Exchange Students on Life at AUBG

According to the AUBG Exchange Coordinator Mariya Handzhiyska, there were 28 Exchange students from 12 countries during the Fall 2023 semester at AUBG. She added that 13 to 15 US Exchange students are expected at AUBG during the spring semester.

Handzhiyska stated: “Up to now, we haven't got any incoming student who was disappointed.” Sometimes, they even want to prolong their stay with an additional semester. She added that there were more students willing to come to AUBG compared to the period before COVID-19, and this is due to the university’s increased efforts in advertising after the pandemic.

Handzhiyska continued by saying: "More than 10 to 15 students withdrew because we announced that there will be no accommodation for the incoming exchange students, and several students withdrew because we are having some issues with the classes.” These students do not have the necessary prerequisites for higher-level classes and may not be able to sign up for certain courses as they register after all of the AUBG students.

Another problem for the Exchange Office, which is specifically connected to the ISEP (International Student Exchange Program), is that the number of students going abroad and coming to Blagoevgrad’s campus has to be equal. “For next semester, I even had to restrict some of the incoming students because there were not so many AUBG students interested,” Handzhiyska said. According to her, the main reason for the lack of interest in the Exchange Program is the Work and Travel program, which is popular among AUBG students.

“If you go on ISEP Exchange during the Fall semester, you should finish your Work and Travel earlier because some of the universities start sometimes even on the 21 or 22 of August,” Handzhiyska said. She added: "The problem is that you cannot stay with the same visa for Work and Travel and then for the Exchange semester.” Another issue involving visas stems from the fact that certain countries don’t have Bulgarian embassies.

Erasmus student Robin Strodel from Germany reflected on his AUBG experience and shared: “I like the courses because they're small, so I'm more involved in class because at home I don't participate at all.” Another difference between AUBG and his university boils down to this: “Here is more like a high school, not just the lectures, but the system, how you get graded.” He said that having many assignments throughout the semester gives students the chance to perform well in a course even if they have received an unsatisfactory grade on a certain project or quiz.

Austrian Erasmus student Magdalena Fuchs agreed and added that “you learn much more and you take much more from the courses.” She compared this to studying for two days for a comprehensive exam at the end of the semester and forgetting everything afterward. She also emphasized the professors’ attitude towards the students, which is different in her university in Austria.

Amélie Prieur de la Comble, a French Erasmus student, said: “The main difference is that my university is really big because I'm in Lille, France, and half of the city is the university.” She added that the classes there consist of 400 students, and the professor does not know them by name.

Social life was a main highlight of Erasmus students’ AUBG experience. Fuchs shared: “The Orientation Week was very good for us, and it really encourages connecting to people.” De la Comble added that the Erasmus people became friends and got to know each other during that week.

Fuchs said: “A lot of my AUBG experience relies on the Erasmus people.” She continued: “We've run really close, and it's like a big family, and the campus is like a big living room.”

Erasmus students go out of this living room often as they travel almost every weekend and visit many cities and countries. Strodel called this a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The German student emphasized the diversity and open-mindedness of people on the university campus. He also introduced the aspect of nationality and speaking the same language, which has led to many friendships among Erasmus students and those from Bulgaria, Albania, Georgia, etc.

When asked what she knew about Bulgaria before arriving here, Fuchs said she knew Sofia was the capital because of Alvaro Soler’s song with the same name. She continued by saying that her mother associated the country with Communism and corruption, and overall, people said mostly negative things about it. Nevertheless, on her first day in Bulgaria, Fuchs observed nature and “was just so amazed because it kind of looks similar to Austria in some points.”

De la Comble shared she knew the country existed and it is in Europe, but she did not have a previous interest in it as that was not a part of her life before. “I found it fun to learn about the country because now I have an interest in it,” she continued.

Strodel said he knew nothing about Bulgaria beforehand and his grandmother was concerned with his departure as she said the country is dangerous and close to the war in Ukraine.

When identifying the main problems at AUBG, all three students agreed that the canteen is a significant one. According to them, the quality of food and the canteen ladies’ language proficiency are the main issues. 

Fuchs said: “I'm very friendly but can't communicate with the canteen ladies. And I don't want to be rude, but usually we miscommunicate, and then I get what I don't want to eat.” De la Comble added that students who do not speak Bulgarian are sometimes perceived more negatively by the staff.

According to Strodel, the same problem is present in the restaurants in Blagoevgrad as “it seems like they [waiters] don't like foreign people.” He added that this can be improved and the workers have to change their attitude.

De la Comble said she misses cooking for herself and spending time on her own, as this is hardly achievable when living in Skaptopara. Nevertheless, she appreciated being surrounded by people all the time on campus and overall liked AUBG’s atmosphere.