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Vytautas Magnus University

Lithuania 2018/2019 Freemovers

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Arts

Field of study:
Baltistics

Level of study during period of placement:
Bachelor

Language used:
Lithuanian

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
spring 2019

Period of placement (from-to):
2019-02-04 - 2019-05-31

Number of months:
4.00

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
I used the website of VMU which is well-aranged and you can find there all the important information not only about courses (https://www.vdu.lt/en/studies/courses/).
After you get your username and password to access the university system, you will find more information there, too.

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
I am not aware of any - my acceptance was consultated personally with a coordinator and there weren't any problems.

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
Just about a month or maybe two before my departure to Lithuania.

Did you need a visa?:
no

Documents and materials needed for a visa:

Length of wait for visa:

Fee for the visa:

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:
no

If not, why not?:
There were some problems since I wasn't really sure what type of internship and programme I am using. Then I wasn't really sure who I should get in touch with to have my Learing Agreement signed. However, I had it signed only a few days after my arrival to Lithuania.

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes.

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
No.

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
I wasn't attending the regular education, therefore I didn't have to registrate any courses. So I can't really answer this question.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
No - I just had to write a final report.

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
yes

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
As far as I can tell, there were mostly various tasks throughout the whole year, including some minor written exams. The tasks were sometimes a bit practical, too (like attend a tradional event, feast or festival and write a report about it).
There were persentations and online materials used, too. Usually, a lot of additional materials was uploaded into Moodle.

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
The same. Though I would say that the whole faculty is a bit more organised.

How did you receive study materials?:
Usually, the teachers uploaded them on Moodle or sent them to me by e-mail.

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
For those who don't speak Lithuanian, I definitely recommend ETN0101 Lithuanian Folklore, Traditions, Mythology.

How well is the school library equipped?:
In my opinion, it was awesome - there were a lot of materials even in other languages, and the study rooms are nice, too.

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
About the same as at our university - never ever have I faced the problem of not having access to the internet in a lecture room or not being able to use a 'public' computer in libraries.

Options from printing and copying:
Every library and even the dormitory were equipped with a printing machine.
But there are copy centres everywhere.

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:
yes

If yes then what?:
I think that every exchange student gets a mentor. There a lot of events, speak-events, lectures and trips taking place that are suitable for foreign students.

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
2

or describe in your own words:
Although some of the courses are taught in English and are mostly aimed at forigners, even Lithuanians attend them, too.
So they may be a good opportunity for meeting locals.

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
At dormitories Baltija (Vytauto prospektas 71) in the city centre, not far away from the Faculty of Humanities. Many international students live there, too. I had a single room with shared facilities (bathroom and toilet with three other people, kitchen with the whole floor).

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
150 EUR

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
The price depends on the length of month.

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
The equipment of the room itself was good – there are a lot of shelfs to put things on, a bed, a chair and a writing table with a lot of drawers. I also had a spacious fridge in my room.
However, the equipment of the kitchen was not so good. I recommend you buying or bringing your own kettle, cutlery and maybe a pan if you intend to have a tea or coffee or even cook regularly. There is a microwave in the kitchen, though.

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
I can’t tell, I had it organised by the university.
I suppose doing it before the next semester’s start, during the holiday or the exam period might be good.

What are the catering options?:
As far as I am aware, there is no university canteen or cafeterias neither at the dormitory itself nor at the faculty building. You can either use the kitchen at this dormitory or just go to some of the restaurants or supermarkets. There is a lot of them in a close distance.

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
About the same, really. Vegetables and fruits seem to be a bit more expensive to me, milk products and fish are cheaper, on the other hand.

Transport to location of placement:
You can walk to the dormitory from both the train station and the bus station. There is a bus stop very close to it, but I was going to school by foot. It took me only about 15 minutes at maximum.

Rough prices for transportation:
I know that one-time ticket for buses and trolleybuses costs 0,50 € students.
I didn't need to buy a monthly season ticket.

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
I've heard there is some application for your mobile phone that allows you to save some money, but I have no personal experience with it.

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
Kaunas is not so big, I spent whole semester just on foot. It was only about 15 minutes from my dormitories to my lecture rooms on foot, so I was mostly walking. The city seems to be very friendly to cyclists, too.
Shopping centres, museums, cafés or restaurants are all also very close.

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
I didn't need to take care of anything.

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
Now I can't remember correctly, but I use the one that ISIC offers.

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
No.

Did you work during your studies?:
No.

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
I don't know.

Tips for free-time activities:
Apart from obvious museums, historical centre, theatre and clubs, there is quite a lot of street art in the streets of Kaunas.
So if you are interested in this type of art, I recommend you a yard gallery at E. Ožeškienės street. Or pick up a booklet in the information centre - there are a lot of tips how to experience the street art of Kaunas to the fullest!

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
0 CZK

Monthly grant in CZK:
0 CZK

Number of supported months:
4

Total number of months:
4

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
As a student of Lithuanian language, I used Baltistics projects and their grants (http://baltnexus.lt/).

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:
I recieved about 14 000 CZK per month from that programme (as a student of Lithuanian), depending on the lenght of the month.

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
0 CZK

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
0 CZK

b/ amount of tuition fees:
0 CZK

c/ amount of other fees (which):
0 CZK

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
540 EUR

a/ of which for accommodation:
155 EUR

b/ of which for catering:
170 EUR

c/ travel and recreation:
215 EUR

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:
For warm meals, I was using only restaurants since the kitchen at dormitory was usually pretty crowded.
But you can save a LOT of money by cooking for yourself.
I was travelling a lot, visiting a lot of places and buying a lot of books, for example. So once again, you can save money by not doing that.

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
12

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
12

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes.

What problems did you have with recognition?:
So far, none.

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
1

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
Not really.

What would you recommend to take with you:
I can't think of anything special - just if you are in Lithuania for the spring semester, take into account that you will probably experience kinda strong and snowy winter, rainy spring and very hot summer. So prepare for this!

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
I really like the look of 'my' faculty - there was a lot art and other projects done by students, making the whole building look really cosy.
All the lecture halls seem to be very well equipped.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
I can't think of anything.

Further comments: