Piotr Przyborowski

It might have seemed that studying at a foreign university is a real mission impossible for a student from Poland. Nothing could be further from the truth! As a second-year student of Film and Television Production at the University of York, I must admit that choosing England as the next stop in my educational journey was and still is a significant challenge. Undoubtedly, however, it is a game worth the candle.

Even though I got accepted to a prestigious Polish law university, since childhood, my dream has been to work in television or the broader entertainment industry. That’s why when the opportunity arose to study something in line with my passion at one of the top universities for my field in all of Europe (in 2017, it ranked on the podium in The Guardian’s ranking for film & photography in the entire UK), I decided to take up the challenge and embark on my studies in England.

What sets my course apart from others is the large accumulation of practice exams. Instead of taking a mundane test about the rules governing television, our task is simply to record our show – recently it was a game show, and now it will be a short magazine format. Of course, there’s a lot of theory involved, but we can put it to the test in practice – whether it’s through our film scripts or, perhaps most importantly, a short film created by us from start to finish.

The English weather is certainly not as bad as they paint it, nevertheless, it can be annoying or
downright depressing. It is very humid here, which may bother the slightly more sensitive
organisms. However, it’s worth noting that winters here are much warmer than in Poland – temperatures
rarely falls below zero.

The University of York uses a collegiate system, which strongly resembles the houses known as Hogwarts. In the first year, each student is assigned to a specific college, whose colors will be
represented for the next years of their education. Therefore, it is worthwhile, at least for the first year, reside in halls, or local dormitories. From my own experience, I do not recommend however, sharing a room with another person – although it is a very financially advantageous option, involves With this, there are some inconveniences. However, I currently live in a house we rent with my friends. Chod is a cheaper option in theory, and should also always be considered – in the case of this type of rental we usually condemn ourselves to a 12-month contract.

An international student at the start may have trouble finding a so-called “international student. part-time job. In many places, somewhat understandably, employers look more favorably on British students. It is certainly useful to get a National Insurence Number, but you have to wait a few weeks for it. I currently work at Deliveroo, where I deliver food by bicycle. Although it’s a physical job in theory, I like and value it a lot, and the wages are often over £10 an hour. I choose when I want to ride myself, so de facto I am the boss for myself. The bike, by the way, I consider the best thing I bought in England. It gives me a lot of freedom, allows me to stay in shape, is much faster than walking, and above all, it’s the cheapest mode of transportation possible. Although public transportation is relatively expensive, there has been a 24-hour student ticket available in York for some time now, which costs three pounds. For the UK, that’s relatively low.

As for university life, the ones in York are excellent. I have already mentioned the system
college. Additionally, the University has a range of wonderful societies in operation. Personally
I am a member of the Polish Society, York Student Television and the University of York Floorball Club, the
university’s floorball club. In all these groups, I’ve met incredible people
who have become my good friends.

Many people are concerned about the bureaucracy involved in the application process and the high costs of studying in the UK. The first is not entirely true. UCAS, the platform through which you submit your application for university admission, is very helpful and user-friendly. In turn, for the tuition fee, one gets the so-called student loan. I handled it personally with Student Finance. However, it is certainly also an interesting option to get help from the team at Edu4u.

An undergraduate degree in the UK is a huge opportunity for any young person. While you will, of course, miss your family, home, city, or friends, you certainly won’t miss them during your stay in England. The opportunity to study in a foreign language offers great possibilities, just as getting to know people from all around the world does. Therefore, do not hesitate for a minute and take your first step right now!