Student
16/04/2015

And how are things in Porto?

My name is Joost Vandewal and I chose for the picturesque city Porto, especially because of my positive experiences with the nice Portuguese people, my interest in the Portuguese language, and the good stories about Porto as an Erasmus city. Up till now I do not regret my decision at all and I can recommend Porto to everybody.

by Joost Vandewal | student Innovation Management

The Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP) offers various courses, amongst others related to industrial engineering. I follow courses related to both Marketing and Operations Management & Logistics. A disappointment regarding FEUP is that, despite courses are said to be ‘Suitable for English students’, not all courses are actually lectured in English. It simply means that an English exam could be created. My advice is to mail the relevant lecturer before choosing your courses with the question how the course will be set up, to be well-informed beforehand.

Porto is a beautiful and dynamic harbor city (‘port’) where all imaginable facilities are within walking distance. In terms of transportation, I admire the subway system where all metros ride punctually and frequently. The social culture of Portuguese people reveals itself in the unselfishly sharing of foods and drinks, spontaneously taking you to a nice bar for a coffee, and the kindness of both students and locals.

As an Erasmus student in Porto you will, besides studying, spend your time hiking along the Douro-river and through the hilly landscape, drinking Port-wine, visiting FC Porto matches, and visiting the beach while simultaneously surfing there.

It is very nice to not only get to know yourself during an Erasmus semester, but even more so to get to know other cultures!

A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of Erasmus people - Mahatma Gandhi (freely translated)

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Student
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