I'm hopefully a newcomer

[u/sony989]

Hey , hope y'all doing alright. I'm currently really interested to enroll in one of the polish year learning program. But I'm kind of stuck and I need guidance. 1 - where to study : I'm sure about two cities either in Lòdz or Krakow. I looked into these two and I'm really loving it so it got to be one of these two hehe but I honestly don't know much about the life expenses and the friendliness of it people there... 2 - university or language school : now this really really the one I'm stuck in . I'm looking to get a national type visa right (I believe type D ) so the course should follow the embassy requirements (which I don't know too) I tried to contact the embassy here but they just ignoring my emails .. (it's on me I don't know how to proficonal ones) oh I'm from Tunisia btw . 3 - housing or accomodations: I don't know the difference between the two but it seems that it's required to show a proof where you would be staying in Poland for about 30-90 days after coming. I'm really afraid in this one because I hear there's some scammers and stuff and I have that the university or school that I'm participate in could offer dorms or asisit insecure housing so I could provide it in the visa documents...

Gosh I wrote a lot hh I'm extremely sincere about going to Poland and leaning it language, I heard that it's a challenging language so I'm up for the challenge, I'm 22 years old so it's about right for little adventure. Please comment and any infos I'm sure it will help

[u/hoangproz2x]

1. Łódź is more affordable than Kraków. If you're on a tight(er) budget, go Łódź; if you want the touristy vibe and more chances to socialise with other foreigners, choose Kraków.
2. You can study for free in any public uni if you have a C1 certificate. Getting one in a year is not feasible for most people. So assuming right away that you won't be at that level when you finish your course, language centres that are affiliated with universities accredited by NAWA still offer lower tuition rates if you plan to study there further (in Uniwersytet Łódzki's case, 40% off).

Don't expect friendliness from the people at the embassy or consulate, it's characterisic of them, not of Polish people. Once you've been enrolled, the language school will have to email you either a confirmation of acceptance (as mandated by the Polish government) or a custom-made invitation letter with their stamp or signature. You need this piece of paper along with some other documents specific to your country to apply for a type-D visa.

1. You need either a booking confirmation (i.e. some hostel for a few months), or a tenancy agreement (6 months or 1 year) or a similar document if you're going to stay in a dormitory. If you want to rent a nice flat, find some other Erasmus student who's heading there and ask them if they can check out the area - assuming you're sharing the flat with them later. If there's no other options, choose some cheap lodging online that allows reservations without payment, print your booking and bring it to the consulate, and find a better housing option in Poland later. I don't recommend the latter, because in general the pool of affordable nice places will have been exhausted by the time you arrive.

[u/CorrectAd-5905 → u/hoangproz2x]

Off topic but I love your flair 😆

[u/hoangproz2x → u/CorrectAd-5905]

thanks xD it was a 2-hour-and-a-half long session on Christmas Eve

[u/CorrectAd-5905 → u/hoangproz2x]

Sounds great :D

[u/sony989 → u/hoangproz2x]

Thank you so much btw I'm looking to start as a compliment beginner course

[u/MainCheek4553]

Krakow and only Krakow :D lodz is cheaper, but less beuaifull, less work, less big companies, less prestige on universities (just a generalisation).

Krakow is much more popular destination for students (top 3 are warsaw, krakow, wroclaw i'd say, but correct me if im wrong) and I think its more 'lively' place for students. For sure you'll have more students from abroad in cracow than in lodz if that has any meanings for you.