The world without borders opens up endless opportunities for those who seek knowledge and new experiences. Academic mobility is not just about studying at another university, but also a unique chance to immerse yourself in a new culture, broaden your horizons, and build an international network of contacts.
This is exactly the path taken by our talented students of the specialty 292 International Economic Relations – Maksym Popov and Oleksandra Kurylo, who spent the spring semester of 2024/2025 academic year in the heart of Europe – Prague, studying at NEWTON University. They share their impressions of modern European education, life in the ancient city, and unforgettable acquaintances with us in this article.
Oleksandra Kurylo, a student of 301-FM group, specialty 292 International Economic Relations, says:
“This spring semester I had the opportunity to study at Newton University in the Czech Republic. Before that, I studied in Austria and chose the Czech Republic in order to see how different these countries are in cultural and educational aspects.
First, I want to talk about the educational process. All the teachers were not only friendly and always ready to help, but also true professionals in their field. It was incredibly interesting to learn from such interesting and experienced people. The course I remember the most from the entire semester was Business English. I was pleasantly surprised by the unobtrusive and friendly atmosphere of the classes. It seemed as if I was talking not to a professor but to a friend who successfully combined new terms and professional vocabulary with political and historical events. Thanks to this form of teaching, where there were no boundaries or restrictions on expressing my thoughts, I learned a lot of interesting things I had never heard of before, and I could make jokes and use professional vocabulary at the same time. It was a really exciting experience.
I also really liked the Management course – especially how passionate the professor was about the subject he was teaching. He constantly told many interesting stories related to his professional activities and shared useful online news resources. I was especially pleased to be able to attend lectures, which often featured invited guests who shared their own experiences. This made a great impression on me, because it was very interesting to hear the stories of growth of each of them and to take some tips for the future.
As for Prague as a city to live in, from the very first day I was impressed by its beauty and richness of architectural and historical monuments. There are many interesting places and establishments in the city where you can go with friends. I especially liked the openness of Europeans, who are happy to make small talk or compliment you. It is these warm little things that will remain in my heart forever. I have made friends here from Turkey, Taiwan, Argentina, Chile, Spain and other countries. All of them are very friendly and nice people with whom I spent unforgettable time outside of school.
In general, this exchange left me with many new, unforgettable emotions and stories that I will remember for a long time. I gained new skills and knowledge that I can apply in my professional life. I highly recommend that you take advantage of the exchange program at least once, because this experience changes your worldview by 100%, teaches you new things and gives you an unlimited amount of emotions and memories.”
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Maksym Popov, a student of 202-FM group, specialty 292 International Economic Relations, shares his impressions:
“I studied at NEWTON University according to modern programs aimed at exploring aspects of doing business both locally and internationally. Seminars and lectures were held in new comfortable classrooms with modern equipment. Much attention was paid to the assimilation and understanding of the material by students without the need to write notes.
I would like to tell you more about some of the subjects:
During the Business English and Global Communication Skills seminars, we actively discussed various business topics in English in small groups, and at the end of each lesson we summarized the results together with the teacher. He regularly introduced professional vocabulary for the economic sphere and offered interesting group exercises, which allowed us to consolidate the material we had learned and dive deeper into new terminology.
Ethical Aspects of Management: a course that introduced us, the students, to the responsibilities and ethical challenges of global companies and multinationals, helping us to develop a conscious and responsible attitude towards business ethics.
Integrated Marketing Communication: a discipline devoted to the study of integrated marketing strategies of companies and ways to promote goods and services in international and local markets, with a focus on interaction with different consumer segments.
Management: a course in which we studied the fundamental principles of management and organizational structures at different levels of the enterprise. In almost every class, students had the opportunity to communicate with speakers from different countries and universities, which helped them develop intercultural and leadership skills.
Manager’s Personality: a discipline that combines management psychology with leadership theory and also includes elements of general psychology to help students better understand how to develop effective management approaches.
The Political and Cultural Aspects of Global Business course covered a detailed overview of the interaction of the state with the national or international market and its role in the economic life of each participant in the country’s economic life.
While studying at NEWTON University, the emphasis was on teamwork: most classes were based on group projects that were an integral part of several disciplines. The peculiarity of this format was that no notes were taken during lectures – the teachers explained the material in detail, so students could fully focus on the perception of information, not on notes.
Life in the Czech Republic was pleasant and exciting, especially in Prague, a city that fascinated me with its beautiful architecture and made a lasting impression.”
The experience gained by Oleksandra and Maksym in Prague clearly demonstrates how valuable integration into the European educational space is. Their feedback emphasizes the key advantages of the modern approach to learning: interactive formats, focus on understanding the material rather than rote learning, and involvement of practitioners and guests from different countries in lectures.
In addition to deep academic knowledge of management, marketing, and business communications, students gained invaluable life experience. They learned intercultural communication, established contacts with young people from all over the world, and became more independent and confident.
This trip is a clear example of how academic mobility programs contribute to the formation of a new generation of professionals: globally minded, open-hearted, and ready to meet the challenges of modern business. Their success is a great incentive for other students to use similar opportunities for their own professional and personal growth.
“The stories of Oleksandra and Maksym are the best confirmation that we are moving in the right direction by offering our students opportunities for international growth. We don’t just provide theoretical knowledge in the classroom – we open the world to them. I am convinced that the experience they have gained in Prague – practical skills, intercultural communication and a new perspective on the profession – will be a solid foundation for their future successful careers. They are our future, and we are happy to see how confidently they take their first steps on the global stage,” adds Anna Pavelieva, International Activities Coordinator of Poltava Polytechnic.
It should be noted that Poltava Polytechnic teachers can participate in academic mobility programmes and internships, and students of Poltava Polytechnic have the opportunity to study abroad under the grant programmes of credit academic mobility for a semester or a whole academic year at the leading universities of Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
For more information on current internship, teaching and academic mobility programmes abroad, please contact the International Relations Department (room 213-C, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or the Coordinator of International Cooperation of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Kostiantynivna Pavelieva (email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +3-8-(095)-91-08-192).
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
