University of Patras (reviews)

I am Giannis Kotsiris and I am studying electrical and computer engineering in University of Patras. I have graduated here since 2019. The ece part in Patras is one of the best in Greece and has a lot of opportunities

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)

The level of studies is very good and advanced but the infrastructure, the food and the financial / psychological help to the students are insufficient. There are many student organizations that can not organize events, seminars and programs due to lack of assistance (financial and material). The lesson is as you expect when you know the situation that prevails in Greece. I would recommend it to people who have some financial help and do not need support from the state.

We have a really great campus that looks like every European university and I really like the new classrooms. Unfortunately in the mathematics department, we don’t have enough classes and there are times when students stay out of class. So an upgrade in our classrooms would be necessary. As far as the teachers I believe like every university there are brilliant teachers offering great lessons and really caring about their students and also some of them whose lesson seems boring and not that interesting. In conclusion as someone really interested in mathematics, I could say that my university brought me closer to my beloved subject but it required a lot of personal effort and discovery and I believe that a university should offer a better motivation for their students to keep their interest as it is difficult for every student to be that that self-organized.

What I like about the program is that is challenging. This comes with pros and cons. On the one hand, the demanding program gives you the chance to acquire more than basic knowledge about the subject but what makes it difficult is that the exams sometimes demand more studying than the usual and necessary one, and as a result, the grades aren’t that high and don’t necessarily represent your effort and your knowledge. The majority of Professors are kind and care about their students’ progress although, there is mainly a need for a personal approach to detach the best out of them. Unfortunately, the higher the level/year of studies, the more of them seem to care about giving you the bare minimum as teachers unless of course you approach them in person and ask for it. Good facilities, great student life and, despite the process of getting the degree is difficult, the whole experience offers you a lot of lessons, of all kinds.

My experience for the past three years is good overall. The pandemic has affected negatively my studies, as I have found it much more difficult to stay involved when I’m not present in the university, and I don’t feel empowered to do so as well. The university and professors on the other hand haven’t adjusted well to the online environment, as after 3 exams periods there hasn’t been found an effective way of examing the students. Something very positive about the university is the other ways you can get involved, apart from your studies. There is a large number of student associations present in the campus, and that helps a lot of students, including me, staying involved, in both the live and the online period. Also, there are many seminars to attend that can improve both the hard and the soft skills of the students. Finally, something I enjoy a lot is the student life Patras has to offer, although it is my hometown. Overall, I enjoy my studies at the University of Patras, and I’m looking forward to returning to the campus.

It’s a university with lot’s of faculties and big diversity of students. Most of the proffesors adapted to the online classes and the university even have a sponsor from a popular online platfrom and it gives free accounts to all students and professors. Apart from the facilities of each faculty it has the dorms, that are kind of nice but nothing special, cafeterias that are very well equiped and clean and some sport facilities

The University of Patras (UoP) is one of the biggest campuses in Greece. It enumerates dozens of faculties with students from all over Greece and Cyprus. I can say that the University’s infrastructure is obsolete and there are no funds for renovation. The government and the rectory authority does not invest in creating a modern, friendly environment for the students. Although, the student’s community is very active in the UoP, providing a variety of events and projects to fulfill every interest and need. We, as students, support this kind of initiative and I would recommend to everyone to get into that community! Hope that helped! Have a nice day!

The department of Electrical & Computer Engineering is considered as one of the most challenging departments in the University, and there is a lot of workload for the students. The professors are generally helpful, but there are many who do not really seem to care about their students and it is very difficult to come in touch with them. However, the academic content of the courses is quite decent. During the COVID-19 quarantine, most of them continued the lectures online after a few weeks, but there were some that refused to provide online lectures, so they demotivated the students.
The University is located a little bit outside the center of the city in a very quiet and beautiful environment, but I cannot say the same thing for the dorms and the facilities of the University. Some buildings are very old, there are just few large auditoriums so sometimes there is not enough room for everyone and the labs in my department are not as modern as I like, especially for my field of studies.
I should also mention that as a student, you have the opportunity to join several student groups, sports, music, dance and photograph teams and share your passion with other students, and apart from those, as a student in Patras you will definitely have a great time!

The ECE department is good enough to learn and it gives you a lot of opportunities. There are a lot of activities to do with organizations, clubs and teams too. The problem is that most professors do not care if the students learn or not. Professors are not getting evaluated by anyone so if someone doesn’t do a good job, they continue working on the same position. A lot of them, they do not cooperate and if you have questions they do not want to help you. Also, some of them speak rudely and make you uncomfortable. They are the reason many lose interest in this department! On the other hand, we have some really inspiring professors, though a few, they help you a lot and keep you motivated! They just love what they do! Overall I have mixed feelings about this department and I have caught myself thinking to drop this university and go to another one with better professors and climate, but this one is free and also it has opened me a lot of opportunities as a student through the students’ teams and organizations! So that is why I will continue to study here!