Program, classes and teachers are great, but the problem is lack of organization. Sometimes we have two or three exams at the same time and no one cares about that. We have too much 3 espb exams that are harder than 12 espb exams. There is no balance.

The only thing I liked are the languages I’ve learnt. Classes were tedious, professors unmotivated and biased toward students from different programs. There were too many subjects which had nothing to do with the programs we studied, they were only there so that we could collect ESPB’s. Fees were huge, especially if we had to buy original books. Overall experience, a nightmare and a waste of time.

The professors are open to us, there are many learning opportunities. Every day is a learning opportunity, there are many materials that are offered to us. Professors are always ready to help and give us many opportunities to talk with them to improve our language skills.

Belgrade’s Faculty of Philology lies in the heart of this vibrant city. It accompanies the rest of the older architecture very well and leaves you with that melancholic note which is particularly pleasing during spring. I do however need to mention the need for modernization that would help both students and professors in their progress. This faculty does not lack the knowledge it can offer, but in my humble opinion, it should be more open and connected to the opportunities that are to come after graduation. We, as students, also need direction and support in the process of choosing the right career path. I believe there are many internships, master’s degree options, jobs and even volunteer possibilities which we never discover (or not in time) because the faculty is not engaging enough neither in our professional orientation towards the end of the courses, nor in the acquisition of practical experience and spreading of information during the studies. Some professors are incredible: undeniably enjoying what they teach, always ready to help and talk to you if you reach out even after the classes. The number of the subjects per year compared to the number of exam terms is for the most sectors at this faculty very unbalanced. I do not regret choosing to study here, but I do think a couple of functional points of this educational institution need focus as soon as possible. Lastly, until the pandemic, all of our lectures were held on campus, now we still follow them online (in some cases blended system) with the initiative for going back on campus rising.

I am a German student here at the Faculty of Philology. My experience with my studies has been overall positive. There are many different courses to choose from, and the majority of professsors are very professional.The location of the faculty is superb, it is in the center of the old part of Belgrade near many tourist attractions and has very good connection with bus to all parts of Belgrade.

I am studying at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, Department of Iberian Studies. In general, this course is attended by about 90 students per year, so we are divided into smaller groups of 30 students. Most professors are very correct and try to meet everyone’s needs and encourage us to spread our interests. The material starts from A1 level and at the end students acquire level B2 / C1. We are obliged from the very beginning to do our homework and to try to use the Spanish language as much as possible in conversation with others. The library of our department is rich in readings that we need during our entire studies. There are a lot of exam deadlines and our department mostly tries to schedule exams properly. The problem is caused by numerous elective courses from other departments for which we are obliged to choose. As for the location, the faculty is located in the very center of the city; it is well connected with other parts of the city, and student dormitories and canteens can be reached quickly. Homes are tidy, renovated, cheap and always a good place to make friends. The opportunities that the faculty and especially my specialty provide are great, as Spanish is the most widespread language in the world.

I am a 3rd year student of Iberian studies at the Faculty of Philology, majoring in Spanish language, culture and literature. It enrolls 90 people each year, 45 on a budget and 45 on self-financing. From the first year, it starts with an introduction to culture and the nation, as well as the beginning of Spanish literature, and then continues on to the modern age. On the other hand, a language is learned that starts from the A1 level and reaches the C1. Language classes are in Spanish, while literature and culture lectures are in Serbian. The professors are very dedicated and hold their lectures regularly. Each processor has its own consultations during the work week. The material is passed a little faster in order to achieve all the targeted ideas for further learning. There is a certain required literature for each subject, but also all professors list secondary literature, which is plentiful. Many books have been translated into Serbian, so reading literature is a little easier. The department has its own library and classrooms equipped with video beams and computers through which audio recordings are listened to and exercises are done.
Near our faculty, there is a canteen called Three Skeletons, which is mostly attended by our students.
The faculty is located in the very center of the city so it is connected to all parts, and there are a lot of bus lines.
A year at the faculty costs 119,000 if a student decides to self-finance. I live in the Studenjak home, which costs 30 euros a month, is well connected to the city center and can get to college quickly.
There is also the possibility of exchange through the Erasmus program. Students can also participate in a lot of volunteer places.

I study the German language and am in my third year. So far excluding a grumpy professor or two I’ve had a mostly positive experience when asking for help or anything regarding my studies. Sometimes the lack of organisation and clear instructions regarding the lessons, learning materilals and exams really get on my nerves, but that again happens not too often. If you are interested in your studies and are willing to put in the effort to sometimes search for literature on yout own, then you won’t have a hard time. Just don’t expect a language course, where you can pass withought putting in much effort. Here some exams are made out of multiple parts where if you fail one, you fail the entire course. But at the end of the day even those are passable and after them you’re sure that you’ve at least learned something.

I am studying at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, majoring in Slovak language, literature and culture. Our group is very small, there are very few of us a year, 7 students. The professors are very correct, they dedicate themselves to each student individually. In the first year, we mostly do grammar, reading, and from the third year we actively dedicate ourselves to literature and conversation. We are constantly obliged to do our homework and discuss it. We also have a library, where there are rare books that cannot be found otherwise. The faculty is generally disorganized, the deadlines are very close to each other, and we cannot achieve to pass everything, as we have 16 exams per year. There is also the possibility of exchange for the best students, going to Bratislava for the whole semester or the whole year. The direction is generally not difficult, but it requires constant work. We don’t have a canteen within the faculty, but it is close to the faculty, and it is cheaper and the food is delicious. The faculty is in the center of the city and is well connected with all parts of the city, so that students who come from other cities can easily manage. I live in a home, I pay about 3000 dinars a month, or 30e, but I can also rent apartments, where the prices are a little more than 150-400e. The dormitory is beautiful, there are between 1-5 students in the room. The night life is good, there are many places to go out adapted to students, it can be said that Belgrade lives from students. .

University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology has a lot of majors. Currently, I am in my 4th year of studying the Arabic language and literature. The studies take 4 school years to complete, then you can choose to get a masters degree. As far as the subjects go, there is a wide variety of subjects, starting from the mandatory ones that include the language itself, conversation and translating, all the way to optional subjects that we can study in other departments. We take the opportunity to learn subjects from other departments in order to be more knowledgeable about the culture and language. The professors are extremely competent, we have a teacher for grammar, conversation, literature etc who are all wholeheartedly dedicated to their jobs.

They also organize one on one consultations with students, considering that our group is very big (80 students decide to study this language per year) they cannot give each and every student their full attention and focus during classes. Since we come from Serbia, we do not have many opportunities to perfect not hear the language outside of our school setting, you can see how limiting this fact is. Besides the language, we learn about Arabic cultures. But, the issue is with the teaching program itself. We study from books that date back from 1977, we are not able to keep up with the modern usage of the language. More emphasis is placed on the accent in grammar, so much so that the professors are not able to divulge into a deeper conversation with the students, this creates a huge problem. Students finish their studies having a great understanding of the grammar, we can understand what someone is telling us, but, because of the lack of communication in the teaching program, we cannot form more complex sentences.

The concept of the program goes like this, besides mandatory subjects we have optional subjects as well, we have about 16 exams per year which can be a bit challenging. Also, we do not have enough time to study the language itself because we have to study the optional subjects (if chosen) that we usually choose by the level of difficulty, as we do not have enough time to meet all the expectations and study for all of the exams. The exam deadlines are organized in a very weird and peculiar way, we have 6 exam deadlines per year, we get about 10 days in between the first two deadlines. After that, we have a break that lasts up to 3 months until the next two deadlines. As for the literature, the faculty has provided a library for students of oriental studies which is enriched with books that are rare, this makes the studies a bit easier. The fault in the course is that we do not have an exchange student program, there are no options to travel to Arabic countries in order to perfect our speaking skills unless paid for out of the students pocket – this is a huge setback in my opinion, especially considering other majors do have these options.

Another issue is the lack of classrooms, which inevitably leads to constant class rescheduling or very long breaks in between classes. The equipment is old, we use very old computers, most of the classrooms have very outdated blackboards. The positive side is that we have a student administration that is very dedicated to the student body, always ready to help and explain if we don’t understand something. We do not have reading rooms in our university, but every department has its own library which can be used by the students freely, of course, if there are no classes occurring inside. The tuition fee is very expensive, 120000 dinars or 1000 euros, which has not went down during the covid-19 pandemic and lockdown in 2020. Regardless of the fact that we’ve had online classes which were not enough for us to comprehend the coursework of the following school year. Of course, we have the option to study on the university budget, we only need to have 48espb per year.

The university also has a section for rhetoric studies, theatric studies, soccer teams, volleyball teams, an acting group and also the student parlament which is always more than ready to jump and defend student rights. We do not have a lunchroom, but, there are cafeterias that are by all of the universities in Belgrade. The food is good and cheap, for students who are studying on the university budget it’s as low as 70 dinars, which is roughly a little less than 50 cents. This is a very positive thing taking into consideration that living and studying in Belgrade is very expensive considering the countries standards.

There are also campuses, the monthly fee is about 3000 dinars or 30 euros. They are very nicely decorated and equipped, each room has it’s own bathroom and the space capacity is 2-4 beds per room. Within the campus there is also a reading room, nurses room, relaxation room, recreation room and a room for cultural events. It is surrounded by nature, but very close to the faculties. The students who get to live on the campuses are students studying on the university budget or students that come from low income families and foreign students (which we have a lot). We have a saying ”he who has never lived on campus has never experienced the real student life”. Students who aren’t on the university budged also have the ability to live on campus for the economy price of 10000 dinars, or 90 euros. The campuses are very nicely equipped, every block has it’s own security guard who ensures the safety of the students. Students who would prefer a bit more privacy can also rent out apartments in Belgrade, but the prices are higher. In these past few years the property prices have jumped up, now, apartments in the center range from 250 to 400 euros, while apartments on the outskirts of town are more affordable, costing from 150 to 250 euros per month.

By using their student card, students get many discounts for museums, theaters, the movies, there are many options to choose from. Also, the nightlife in Belgrade is very big, there are many coffee shops, clubs and other places to go outside, you could say that Belgrade lives off of it’s students. Personally, I would recommend it to everyone to study in Belgrade, it’s one of the cities in Europe that has the best nightlife, good student activity organization, anyone can find their place here and find something interesting.