"All the professors will know you by name by mid-quarter, worry if you missed a class and be interested in your health." Anna Kostina talks about her studies at a university in Croatia, which went within the frameworks of the mobility programme.
In the spring semester 2022/2023 academic year Anna Kostina, a 2nd year student of the bachelor's program "Marketing and market analytics" at the HSE Graduate School of Business, visited one of the best business schools in Croatia - Zagreb School of Economics and Management. Classes are held in English, but some phrases in Croatian (e.g. "Dobar Dan!" - "Добрый день!") are understandable for Russians without an interpreter or knowledge of the language. Read in the review about how difficult it is to study at a small university, in comparison with the HSE Graduate School of Business’ studies, and what prospects a mobility programme in Croatia offers.
Zagreb School of Economics and Management (ZSEM) is a small private university and the best business school in Croatia. On the scale of Vyshka, the university is very small indeed: it occupies just two floors of an office building, and classes, whether lectures or seminars, are held in groups of up to 30 people. There is no library, canteen or dormitory, but all of the classrooms are modern. There are also several cool co-working and recreational spaces. There's as well the Linea Café on the ground floor of the office building, where you can work or have a coffee, and an open equipped roof on the fifth floor where you can admire Zagreb from above or, again, work.
Around 30 per cent of all students at the university are foreigners. These are guys who have come to study through mobility programmes or students from various countries who have chosen ZSEM for their undergraduate or graduate studies. By the way, there are also Russian citizens among the university's permanent students.
How the study process at a Croatian university is organised
Classes are conducted entirely in English. All professors and students speak good English. In my experience, everyone in Croatia speaks English quite well. Studying at ZSEM when you have experienced the GSB does not seem to be hard. Teachers are loyal and open towards students and there is no inflation of assessments. Homework is not practiced at Croatian universities.
Important: Do not be afraid to talk and negotiate with teachers. Most professors understand that students study, work, travel a lot and have a rest. They are happy to make concessions: they can postpone a quiz to another date, extend the deadline for an assignment, move the lesson to an online format, etc.
Attendance at ZSEM is important, so you need to attend at least 75% of your classes in order to successfully "close" a subject. The strongest programs at ZSEM are in economics and finance related subjects. They will be the most difficult to pass, but it is in these subjects that you will gain the most knowledge.
Croatian companies are quite often involved in the teaching process. Company representatives can share some of their acute cases that students are asked to solve, come to a group project defense, or simply give a presentation about the company or industry. This is a great opportunity to talk to business representatives and ask questions and learn more about promising Croatian companies.
I have already written that the university has very small premises and that it does not have its own library or gym. Despite this the incoming coordinator can help you sign up for a sports club or advise you on how to eat in the student canteens on a budget. All professors will also know your name by mid-terms, worrying if you've missed class and wondering about your health if you're sick. As there aren't many students, the university actively practices an individual approach.
Each course lasts one quarter. The course assessment is usually made up of a combination of midterms (tests) and a group or individual project. If you have successfully completed midterms, you do not need to take the final exam for the subject in June. If you do not manage to finish a course with midterms or the final exam is not satisfactory for you, you can take the final exam in June.
Important! Try to finish a course with midterm tasks. Taking a course final exam in June is more difficult.
ZSEM is worth going to if you want to focus on making new acquaintances, traveling, exploring a new country and learning at a quiet pace without a rush.
Why should you go to Croatia?
During my six months in Croatia, I have identified 5 main advantages of living in this country for students:
1) It's easy to travel to other countries from Croatia: with Croatian student visa you can enter other European countries, the cities are connected by bus routes, the distances between them are short (to Ljubljana by bus is 2 hours, to Budapest 4 hours, to Vienna 5 hours) and the prices for FlixBus tickets and Ryanair airfares start from 10€. Besides, Croatia isn't that far from Russia - the time difference is only 1 hour, and in case of any emergencies it isn't that difficult to get home by plane or even bus.
2) Croatia has a wonderful coastline with affordable prices. The nearest seaside towns are only a 1.5 hour drive from Zagreb, and you can swim from May to October.
3) Prices in Zagreb are comparable to those in Moscow, and lower for some categories of products and services (for example, rental or taxis).
4) The cultural difference is not much felt because the culture of Eastern European countries is similar to the Russian. Even some phrases in Croatian you will understand without an interpreter (for example, "Dobar Dan!" - "Добрый день!").
5) Safety. Croatia has one of the lowest crime rates of any European country. A lost wallet or an iPhone left in a crowded place will most likely be returned the same day. At night you can move around the city on foot without any fear about your safety. There are quite a few refugees in the country.
During the six months that I lived and studied in Croatia, I kept a channel about my life where I shared everything that happened to me. Go ahead and subscribe if you are interested in learning more about studying and living in Zagreb: https://t.me/zabreb_vibes
