Campus life [2023-09-29]

A campus full of cultures

— Editors

131 students from 15 countries are starting their adventure at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in the first semester of the 2023/2024 academic year under the Erasmus+ programme. The Department for International Partnerships and Educational Mobility has organised an Orientation Week for them.

The Orientation Week is an event for people from abroad who have decided to study at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The programme is filled with lectures and intercultural workshops. During the meetings, students will gain practical knowledge about the functioning of the university, the rules of studying in Poland and life in Toruń. It is also an opportunity for intercultural integration.

The Nicolaus Copernicus University has been chosen by students from all over the world. The most numerous representation is made up of Spanish nationals, with 30 coming to Toruń this semester from that country. There are also 29 students from Turkey. Students from Asia and Africa have also arrived, including people from Chad, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Togo, Sudan and Turkmenistan.

The Orientation Week will begin on 27 September. Students from Toruń and the Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz will be welcomed by dr Aranka Ignasiak-Szulc from the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management during the first meeting, which will take place at the Faculty of Chemistry. Participants will also hear about the rules of savoir-vivre at our university, which will be discussed by dr habil. Michał Balcerzak, NCU Prof. from the Faculty of Political Science and Security Studies. After a short lunch break, consisting of traditional Polish dishes - pierogi and borscht - students will be introduced to the history and cultural heritage of Toruń by dr Michał Targowski from the Faculty of History. The Erasmus Student Network Toruń will ensure good orientation on Toruń's campus.

Many activities are planned for the following days, including a short Polish language course, an intercultural workshop with dr Lidia Chylewska-Barakat and a 'Feel the chemistry' integration exercise in the library of the Faculty of Chemistry. All meetings will take place in small groups, giving participants a chance to get to know each other better. Each group will also have a patron: Nicolaus Copernicus, Fryderyk Chopin, Adam Mickiewicz and Maria Skłodowska-Curie. In this way, the organisers will familiarise students from other countries with the profiles of Poland's most recognisable scientists and artists.

An obligatory item on the Orientation Week schedule will be a visit to the Deputy Rector for Equal Treatment, the Deputy Rector for Security and the Academic Ombudsman. The meeting will also be a good opportunity to get to know a new place on the NCU map - the Copernican Integration Centre.

Foreign students, by courtesy of Toruń City Hall, will also have the opportunity to explore Toruń's Old Town complex with professional guides. Those wishing to do so will also be able to take part in a Saturday guided tour of the campus and hear about its history and architecture. The main part of the Orientation Week will end on 4th October with meetings with faculty Erasmus+ mobility coordinators.