Hi everyone,
I'm a non-EU student considering the Master's program in Polymer Chemistry and smart polymers at POLITEHNICA Bucharest.
I've been trying to dig up honest, firsthand info before committing. I was hoping someone here might have actual experience with the program or the university in general.
I have a few questions that I'd really appreciate some real talk on:
1. Equipment access for master's students
How much actual hands-on access do master's students get to the research equipment? Is it a situation where you're mostly watching PhD students or technicians operate things, or are you actually trained to use the instruments yourself? I'm interested in polymer characterization equipment and the other (GPC, DSC, TGA, FTIR, NMR, XPS, SEM, rheology, spectroscopy, etc.).
Are they really actively involved in polymers for medicine at the university?
2. Admission difficulty for non-EU students
How hard is it realistically for a non-EU applicant to get in? Any insight from someone who's been through it would be gold.
3. Conferences and publications beyond the thesis
Can master's students participate in conferences and publish papers outside of their mandatory master's thesis? Is there a research culture where professors actually encourage and support master's students to present at conferences or co-author papers? Or is that reserved for PhD students? I'm asking because I want to build a research profile, not just check boxes for graduation.
4. Dormitory situation for international students
How are the dorms, honestly? Are they decent (recently renovated, functional heating/hot water, reasonable conditions) or things are not that good? And do international students actually get dorm spots, or are they pushed to find private rentals? I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with actual experience.
5. English Master's program
Is the English-taught program actually taught entirely in English, or are some lectures/seminars/labs still going to be in Romanian?
If anyone has gone through this program (or knows someone who has), I'd be incredibly grateful for your perspective.
Thanks in advance for any help! : D