The Wroclaw Experience

What is the review on the Wroclaw University of Technology Poland for Indian students?
I went to Wroclaw to get the European Experience.

1. I had the experience of working as a software professional for 8 years before I moved to Wroclaw. 
   
   
2. I have a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and took a course in Automotive Engineering at the Wroclaw University Of Technology in 2015.
   
   
3. I will be blatantly honest here. If you are an Indian student with no prior work experience and choose to go to Poland just because you didn't get admission to a German University, please don't go to Poland.
   
   
4. If the German Universities have assessed you to be unfit for a program, there are mighty chances that you are unfit for a program in any Polish university. There could be exceptions, but please, do not kid yourself.
   
   
5. Education in Wroclaw is not easy. Just because you got admission easily doesn't make the rest of the education easy.
   
   
6. I had to study hard to pass many of the subjects. It was not a cakewalk considering my aim was to travel as much as possible. I mostly spent my days studying in the Uni library because I didn't want to fail the course. I also had to brush up on the undergrad concepts, given that the last degree I earned was 8 years ago. It was kind of anti-climatic that I couldn't find time for anything else before my first-semester break. I honestly had not thought that it would be that tough. Again, it will differ from person to person. But I have been an above-average student for most of my student life, just to give a perspective.
   
   
7. Some of the old professors have a hard time speaking fluent English. That makes the classroom experience quite unpleasant. However, most others could speak English to a fair extent, and if you are a good student, they go the extra mile to make you understand the subject. However, you have to make an effort. Again, if you are not a good student or have difficulty interacting with people, please, do not go there.
   
   

   

   River Oder flows through the campus. The other side is connected by a ropeway.

   
   
8. In one of the other answers (Anonymous's answer to How good is Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Polytechnika Wroclawska)? How well is it recognized?)- (mostly a rant), the anonymous guy has given the dark side of being at Wroclaw University. Mind it, it is all true if you are a below-average student. The University finance department gives admission to mostly anyone with money. The professors wouldn't care about that. If they come to know that you don't deserve to be in their course, they will make sure you realize your worst fears. And then some mean ones do not care for anything, whether you are good or bad. I have seen people appearing for the same course semester after semester.
   
   
9. I was fortunate to have gotten an Erasmus+ scholarship based on my performance in the first semester and chose to go to an Austrian university for the second semester. Again, you will have to pass every subject in the first semester, plus you will have to score higher to compete with peers. The Erasmus universities are allotted based on the first semester marks and undergrad marks to the selected ones.
   
   
10. Even though I was a serious student, I had to face a lot of skepticism from my peers and professors until I proved that I meant business. If you are below average with a casual attitude, be sure that your peers and professors will not be very kind to you. If you want to call it racism, your choice.
    
    
11. Unlike most European Universities, Wroclaw doesn't offer free courses to Non-EU students, but the fees are peanuts compared to American universities. That, combined with some shady business in the admission department, has attracted a lot of South Asian students to the university. Barring some honorable exceptions, I found that these students were not eligible for masters by a long shot. It was pretty evident that they were not adequately screened for their abilities or intent.
    
    
12. I completed my admission process and visa all by myself. If you are paying some agency to do it for you, be aware that it is their business. They do not have your best interest in mind. Read #11.
    
    

    

    View from the student dormitory complex

    
    
13. A job on the university campus is almost unattainable if you don't know Polish. Salaries are a joke. It is not even enough for a Polish standard of living. To get a job in the technological domain, you will have to be good. I mean, seriously good. Refer #4.
    
    
14. Living expenses as a student are not that much. University life is good. The university is huge. They have campuses spread across a few blocks of the city. For some courses, we would take the tram to the respective facility. It is a university experience.
    
    
15. In general, the perception of Indian, and South Asian students is not great at the university or in entire Poland, for that matter. Read #4,#8,#10,#11 and #12. The Middle East refugee crisis has worsened the situation on top of it.
    
    
16. The administrative processes in government offices are lengthy. Visa, Stay permit extension, and NFS insurance are a drag. Particularly in the case of stay permit extensions, the office was understaffed and took too long to process. It doesn't help that some people try to maliciously overextend their stay in Poland without proper intent. That makes the process even slower with more scrutiny. Read #14. Also, all documentation was in Polish. People seldom speak English in government offices. It became a burden at times.
    
    
17. After completing my course there, I moved back to India and started a new job in the Software profession. I completed my thesis in a year and went again to submit my thesis, and earned a master's degree soon after. It felt great, given all the hustle I had been through.
    
    

    

    View in one of the mechanical engineering departments

    
    
18. Will I do it differently, given a choice to do it all over again? I think yes. I probably will spend more effort to get into a German University instead. But, considering I had a good time in Poland, a paid semester in Austria, and traveled in most of Europe during the summer and winter breaks, I do not certainly regret it. I had excellent, pleasant, and some bad experiences. But I was there for that. Best time.
    
    
19. My final advice - If you are a job aspirant, prepare for GATE, get a good score, and apply to a good Indian university. If you still want to go to Poland, by all means, go for a nice European student life experience.
    
    _*_