大三出國、全英語課程 - 國際視野 : 淡江大學大三出國通報及學分採認系統

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2023大三出國輔導通報系統 - 留學心得報告[編輯]

觀光Ｂ 410860042 　葉芮亘　　留學學校：華沙大學(波蘭)

(一)基本資料

It was several advantages that made me decide to choose Poland as my study abroad country. First, it gives a company a strategic geographical location and favorable climate prospects in Central Europe. Besides, Warsaw has a rather high green area density – more than 40%, which means that living in Warsaw is not the same as in a large megalopolis where the feeling of overcrowding can overpower even the most die-hard urbanites. Second, the prices for goods and services in Poland are still lower than in such countries as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, so it is cheap. Third, Europe has a great and complex historical experience that I, as a Tourism major, find interesting. Fourth, people in Poland speak English, so there is no problem with communication even if a person has not learnt Polish on arrival. Fifth, this country has a population mix that guarantees its people are always welcoming and not xenophobic. Finally, Warsaw has a good transport network, which encompasses airports, railway stations, buses, subway, and trams. Every day, it is also possible to get shared bicycles and scooters through applications and move comfortably within the city. All these benefits made me decide for Poland as the first country for studying abroad experience.(205字)

(二)課程學習

【照片說明：This class, *Poland 101*, was an engaging introduction where the teacher enthusiastically shared Pol】

I found out that the situation and the directions in which the teaching-learning processes are conducted in Poland are dissimilar to those in Taiwan where rote learning is the order of the day. Discussion is a big part of the course; professors ask questions to the students, and then students work in groups to give answers. When it comes to questions, which are always welcome if a student has any question, the student is supposed to do so by raising hand and address the professor directly. Through the years, I came to be comfortable voicing my opinions and giving my viewpoints in class and I think this was the best part of my learning! This year academic year I was able to take eight courses and below are my review of two of the best courses I have taken. **Course Title**: *American Superhero Comics* **Credits**: 5 **Reflection**: This was one of the most fun courses I have ever taken and I felt like I learned many things. You would not believe me if I told you that comic reading can be a leisure and scholarly activity. This class concentrated on the historical evolution of America’s Superhero comics and other issues like themes and politics within the narratives. The professor himself or herself usually engaged the class by asking question and encouraging discussions, debates and overall participation in class. My classmates were knowledgeable since they came to the class with their materials well studied and seemed to be very eager to share their opinions with the rest of the class. I liked Marvel movies as a young man who had fun watching movies and I was surprised when I found out that there are more layers of these movies, such as historical plots. It was really made me realize that every single interests can actually have great significance and scholastic significance. Course Title: Poland 101: Beginner’s Guide to Polish Culture, History, and Society Credits: 2 Reflection: The goal of this course was to get the international students familiar with Polish culture, history and society. It was a young professor who knew what he was talking about and had a ability to explain even funny. Some of the things I learned in the class were things I would not get on the internet or things that even Poles may not know about Poland. The professor tried to explain everything and I realized this was a good learning experience. There were no much strict rules, let alone the rule that required students to attend all classes, but students were supposed to pay attention. Course taking was made very enjoyable due to the relative dedication and professionalism of the professor offering the course. (448字)

(三)生活環境

【照片說明：The University of Warsaw is located near the Old Town, making it convenient to take a stroll around 】

The University of Warsaw (Polish: The University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski) is situated in the immediate downtown of the Polish capital, Warsaw. Being one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Poland, it is the largest university presently in the country. There are its teaching buildings in different parts of the city, however, the largest campus occupies the territory of the Old Town. The campus of the university has an excellent combination of green areas and both, old and new constructions giving the members of the university a stimulating background. Founded in 1816, the University of Warsaw draws its legacy from three important precursors: the Warsaw Military School founded in 1766, the School of Law in 1808 and the Medical Academy in 1809. It has forged it into a reputable academic institution in both Poland and globally. Through the years it has kept up the tradition of ranking as the best university in Poland for having very high standards as well as producing research. Education at the university is provided by a really strong and highly qualified number of staffs; nearly 7,000 of the faculty members are from different parts of the world. It also means that this diverse teaching body is added to the stock of the university’s international reputation for excellence. University of Warsaw students have performance records of doing well in national and international competitions; they will also give scholarly outputs in different variants. Among the graduates from the University of Warsaw are the world known composer and pianist Fryderyk Chopin, the former Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin Nobel Peace Prize winner; the physicist Joseph Rotblat is also the Nobel Peace Prize winner. Thus, the tradition traditionally combined with further development of academic initiatives makes the University of Warsaw one of the driving forces of higher education.(298字)

(四)自我成長

【照片說明：I traveled and went hiking with my friends on my birthday.】

Initially, there was a quite problematic issue, primarily because of the language differences. I got shy most of the times and therefore found it embarrassing to engage with strangers. But as the time went by I started to accustom to the language and other cultural practices around me. I became more confident in speaking the language with friends from around the world, discussing local culture and even traveling to another country. I was able to learn how to speak and listen to English more effectively while also seriously boosting my sociability. As I interact with friends from different countries, I realized the Asian learning model that is all about rote memorization as opposed to learning that is more autonomous such as the American model. European education prepares students to have hobbies which are then transformed into jobs. It is very common today to find people who have taught themselves well in their areas of specialization, and I respected that. For this reason, their passion and determination have influenced me into wanting to be better for the better, as well as work harder to achieve goals. Also, living apart from home made me to be more independent. Controlling meals and daily schedule was possible only by myself which enhanced my self-care skills as well as the cooking skills. It also contributed to me being able to stand firm and meet challenges with some level of strength hence doing the best I could to make life abroad a success.(247字)

(五)大三出國建議

I divided into six sections: food, clothing, accommodation, transportation, education, and recreation. It also includes recommendations and advice for future students. Food The staple foods of Polish food include potatoes and dumplings, so I didn’t really like it since I am more into Taiwanese food. Eating out in Poland is also relatively expensive, with meals costing around 20 to 40 PLN per meal (approximately 1:8 in exchange rate). There are some Asian foods in Warsaw including Taiwanese bubble tea (There is a new COMEBUY TEA shop since mid May close to the main campus of University of Warsaw if anyone missed Asia), Japanese ramen and sushi, Korean restaurants, Vietnamese food, Chinese hot pot and Turkish kebab. And, generally, these are more costly. On the other hand, Polish agricultural products and dairy products are quite cheap. Some of the popular fresh produce markets you can find in many supermarkets are the chain supermarkets, local markets and convenience stores like Carrefour, Lidl, Biedronka, and Auchan supermarkets. Żabka is another convenience store and there are convenience stores at the gasoline station also. Organic stores and Asian grocery stores are also present but they stock a few Chinese condiments and ingredients. That is why I am advising buying groceries from supermarkets and cooking at home! Clothing I recommend packing some of your garments from home with not less than two sets of the winter and summer types respectively. Regarding shoes, the best to take is a pair of comfortable shoes for walking and a pair of flip-flops (though, flip-flops are difficult to find in Poland). Bring warmer clothes because as soon as October it starts getting cold and mostly it is cold between October and June with temperatures sometimes going down to 20 °C. Necessary winter accessories are gloves, preferably waterproof as they don’t let your hands turn to ice when touching the snow, scarfs, hats or beanies, thermal tights, normal trousers are not warm enough for winter unless the individual is wearing snow pants, light jackets, and heavy winter jackets although a down jacket is highly recommended for winter. It can snow in winter and the temperatures can go as low as -18 o C. I recommend the "layered approach" to dressing: Woolen overcoats and warm jumpers, and turtlenecks; while the layer system is perfect for outdoor heating most of the interiors have heaters which make it hot to wear very thick clothing. But if you do not carry your clothes with you, they are available in malls or even in vintage stores which are second-hand stores. However, the sizes may not be suitable to Asian bodies, so I recommend that buyers go to Shein website and get more clothing that fit Asian sizes. When it comes to down jackets, it is advisable to buy these clothes in physical stores and ask the sellers what can be worn under them in terms of warmth. Probably the most important footwear you are going to need when visiting mountainous regions or Northern Europe in winter – snow boots. Whereas normal boots will not be enough, as I barely survived the frost during the winter tours to Zakopane and Norway. Accommodation One of the reasons I was not an exchange student so I could not live in the university’s hostels. However, I got an apartment with my other students to cut on the expenses I was going to spend. If you are to look for a place to rent, do not use Facebook groups to look for a house because it will most likely be a scam. It is advisable to work with a real estate agency since you can communicate with the tenants and your legal rights are protected that although they charge a service fee, in my case, the fee I paid is one month rent. As for the choice of the rented place, I suggest living on the Wistula river’s right side which is safer and more active. Also, focus on areas that are close to the metro or tram to facilitate transport were also encouraged. Transportation Public transport in Warsaw is very abundant with places to get to; airports, train stations, bus stops, metro stations, as well as trams. Those are also available for hire in some cases and you can get one from bike sharing applications or using ride hailing from companies such as Uber or Bolt. For public transport students are entitled to 50% discount with the Polish student ID card which has a sticker registration. Be cautious as ticket inspectors may fine you for the following: which include not producing a student ID, possessing an international student card or having no registration sticker or an expired one. Tickets can be bought at vending machines at the metro stations (permanent), at some bus and tram stops (not always), and in buses and trams (permanent). They are called “Bilety” and have English on them. The ticket is general for trams, buses and metro. Passengers do not need to scan it when entering a train, but they have to do so at metro gates. Another way is to download the Jakdojade application to buy the tickets through the Internet. When the passenger has scanned the QR code on buses, trams, or metro gates, the app will produce a QR code for an inspection. The ticket types and prices can be found on the official website: Ticket Tariff. For those who travel often, I suggest that you get a monthly pass using the student ID because it is cheaper. For train tickets, you can also purchase with 51% student discount. You can buy them online conveniently from PKP’s website or order through its app with a QR code that allows inspection on board. This was expected because Polish students are required to carry valid student ID cards to avoid being charged full price for train tickets. Education At the University of Warsaw, the international students tuition fees depend on the number of hour per course at €4 per hour. There are no set tuition fees. At the beginning of the semester, students engage themselves in role plays for course selection and charges are made. It is also possible to add or subtract course as what applies in the university system, with corresponding change in next balances to be paid. The majority of the courses are a 1.5 hours in length, yet the credit hours vary. It should be noted that different activities such as Sports and Polish language courses are billed separately. The minimum course load per semester is 15 credits, with at least two courses from the department of concentration. Grades are calculated differently than in Taiwan, with a grading scale of 5 being the highest: 5: 98–100 4.5: 85–89 4: 84–76 3.5: 75–68 3: 67–60 2: 59–0 The university uses several key systems: IRK (Website): It was used in admission applications. USOS (Website): For course selection, course grades, timing and other course related information. Token (Website): For choosing sports and Polski language classes. Kampus (Website): In relation to lecture slides, assignments and submissions. Recreation As I said before, one of my reasons for choosing Poland was that it was in the middle of Europe, so I would not have to travel too far to see other countries. I visited 18 different countries during the year including the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Albania, Greece, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Vatican City and Malta. For these, I especially liked some of them but I do not encourage anyone to visit Luxembourg and Slovakia because there are not so many attractions there. While still in Taiwan, try to get an ISIC international student card for it gives you luggage allowance on flights and cheaper tickets and transportation when outside Taiwan. It is essential to always have both, the Polish student ID and ISIC as some places only accept EU student IDs, while others will accept only the ISIC. For meals, go to McDonalds or, if you can, go to a local restaurant; restaurants are normally more expensive than McDonalds. Check for prices on Google Flights or Skyscanner to make a comparison in case you want to travel to a specific destination. Lastly, I advise taking a credit card and debit card from two different banks and cash in Euros. In Poland and other countries, I used Apple Pay mainly and was very lucky to use money almost every day. While most of the EU countries utilize the Euros, some still have their own types of money. If you want to manage your money more efficiently, you can open an account in Revolut (virtual bank) after obtaining a visa and the confirmation of your housing. This enables users to transfer and exchange money feelessly within the application which is far more cost effective than wiring through Taiwanese banks.(1450字)

(六)其他

A year has passed so fast like a swift, without knowing it this academic year has ended. I am really privileged to be able to study in Poland. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everybody and everything I met there. It has been a wonderful experience and most of all I have been privileged to learn in so many ways. Poland was the best decision I have ever made in my entire life!(80字)

補充照片

【照片說明：I experienced a Polish wedding, which was held from the afternoon until midnight. It was very fun an】

【照片說明：I had dinner with Taiwanese students in Warsaw and stuffs from TSMC Netherlands office.】

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資料更新時間：02月26日 12:03

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