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152 students from 28 countries are starting their adventure at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in the first semester of the 2024/2025 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 participate in a student exchange programme 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 international 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 - this semester 45 people from this country will come to Toruń and Bydgoszcz. Moreover, 40 Turkish nationals have chosen the NCU. There are also students from Asia and Africa, among others: Azerbaijan, Morocco, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka.
Andrzej Romański
The Orientation Week will begin on 23 September at the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management. On that day, students from Toruń and the Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz will learn about the rules of savoir-vivre at our university, which will be presented by dr habil. Michał Balcerzak, NCU Prof. from the Faculty of Political Science and Security Studies. The discussion will then focus on stereotypes about Poland and Poles. After a short lunch break, consisting of traditional Polish dishes - pierogi and borscht - students will be introduced to the cultural life of our city by Alicja Grajek, head of the Events Organisation Department at Toruń Cultural Agency. The Erasmus Student Network Toruń, meanwhile, will ensure that students are well-oriented on the Toruń campus.
Many activities are planned for the following days, including a short Polish language course, an intercultural workshop with dr Lidia Chylewska-Barakat from the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management and an integration workshop 'Meeting Otherness' with Renata Lesner-Szwarc. All meetings will be held in small groups, giving participants a chance to get to know one another better. Each will also have a patron: Nicolaus Copernicus, Zdzisław Beksiński, Wisława Szymborska, Fryderyk Chopin and Maria Skłodowska-Curie. This will allow students from other countries to become acquainted with the profiles of Poland's most recognisable scientists and artists.
There will also be plenty of exercise during the Orientation Week - dance workshops led by instructor Katarzyna Kostańska-Maziarz will be a must. These will be organised as part of the 'Active Academic Summer' project and funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange. Thanks to this project, students will also have the opportunity to take part in gingerbread workshops at the Toruń Gingerbread Museum and attend a film screening in “Od Nowa".
International students will get to know the Toruń Old Town complex with professional guides, courtesy of Toruń City Hall. The main part of the Orientation Week will end on 1st October.
