity and honesty... which may be too much to handle for some.
Indeed. Thankfully, employers tend to understand that the cause of the cheating is very much based upon a system that is completely broken - were the system to be relevant, then I suspect cheating would decline considerably. I know quite a few honest people who admit to having cheated in university, simply because they were forced to study irrelevant nonsense.
You will find plenty an unsuccessful slacker faulting their university for not giving them the tools to be able to pass the required exams, when the reasons are more often simple and hit closer to home. but that does require, i am afraid, just a bit of maturity and honesty..
Plenty of them here, I'm afraid.
At least with medicine, I've always understood it to be something that requires considerable dedication on one's part - it's never going to be enough to learn from the professors.
Merged: Need help and advise for Ukrainian citizen about Polish Universities
Hello! I'm Ukrainian citizen and thinkong about moving to Poland to get a Master Degree. I'd like to get some answers, really appreciate your feedback!
I'm 30, obtain bachelor degree in "Finances" from Ukrainian University and gain 5 years of experience in Procter&Gamble logistic department in Ukraine.
Right now I'm loking for different possibilities of get Master Degree in Poland (in English). I decided to study in English, cause have IELTS and moreover Ukrainian and Polish languages have much in common, so I'm pretty sure that living in Poland will contribute my Polish language skills anyway :)
So, I want to know you opinion about International University of Logistics and Transport in Wroclaw. I've found that it's not in the highest in rating, but I'm really good in Logistics and have vast of experience in this area, so after graduation I think I can easily find a job, moreover this is quiete narrow specialisation compared to something really abstract like economics or management.
The other option is to get master degree in Finances (as my bachelor diploma). I've found programs in Warsaw University, Warsaw School of Economics, Kozminski University - most of them are on a good positions.
So, what would you do knowing your educational system, these Universities and future prospects? I would like to stay in Poland to work or may be to move in future to Germany, don't know yet.
In most countries the choice is simple - private, expensive university is better than the public one. In Poland (frankly) - this is quite the opposite.
In Poland private universities usually just sell you a degree. If you would pay them on time - you can be sure that you will pass and finally will get your degree. Downside of this deal is that EVERYONE would know that your degree from the said university is almost worthless.
---
Side note: Respectable Polish universities are known by short names. The more words in the University's name - the lower it stands. For instance "Uniwersytet Jagielloński" (the most prestigious in Poland) - two words. Or "Uniwersytet Warszawski" (some say - the best in Poland) - two words. Three words names are still ok (mostly). For instance "Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski".
Long name are sure sign of low standards. For example: "Wyższa Szkoła Gotowania Na Gazie Imienia Jana Pawła Drugiego w Pułtusku Oddział Zamiejscowy w Pcimiu Dolnym". ;)
In certain European countries, such as Germany, until the last ten years or so, private colleges/universities didn't have the same reputation as the established, traditional state-run universities, e.g. Heidelberg, Humboldt U., Maximillian U. in Muenchen etc.
Perhaps that too is changing as education everywhere is turning into mass consumerism, whereby the student is the 'consumer' rather than the learner and the teacher the 'producer' instead of pedagogue and mentor. Where the as yet UNprofessional (the student) can now sit in judgement of their professors, calls into question whether or not if this trend progresses, teachers can effectively do their jobs anymore.
I think the best will be Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw University, Kozminski University. In this order. You have biggest chance finding job in Warsaw, but only if you use time of studying for learning Polish. Aa a graduate of Polish university you will not need work permit, so that is an advantage too. To work in Germany you would need good command of German. You could get permanent permit to stay in the Poland, which would give you the right to work in Germany, only after 5 years of continues, legal living there (study time counted in half).
Another option to consider, since you have working experience in international company is taking 1 year intensive language course of Polish and later simply apply for a job. As an Ukrainian you have right to work for half a year without permit and after 3 months of working for a company they have easier to apply for long permit for you.
Absolutely! German universities no longer accept even qualified foreign applicants who do not pass with at least a "two" on their Sprachdiplom-certificates, usually from the local Goethe-Institute or equivalent qualifying testing center:-) To be honest, I think that's no more than right.
Thank you so much for that answer! I never learned Polish, but I can understand almost half of the words - our languages really have much in common.
You know, the main problem is for me to solve the puzzle is that I have experience in P&G in logistics and only bachelor diploma in "Finances". If I go lo Wroclaw for Logistics University (I think that one is public) I will work in transport and logistick sector, but if I go to Warsaw to study Finances, could I then get a Job? Of course without experience I understand that wage will be not high at the beginning. But how is situation with work in Poland in this spheres? I need to choose between 2 option and this blows up my mind :)
As for me it's better to get a degree in high-ranked Polish University and try to find a job without experience, but I could be mistaken.
but if I go to Warsaw to study Finances, could I then get a Job?
Finance alone is probably not going to be useful unless you study at one of the top three universities in Poland: SGH, Warsaw and Kraków. Financial engineering, financial math, actuarial math and econometrics will open more doors, though, in Poland and elsewhere.
Other majors to consider are engineering, especially petroleum, geological and biomedical engineering. SGH in Kraków is an outstanding engineering school for the first two. The politechniki in Warsaw, Kraków, Gliwice and Katowice are very good, too. Coupled with your undergraduate degree in Finance, a good engineering degree can open a lot of doors.
Beware of programs taught in English; they are generally inferior to those taught in Polish. It may well be worth taking a year off to brush up on your math, and intensively learn Polish by reading and looking up all the words you don't know in the dictionary. If you read 350 pages of contemporary fiction a week for a year, as a Ukrainian, you should be near native competency, at least as far as reading is concerned.
Science fiction and fantasy are the best thing to read because of the extensive vocabulary you will meet. Specialist, technical and academic literature use a very small vocabulary and limited grammatical range, as does journalism.
While Polish literature is not particularly interesting as a whole, Polish science fiction and fantasy are rather good indeed. Besides classics like Stanisław Lem, there are a whole host of very interesting science fiction and fantasy writers, including Andrzej Sapkowski, Andrzej Pilipiuk, Andrzej Ziemiański, Jakub Ćwiek, Jacek Dukaj, Marcin Wolski, Jarosław Grzędowicz, Eugeniusz Dębski, Marek S. Huberath, £ukasz Orbitowski, Maja Lidia Kossakowska and many others. Basically, anything by any of the authors on the following list is worth reading:
Thanks, that's important info! I'll take a closer look to econometricks and Financial engineering. Regarding to the situation in my country I willing to start studying this year, so will choose English course and according to you advise will read a lot.
But how is situation with work in Poland in this spheres?
Read that:
Peter, and I think it all depends on the attitude of a man to work; ) I let themselves to disagree with you also in terms of decision-making. Because really in any field is a bit of logistics. Or at least its components; ) And even the smallest decisions are inevitable. The fact that , as in any industry - even in this you have to bite the subjects, the specificity of the company or particular departments , and thus acquire the necessary knowledge and experience to perform power Fairest of their duties .
A work in lower positions did not have to be boring and tedious ; ) Finally, the one who learns the changing industry - which seems to me in itself an interesting task.
The fact that you need a little work , demonstrate both analytical thinking and the ability to combine it all together to be noticed and appreciated .
It seems to me that while there is no explicit specifically the plot , in which a man by Aug. well feel it is good to start in smaller firms , where practically often many branches of logistics in one hand.
At least I know thanks to what specifically I would like to do in this industry. And I will strive toward this . It is true that I am only 1.5 year of experience in logistics ( now with a 2-year break to raise a child -logistyka the highest dimension ; ) ) , but I think a lot of experience and skills from my previous classes I was able to perfectly in her weave .
I don't know from the first hand how it is with logistics in Poland, but I know that it's very popular specialty, which for sure creates more graduates than there is jobs.
On the other hand it's the same with finance, but perhaps you could get a job in some outsourcing center as native Russian speaker. This language is not popular there, but maybe some position will be available. Especially if you would have diploma from Warsaw School of Economics. Graduates of this university have on average the highest salaries and find job the fastest (when engineering universities are not counted).
i've heard that the medical courses in English, for foreigners are much lower level than the same studies in Polish. that's why so many not so smart students from eg. Scandinavia come here to study medicine. fortunately, most probably they won't want to stay here to work as doctors.
Yeah, I guess if you want to study medical programs in Poland and work there it's defenitely makes sense to do it in English. I'm totally agree with you because of a lot of specifics terminology and other stuff.
I never earlier considered Poland as a place to study until got a closer look to the country and it's possibilities. I was suprised how quickly the economics grew into the powerful force in Europe. You know, I've been to Poland 2 times before, and right now I'm working in the USA to get some money to cover cost of living and pay for studying. American cities are absolutely different - what I like in Poland is that everything about history. You could smell it in the air, see it in the architecture. It's so nice to get a little walk in the centre of Wroclaw, Krakow or Warszawa. It makes you calm and happy). And the difference in mentallity plays a lot - I'm struggling a little bit with americans - mexicans are more fun :)
I listened yo the advise was made here and applied to Quantitive Finances in University of Warszawa, cause in any way I have the experiense in logistics and degree in other field (not really different) will give me more opportunities in the future. Hope so :)
What's the average price for 1 Zimmer appartament in Warszawa for two person? Is the "svydko" - the best place for searching for accomodation? So, if studying starts 01.10, when it's better to start looking for it?
here they say 1600 PLN with czynsz included. The easiest to rent online is through airbnb.com but they have prices around double of normal rent. The best website with adds is: gumtree.pl/fp-mieszkania-i-domy-do-wynajecia/warszawa/c9008l3200008
The best time to search for apartment is probably beginning of summer.
Not exactly "on-topic", DominicB, but I must gently disagree with your assessment of Polish literature! While Mickiewicz and Słowacki may not feature highly on literature exams, Polish literature DID in fact come into her own by the 20th century with poets such as Iwaszkiewicz, Tuwim, Miłosz and the late Wysława Szymborska:-)
As far as your advice to Murzin NOT to take courses taught in English but rather to stick with those same subjects taught in Polish, I couldn't agree more. Spot on, mate!!!
I'd like to know your opinion of what's better option: "Quantitive Finance" in Univesytet Warszavski or "Finance and Accounting" in SGH?
Sorry for offtop, but might someone give me an advise about books in Polish to start reading and learning - need stuff for Kindle and vocabulary, like, for example, I have for English and Deutsch, when you can just press on an unknown word and a translation appears. Translation can be not exactly to Ukr or Rus, but for English. I would really appreciate some links. Thank you, guys!
I would say the quantitative finance option is the better choice, although both programs are very good, as are both schools. Generally, the more math, the better.
As for reading, can't help you with Kindle, but you can download a lot of Polish science fiction and fantasy in both pdf and audiobook format from chomikuj.pl, torrentz.com and emule, and I'm sure there are even more up to date sources. Chomikuj.pl especially is a resource you should be familiar with. It has become the universal university library in Poland, and you'll be able to get all of your textbooks there, and a lot more, for a very small nominal fee. I'm not a Kindle user, so I don't know whether they have Kindle files. pdf's of everything under the sun, yes.
Thanks a lot! I think, I could transfer pdf into accaptable for Kindle format. Have a nice day!
But what about, for example, English Master Program in Bochum University in German in Economics with some quantitive approach? Is this a better choice compared to the same English stuff in Warszawa?
If you want to study in English, go to an English speaking country. Within a year, your Polish will be good enough to study in Polish in Warsaw, which is what I suggest you do if you decide to study in Poland. Otherwise, apply to schools like LSE, Imperial College, UCL or any of the better schools in London.I have a student that I mentored who is studying financial mathematics at LSE, and he LOVES it. Another student of mine will be starting applied mathematics with international relations and global politics at Birkbeck this fall.
As for Bochum, it is a pretty good university, though it has slipped somewhat in the rankings over the past couple of years. It's about the same level as the better Polish universities. Bochum is, delicately speaking, not a beautiful city, and the university was specially built to be ugly as all hell. I was there 30 years ago, and have to say that it was jaw-droppingly ugly. Downright atrocious. It's very huge, very gray, very cold and ugly beyond what words can express. Granted, things may have changed since then, but judging from comments on the web, not by much:
"Stay away from Bochum. It's one of the ugliest universities on the planet. Appropriately, it also has a remarkable suicide rate among its students."
"BOCHUM IST NUR HALB SO GROSS WIE DER ZENTRALFRIEDHOF VON CHICAGO, DAFUER ABER DOPPELT SO TOT!" (Bochum is only half the size of the Central Cemetery in Chicago, but it's twice as dead)
'Bochum has a reputation of being Germany's ugliest and most unpopular university. unless you like concrete."
"I studied in Bochum and I don't really recommend the RUB. First of all there's not much of a student life in the city itself though it certainly got a fair amount of pubs. A lot of students do not live in Bochum but go there by car or train so campus life is rather low.
Second, as far as I know the lessons and lectures are poorly arranged, seemingly it got quite chaotic since I left (which was in 2005). And during my time it's been famed as Germany's ugliest university".
Econometrics would be a great major, though I don't know about the reputation of their English language program. In any case, I would expect better partnership with the banking and finance industries in Germany than in Poland, and better opportunities for finding work after graduation.
Whatever you do, make sure you take the full advanced math sequence: calculus (single and multivarible), linear algebra, differential equations, formal logic, probability and statistics, game theory, chaos theory and as many advanced applied courses as you can get, with plenty of modeling and programming. Develop your math as much as you possibly can now, while you are still young, because it will soon get a lot harder. You can learn economics easily at 35, or even 50, but your ability to learn math will start to fall sharply by the time you are 30. So make hay while the sun shines, and good luck!
Finally I've got everything done and planning to move to Warszawa. Need some help from you. I was thinking about renting an apartament, but later decided to move to dorm first and then in 1-2 months find a place to live. That's why I'd like to know what Dormitory (DS1,DS2....DS6) is the best to live in? This is concerning Warszawsky Uni.
And also what districts in Warszawa are the best to rent a flat conveniently get to Warszawsky Uniwersytet on daily basis?
Hello everyone! I an ethiopian student studying at a university in china and have finished my first year. Is it possible for me to transfer to a polish university? If so, do they offer financial support?
And from what i have been reading about the polish degrees, is it worth moving between continents? It would mean so much if i can get some clarity Thanks you in advance
Home / Study / Private Universities vs Public Universities in Poland
