Do international members of the UT community ever dare say, 'This university is better than universities in our home countries,' or do they prefer to remain silent, not letting anyone discover the shortcomings of their native institutions?
To consider this more thoroughly, let's compare the UT and Yugoslav universities. The most popular universities in Yugoslavia are the Universities of Belgrade, NiÜ and Novi Sad. The oldest and biggest one is the University of Belgrade, which formally opened in 1905, with three faculties: Philosophy, Law and Engineering. At that time the University was located in a building that MiÜa Anastasijevic, then one of the richest men in Serbia, had donated to his fatherland. Today the Captain MiÜa Building, houses the University of Belgrade President's office. The sprawling consists of 30 faculties, eight scientific institutes and a library.
One important feature for of university's academic atmosphere is its environment. The UT campus is made in such a way that students can easily enjoy a beautiful milieu full of lakes and big, green trees situated only a few steps away from university buildings. There are lots of peaceful places where they can easily ponder solutions to problems or take a restful nature walk in order to refocus their mental efforts. Universities in Yugoslavia, on the other hand, lack such campuses. If they are lucky, they have a small park with a couple of benches. In general, a centralized university with all its facilities in one place does not exist in Yugoslavia. The faculties are scattered all over the city. Moreover, at Yugoslavian universities one building may hold several faculties, which leads to cramped working quarters.
The research faculties at the UT offer practical work instead of pure theory. In Yugoslav institutions where academic work is more theoretical, there is no possibility of subject selection, creative opportunities, or freedom of expression. Students are under pressure to pass exams as a condition for enrolling the following year; stiff competition pits them against each other. Yugoslav students must also devote more time to their studies as seven to eight years is the standard requirement for a Bachelor's and Master's degree.
What about study expenses? In Yugoslavia only the best students' expenses are paid by the government. These students receive money monthly, but it is not enough to rent a flat. Still it does allow students a bit of pocket money for a social life. Other areas in which Yugoslav institutions are sorely lacking include access to computersand books in English.
The UT participates in the national ERASMUS program, which enables students to study in other European universities. ERASMUS offers Dutch students the opportunity to make new contacts, to learn new ideas from other cultures and thus to widen their perspectives. As a reciprocating partner, the UT hosts students from other parts of Europe. Such possibilities are not yet as developed in Eastern Europe. Each year Yugoslavian universities offer their best students the chance to go abroad. Unfortunately space and money is limited to a select few participants.
Despite the drawbacks of Yugoslav universities, Yugoslav expatriates remain committed to them. Coming to the UT opens their eyes to future improvements for which they can strive.
