Articles

Lydia Lysenkova

Choosing a university is a crucial decision in your life. It is like a marriage: you agree to stay with it in times of sorrow and happiness. Sometimes it is an arranged marriage, where your parents make the choice for you; sometimes you follow the advice of your friends.

My name is Lydia and I am a girl from Belarus that once made a decision to change her life and move to Lithuania. I enrolled at Vilnius University as a bachelor’s student and now continue my journey as a master’s student. I guess it means that my “marriage” with Vilnius University and Lithuania was successful.

Why people choose Lithuania? It is a popular place – if you go to the old town in the evening, you will hear at least five different languages. Many international companies opened their offices here (as booking.com did recently). Moreover, Lithuania is a country of start-ups: if you want to start something, it is a great place to do that. Government supports start-ups, so opening a new company is a fast and easy process. It means that graduates have many opportunities both starting their career in a global company and starting their own business.

Lithuania in a good geographical location; an ideal place for crazy travellers. There are discounts for students, so you can buy tickets for 20 euros both ways. Besides, the professors will treat you as their colleague and never look down on you. If you want to make a trip to, say, Italy and you need to skip one lecture for that, nobody will against it if you mention it beforehand. Once, I wanted to leave home early for the Christmas vacation and my professors let me pass all my exams before leaving.

Vilnius is a city that allows you to express yourself: if you want to dance, there are many dance studios, if you want to sing, there are many places to do that as well. There is always something going on in the city – you will never get bored. There are karaoke nights, quizzes, food festivals, etc. In addition, many student organizations are trying to gather people together. Crazy costume parties in the bars and clubs, movie nights, volunteer projects, excursions around Lithuania and in foreign countries.

Lithuania is full of people from all over the world. When you arrive for your first lecture, you will meet people from South and North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. For me, that is the best part of studying in a university. It is not just about learning: university is necessary for making valuable friendships. You would never meet all these amazing people without it.

In addition, students usually come for a semester or two. This means that during your four years here, you will meet around 120 people from all over the world. The students also have many opportunities to go abroad for an internship or a semester of studies. This way you have amazing experiences and have something worthy to put in your CV later on. Vilnius University allowed me to spend a part of my studies in South Korea and then go to the Netherlands for an internship.

To sum up, why Lithuania? Why Vilnius? And why Vilnius University? To put it simply: you will never feel lonely here. People around here are amazing, they care about you and try to make Lithuania feel like home. Vilnius is cosy. While it is the capital city of Lithuania with tremendous infrastructure, it still maintains the beauty of its history and the atmosphere that you are welcome here. And Vilnius University has it all – warm people, quality of education, and tons of opportunities.

People come here and want to stay forever. Will you be the next one?

https://www.vu.lt/en/news/5574-life-in-lithuania-small-country-with-a-big-heart

Vilnius University (VU) Press recently published a new book by Dr. Ramūnas Kodratas and Daiva Kubeckienė from Vilnius University Museum. The book, titled “Vilnius University Symbols: Coat of Arms, Academic Regalia and Traditional Ceremonies”, was published in both Lithuanian and English.

“Every Lithuanian has a reason to be proud of Vilnius University, because during the many centuries of its existence, VU represented Lithuania in the world and educated many famous scientists, writers, business leaders and political figures. Without our university, Lithuania would not have had Adam Mickiewicz, Simonas Daukantas, Konstantinas Sirvydas, Motiejus Kazimieras Sarmievijus and other great minds. During more than 400 years of its history, Vilnius University had times of great rise and prosperity as well as many falls and shutdowns; nevertheless, it persevered and was reborn again and again. The university changed greatly during these years, but its main goals remained what they are today – a university that is European, capable to s motivate its community and strengthen the whole country. Vilnius University always was, and will continue to be, the guiding star of higher education in Lithuania. Many great people are currently studying and working here, spreading the news about Lithuania as an intellectual, progressive and innovative country”, Vilnius University rector prof. Artūras Žukauskas said.

Vilnius University symbols (coat of arms, Rector’s regalia, and traditional ceremonies) are an integral part of historical transformations of this school. According to the authors of the book, Vilnius University Rector’s regalia and the coat of arms are the main symbols of the university’s rights and academic autonomy. They are still used during every celebration – at the beginning and ending of an academic year, during visits of high-ranking guests, public and Church holidays.

University’s regalia and main symbols were just as important as any royal artefacts for a very long time. The authors seek to present the main elements and creators of these symbols, as well as their historical context. They also reveal the importance of Vilnius University’s symbolic attributes as a heritage that is still present today, helping to unite the academic community and recognise the university as an institution of long-standing traditions.

The book will soon be available at “Littera”, “Akademinė knyga”, “Vaga”, and at online bookstores patogupirkti.lt, knygos.lt, humanitas.lt.

https://www.vu.lt/en/news/5707-vilnius-university-symbols-coat-of-arms-academic-regalia-and-traditional-ceremonies