weitere Erfahrungsberichte für Bulgarien
Land:
Bulgarien
Universität:
American University, Blagoevgrad (AUBG)
Semester und Studiengang:
5. Semester Bachelor International Management
Aufenthalt:
Sommersemester 2013
Über die Universität:
The American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) is a private university in the city of Blagoevgrad, a small town in Bulgaria, an hour's drive away from Sofia. As a private university, AUBG is well funded with a huge staff and around 1000 students. It is a liberal arts university which allows students to undertake different courses in order to achieve a Major (you need 8 business courses to major in business).
AUBG has a campus, where all the students live and where all student activities take place. It's exactly how you saw it in the American movies. As every American university, AUBG has tens of clubs you can join. There's climbing, dancing, sports, art, anime, music, whatever you can think of, AUBG has a club for it, which involves dedicated students and members of the faculty. There are strict rules regarding alcohol consumption and behaviour on campus, so usually the fun part takes place in town, in a couple of AUBG-friendly bars that offer discounts to students. You will have massive amounts of fun, there was never one week that would go without an event.
Speaking of faculty, most of the professors are American, but there are also a couple of Bulgarians and international members of the staff. They are all professionals in their respective fields and very dedicated towards educating the students. They will provide assistance with absolutely anything. The courses are tough, which means you cannot skip classes, not care about anything the professors say, and then sign up and study for three days in a row before the final exam and somehow finish with a grade of 1.7. Congratulations, you're a future professional! Nope, you have to work really hard at AUBG, each course is evaluated by the professor, you always get assignments, papers, projects. There is no easy grade and you don't feel stressed by final exams mostly because you already have an idea what kind of grade you have.
Betreuung vor Ort:
The only problem that I had and found a huge downside of the whole ERASMUS programme was the Learning Agreement. Yes, that magical piece of paper that ties the home university with the guest university in which all parties agree upon what courses the ERASMUS student would undertake. I signed it. HDU signed it. AUBG signed it. Upon arrival they ripped that paper up with the explanation that all the courses we had decided on in October have been already booked by regular AUBG students last week, and because AUBG students have priority, I could no longer take them. Sorry about that, you can pick the courses that are leftovers and nobody wants.
Yes, just like that, I got stuck with Global Politics and Introductory Bulgarian instead of studying what I really wanted and what I hoped this abroad experience had to offer me, Corporate Finance. And I thought that the whole purpose of the exchange semester during the bachelor programme is to do the courses that are not on offer at the home university at a partner or other university. So I was left deeply disappointed.
Tipps:
- Visit Sofia, it is a gorgeous town.
- Go on all the trips that the ERASMUS team organizes: Macedonia, Turkey, Greece can all be visited for under 100 euros per trip.
- Always take the cab, it costs around 1 EUR, which is a joke if you think of it.
- Always leave a tip. Waiters will remember if you do. You can avoid waiting for your food 90 minutes with a 40 cents tip. I know, it sounds like a joke but everything in Bulgaria is incredibly cheap. And when you'll get there you'll understand what I meant with everything.