BEST Courses
What are BEST Courses?
BEST Courses are held in four different seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winterThey are organized by students, for students. Each course lasts between one and two weeks, combining academic, social, and cultural elements. Thanks to these courses, students, including those from the AGH University of Science and Technology, can gain skills related to their studies or discover new topics related to technology or their careers. The courses are also an opportunity to use English in practice and experience the diversity of European cultures. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
What does it look like to participate in the Course?
You will make contacts with people from all over Europe
During the course, you’ll meet participants from all corners of Europe - from Portugal to Lithuania, from Sweden to Greece. It’s not only an opportunity to learn, but also to make international connections that often turn into long-lasting friendships. Joint classes, workshops, and informal conversations bring participants closer together, while cultural diversity inspires and broadens horizons. This type of international environment fosters the exchange of experiences and allows you to view many topics from a completely new perspective.
You can choose the perfect topic for you
The course is not only about friendship, but also provides a solid dose of knowledge in the form of lectures, workshops, and projects on technological, engineering, or career-related topics. Over the course of more than 25 hours of classes, you will develop your soft and hard skills. The classes are conducted by representatives of academic and business circles, and at the end of the course, you will receive a certificate confirming the knowledge you have acquired. Each course has its own theme, which can be found in the list of courses.
You will learn about the culture and beauty of the country you are visiting
BEST Courses also offer an opportunity to learn about local culture from a student perspective. Members of a given BEST branch plan a lot of trips and integration activities for participants, often based on the real, living culture of a given city and country. During the day, participants learn and explore, and in the evenings they can relax and get to know the spirit of our organization :D.
4 seasons
BEST Courses are organized
throughout the year.
7-14 days
That's how long
the BEST Course lasts.
Max. - 60€
This is the participation fee, covering accommodation, meals, and academic activities during the course.
When to apply
Registration for a given season
takes place several
months in advance!
The application period is
approximately 30 days.
Criterion
for admission
Participants are selected
based on their cover letter.
Impressions of course participants
FAQ
Before Applying for the Course
A complete list of courses for the current season is available on the website best.eu.org/courses/list.jsp.
Participants in the Courses are selected by the members of a particular BEST local group (and thus, like us, students) from among all those who applied. The method and criteria for selecting participants vary from one local group to another. The main criteria are the selection of participants from different areas of Europe, your cover letter (they really get a lot of them, so be creative!), and in the case of BEST Learning Events, prior knowledge of the subject matter of the Course is often also required (in this case, this information is given in the Course description). The organizers also try to select an equal number of participants of both sexes. If you don't know how to write your cover letter, you can find tips and tricks on this topic here..
You can apply for up to 3 BEST Courses in one season and be accepted for up to 1.
The fee for each Course is listed on this website.. Students from Poland do not pay the entire fee, but only part of it (currently it is 60% of the amount, the current distribution of countries can be checked here.). Maksymalna opłata dla studentów z Polski wynosi 60 euro. Fee pokrywa koszty zakwaterowania i wyżywienia. Transport na miejsce Kursu każdy uczestnik organizuje we własnym zakresie.
In addition, once you’ve been accepted into the course, you must confirm your application by paying a deposit; the current amount for participants from Poland can be found here..
The deposit will be refunded if the participant does not violate the rules of participation (primarily regarding damage or misconduct), does not cancel their participation too late (to cover the organizers’ costs if they do not have enough time to find a replacement), and completes the evaluation survey after finishing the course. Once you’ve been accepted into the course, our Course Coordinator will contact you regarding the deposit, and after you’ve completed the survey, you can write to us to request a refund (contact information at the bottom of the page).
In this field, simply enter your album number (index number); you'll find it on your student ID card.
The BEST local group organizing the Course seeks to raise funds by working with the local university and companies to become more recognizable among European students. The Course includes a presentation by the companies, lectures by their representatives and visits to the company's headquarters.
If prior knowledge of the subject is required, this will be stated in the course description under “Participation requirements.” Describe your experience related to the subject and the reasons why you want to learn more about it in your cover letter so that the organizers know you are interested in the course.
Depending on the topic and location of the Course, the number of applications varies. You can check the current application statistics for the season here.The courses that are most in demand will be the hardest to get into. However, it all depends on your cover letter. Be creative and convince the organizers that you are the one they need for their course!
During your studies, you may participate in the Research Course a maximum of 3 times, and only once per season (meaning you cannot, for example, attend two courses during the summer).
.
Each course has 20–24 participants from all over Europe, which creates an intimate atmosphere that fosters discussion.
Since the participants come from different countries and the lectures and workshops are conducted in English, knowledge of English is required.
Course participants come from all over Europe, so everyone must arrange and pay for their own transportation to the meeting point.
After application
You can edit your application until the submission period ends. With the expiration of the application time, you can no longer make any changes, but you still have access to the application.
You can track the results in the “My Applications” tab on the website best.eu.org. If you are accepted, the Course Coordinator will contact you to confirm your participation and request a deposit.
This means that you still have a chance to go to the Course. When one of the qualified participants of the Course resigns, you take his place.
Yes, you can write to the Course Coordinator about this. We strongly recommend following the guidelines from this website,, show some creativity, and tell a little about yourself.
After you submit your application or shortly after the application period ends, we will contact you regarding account verification. We have a few more days to validate your application than you had to submit it. If you have any questions, please contact the Course Coordinator, whose contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.
After Being Accepted into the Course
The deposit serves as security for the organizers in the event that you withdraw from the course or cause any damage through your own fault. It is paid after you are accepted into the course; you confirm your application by paying the deposit. The current amount for participants from Poland can be found here.. The deposit will be refunded if the participant does not violate the rules of participation (primarily regarding damage or misconduct), does not cancel their participation too late (to cover the organizers’ costs if they do not have enough time to find a replacement), and completes the evaluation survey after finishing the course. Once you’ve been accepted into the course, our Course Coordinator will contact you regarding the deposit, and after you’ve completed the survey, you can write to us to request a refund (contact information at the bottom of the page).
This is paid in addition to the fee (course fee), which is non-refundable and covers only a portion of the participation costs.
If you decide to withdraw, you must notify our Course Coordinator and the course organizer as soon as possible. If you withdraw too late or without a valid reason, your deposit will not be refunded, and the course will count as one of the three courses you are allowed to take during your studies.
In this case, you should contact the organizer of the Course you have qualified for and inform him of the need for a visa.
Pay a deposit, find yourself transportation (remember to check in online and print your ticket if you are using a low-cost airline), collect the necessary documents. Depending on the country: passport, visa, ID card, international student card ISIC (mainly for discounts).
Each Course has its own web page with all the useful information for participants. Often the organizers also send an email with a list of required items.
We advise you to bring the following in addition: printed tickets, passport and/or ID card, insurance (if required), student ID card (often ISIC card can be useful, more information here., a sleeping bag (if required), a towel, a warm sweatshirt and/or raincoat (depending on the country), a camera, sunglasses, sunscreen, and traditional foods and drinks from our country (for International Evening).
Or maybe you have a question that is not included in the FAQ? Get in touch with us!
Karolina Hawryluk
Course Promotion Coordinator
Click to get in touch!
kursy@BEST.krakow.pl
