Picturesque location however the facilities are poorly designed and do not take advantage of natural light and ventilation. There is a lack of modern equipment and the amphitheaters are usually overcrowded. Facilities like the cafeteria seem to be operating with very low standards. Overall a pleasant place to spend time and have a high profile education, however as a student you have to put in extra effort to overcome disadvantages like the ones stated.
View moreThe University of Patras is located in the greek city of Patras. Its facilities leave a lot to be desired and it’s faculty has its problems and deficiencies too. However, its curriculum is of high quality and, at least in the dept. of engineering, capable of producing professionals that can be just as competitive as their EU counterparts.
The lecture halls are nice, but they are definitely not taking into account the local climate. They are claustrophobic with little natural lighting, as they are built following Scandinavian standards. The laboratories, in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, are… lacking to say the least. They are old, out of date and insufficiently staffed to a large degree.
Most professors are capable, with some shining examples. Some are more than deserving of their position, with lectures that are interesting, captivating and highly focused. They show great expertise in their subject and they definitely know what they are talking about. Others are, uhm, useless. Put in place by bureaucrats, through corruption and having the right connections rather than their worth as researchers and teachers.
View moreIn my opinion University of Patras is one of the best universities in the world and it has many departments to choose from! Teachers are really helpful during your studies and laboratories are a great addition! Definitely a University you’ll like, in a city you will enjoy!
View moreAfter having attended my program for quite a while, I can say that the level of knowledge expected from the students is high enough to make it be at the top in my country. Nevertheless, there is a shortage of new professors which means the quality of the lessons is okay but not amazing. Moreover, the different labs have big developmental differences, with the material research sector being the most prominent and the fluid mechanics lab being a relic of what it used to be.
The food at the cafeteria is quite mediocre but edible. However, the queue for it can become quite long. On campus accommodation is available.
I study Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics here. The faculty is on the most part very good and knowledgeable about their respective subjects. Some of them are of course, not that helpful and offer less-than-average teaching, including but not limited to, subpar notes and slides, books that don’t help whatsoever in studying the subject in question and exams that are confusing, including questions about things that were never covered in class. That kind of professor, however, is overall limited to but a handful of individuals, other colleagues of theirs are perfect in their jobs. They are very helpful when it comes to understanding their courses, they offer plenty of examples and practice problems and are willing to help students in need of clarifications. Lastly, when it comes to professors there is a substantial lack of them, leading to labs being understaffed and existing faculty stretched out very thinly.
When it comes to University buildings, hardware and lab equipment the situation changes dramatically, There are shortages in almost everything, lab equipment is mostly ancient and deteriorating, the available buildings are also old and worn out. There are computers available for use, but those of my department at least are old and extremely slow, for the most part.
The University of Patras offers 3 meals per day, either for free with a card (available to lower income students) or at a very low price. It is mostly good with some exceptions, namely the seafood offered.
One of my biggest issues with it, is the almost complete disregard of the Dean for student organizations such as EUROAVIA and others. Other than a very complicated bureaucracy that’s required to legally access our funds through ELKE, the university refuses to give us the necessary workspaces to conduct our activities and research. Organizations are mostly left to fend for themselves and therefore, are placed at a substantial disadvantage when aiming to complete technical projects that require a large amount of knowledge, capital and manufacturing capabilities (like CNC lathes, 3D printers and other such equipment that cannot possibly be accessed through other means by students themselves)
View moreIn my department, most of the professors are amazing with a lot of knowledge. The facilities are a little bit old, but you can find great things in some of the labs. The location is amazing, away from the center of the city. The transportation are frequent, but it can get really really crowded!
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