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author
Sheley Gomes
Sheley
Gomes
faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences
academic year of the stay
2024/2025
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author
Sheley
faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences
academic year of the stay
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2024/2025
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias
traineeship
study stay
short-term mobility
other
How does Sheley rate their stay?
university
city
accommodation
financial demands
about university
What made your university special? What were the facilities where you studied and the university equipment like?
The university can be disorganized and slow in terms of administration, especially at the beginning of the Erasmus process. My approval for the study stay and the necessary submission/signature were extremely slow, leaving me waiting for months, begging for answers in several emails, phone calls, etc. I only received my approval three weeks before I had to be there in person - which is a very short time for a move like this. The worst thing for me was arriving at the welcome day and being told that the master's degree I had chosen would not be happening, and that I would have to choose new subjects by the next day. This forced me to choose subjects from the undergraduate program since I did not identify with any other master's degree offered and had also made my choice based on a specific program. Being told this when I had already moved to another country, had already gone through a super stressful process to get there and had already planned for specific subjects was very disrespectful. This affected me a lot during the semester, because I felt like I was taking subjects that I had chosen in a hurry (I didn't even have access to the syllabus beforehand, for example, I chose them based only on the name), which made it take me a long time to connect with the subjects and the university itself. Overall, I think the professors were respectful and understanding of my situation and offered/accepted specific alternatives for my case. I think I was able to learn some interesting things from them, but I think that Lusófona as an institution has a lot to improve and the professors need to use other ways to deal with students who disrupt classes too much.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your "adoptive" university? What made it special? What were the premises where you studied and the university facilities like?
I believe that the teachers are dedicated and committed to maintaining a good classroom structure. Unfortunately, the students at Lusófona can be very immature and disrespectful, which greatly affects the quality of the classes. Many times, the teachers would waste time and patience begging for silence or repeating the basics to students who were not paying attention. I feel that this is why many teachers reduce the quality and depth of the classes and materials, and it is really uncomfortable to watch teachers having to beg for respect inside the class. As a student, I had never experienced anything like this. I even ended up buying earplugs to bring to class because the noise from the other students was giving me headaches.
What is student life like at university?
Many of the activities offered by the University were aimed at regular students and were generally only in Portuguese. Regarding Erasmus student associations or other ESN activities, for example, they were mentioned on the welcome day, but I didn't participate much, so I can't comment.
Did you study in English or in the language of the host country? What language requirements does the university have?
I am fluent in Portuguese, so I based all my communication in the local language. But from my experience with other colleagues who communicated in other languages, I see that some kind of understanding of Portuguese is necessary. My classes were all taught in Portuguese, and even though I had colleagues who did not know the language, they had to attend classes and there was often no additional explanation for them. I often explained important topics in English that the teacher mentioned only in PT as test content, and they told me that the English materials provided by the teachers were often incomplete.

about the city
What was your impression of the city? How would you describe it? What is interesting to see here?
The city is fun and vibrant, it can be chaotic at times and in my opinion the public transport could be improved. But expect lots of hills, steep streets and tiny sidewalks.
I can't say much about international or student communities because I didn't participate much, considering that I was able to connect better with the locals because I speak the language.
I also think that those who like the sea, surfing and nature might enjoy it a lot.
about finances
In your experience, how far does the scholarship go? What percentage of your expenses did it cover? What is your opinion on prices in the country in general?
I think that the scholarship alone is not enough to cover all the monthly costs of a student, especially considering the cost of accommodation in Lisbon. But I believe that Lisbon is a relatively affordable city and the prices are not much different from Prague.
Please advise your classmates on how to save money—Where to shop? What services can be used to save money?
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about accommodation
What type of accommodation did you choose? Would you recommend it to others? If not, what type of accommodation do you think is best based on your experience (dormitory, private apartment, private dormitory, shared room, etc.)?
Fortunately - and because I speak PT - I managed to connect with locals and found a shared appartment. I didn't receive much guidance or advice from the University about this, I did some research, but I don't think I can give a more direct opinion.
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
final rating
Why here? What makes this location special? Why would you send your friends to your country/city?
If you like lots of sunny days, mild winters, access to the sea and plenty of espresso, I recommend Lisbon. Learn the basics of communicating in Portuguese; the locals will appreciate it and will be more friendly towards you.
live-saving tips
If I went again, I would definitely remember to pack...

Before leaving, I would like to know that...
What surprised me most was that...

The hardest thing for me was...
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