KTU international students’ stories – from winter sports to scientific activities

“Winter is my beloved season in Lithuania,” says Gurban, a KTU student of Informatics from Azerbaijan. Coming from a warm country, he dreamed of experiencing the magical snowy winter in Lithuania.

Gurban’s impressions about studying at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and living in Kaunas through winter can be found on his Unibuddy blog post on KTU Ambassadors’ page.

Here he shares his favourite spots to walk in Kaunas in winter, such as Panemunė Forest Park, Petrašiūnai Park next to Kaunas Reservoir, aka Kauno Marios. Winter sports, such as skating, sledging and skiing are something that the Informatics student from Azerbaijan is advising to try.

“In front of Kaunas Castle, you will notice small hills where children go down on the sledges, but there are high hills as well, made by Kaunas nature, especially for adults and teenagers,” says Gurban.

In his blog, you can find loads of tips for a quality time both at the University and outside of campus from the point of view of an international student.

Help when you need it most

If you are interested in studying at KTU, but are not sure what it feels like living in Kaunas, going to lectures on campus or using the University’s facilities, the best way is to chat with someone similar to you. On the KTU Ambassadors’ page you can talk to someone who is from your country, is studying at the same programme you are interested in, or shares similar hobbies. Since July 2020, 26,345 questions have been answered by KTU ambassadors.

Alejandra Gutierrez Luna from Nicaragua came to Kaunas at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, in October 2020. At the time, all the teaching was online, and there were many restrictions to the social life – it took three months for her to visit the city centre.

“My saviour was the KTU Ambassador, a student from my country, who also was studying the same subject. I was contacted by him right away after coming to Kaunas – he started teaching me how everything works. I am very grateful to the university for telling him: look, there is this girl from your country, check on her,” remembers Alejandra, who is one of the ambassadors herself.

On her blog page, she talks about her experience of participating in a scientific conference and being awarded as one of the best presenters.

“While trying something new I achieved more than I expected!” says Alejandra, who has already lived on three continents and came to architecture after studying medicine.

Honest stories from an international KTU student, someone similar to you

People’s incredible stories and personal perspective is something that can be trusted. By chatting with a student ambassador, especially to someone who is still a student at KTU, you are connecting yourself to a KTU community. You can reach out to them with questions that you have before the arrival, and keep the connection live once you come here.

“KTU boasts a vibrant international student community. Studying here means you’ll have the opportunity to interact with and learn from students from around the world, making for a rich and diverse cultural experience,” says Safiyya from Azerbaijan, studying business and entrepreneurship.

She likes studying at KTU because of the high quality of education, research opportunities, possibilities to get funding for your studies, and the plentitude of academic and after-class activities that the university offers.

“University is not just about studying. It is about exploration. It’s about discovering who you are,” says Francois from South Africa.

A final year student of Mechatronics at KTU, in his blog, Francois talks about his experiences of creating new projects with his teachers and colleagues. One of those projects was creating beautiful installations for the 13.7 Lights Festival, which took place in the autumn of 2022.

“As part of the green team, I helped build a magnificent hexagon-inspired installation. I was the only international student in my team, and the mechanical part of the project was my responsibility,” says Francois.

Although at the beginning he was concerned about communication with his Lithuanian teammates, as everybody needed to communicate in English, they got along well and became good friends through the course of the project.

KTU Ambassadors’ page, enabled by Unibuddy, is full of honest and inspiring stories similar to those above. They are all current KTU students or alumni happy to share their experiences on studying at KTU and living in Kaunas, Lithuania. If you are interested in studying with us, chat with our students.

KTU admissions for the autumn semester 2024 are open. We offer 50 bachelor’s and master’s study programmes in English. Check them, choose yours, and apply by June 30.

2 Feb 2024