Instituto Superior Técnico (reviews)

Instituto Superior Técnico is a great university part of the bigger university of Lisbon.

The classes are usually very theoretical and most classes are divided in:
-theoretical classes, in which you learn the concepts and math behind it
-pratical classes, where you learn to solve practical problems with the help of a teacher
-laboratory, in which usually you need to solve a problem using labs equipment or programming

It’s a great university and provides a great insight to the “engineering world” however the campus is quite old and most buildings don’t have a modern touch to it.

I would recommend it to everyone willing to work hard for the goals the teachers expect

A great focus was put on the fundamentals of mathematics and physics fields, truly important to fully follow the subsequent subjects. With a wide variety of extracurriculars to choose from and an increasingly liberal and modern study plan, it is increasingly appealing to study at Técnico, which also offers good opportunities for international exchange, internship or work opportunities. Definitely the best engineering school in Portugal.

IST is a good university. The quality of teaching can vary from class to class but it’s overall okay. While some of the teachers are really good and do their best to share their knowledge with the students, others can make classes more difficult than they should be, not impossible but a little more stressful. Some say it’s the best engineering university in Portugal and I agree, upon enrolment, we have to learn much faster than we’re used to, preparing us for everything that comes. Besides that, IST has a really good reputation and due to that, entry into the job market is much easier.

Organisation:
IST is organised very poorly. They enrolled us in a master that did not exist. After that the communication was not smooth and we had to fix everything by ourselves.
Moreover, one of the ‘new classes’ also did not exist. We had to discover this ourselves again. Again, the communication was not clear.

Classes:
The professors and classes were okay. Some were chaotic but it was not a deal-breaker.
I have learned some new things.

Location/campus:
The best thing about IST is the location, it is located in the centre of the city and is easy to get to. However, the Campus feels outdated and it even rains inside (Engineering building nonetheless).
The sports fields were very nice and cheap.

Accommodation:
There was some information provided but nothing special. I found my space on myself.