The joy of having passed the admission exam to your dream university is soon replaced by anxiety and fear in your eyes. It seems like everyone around you speaks a strange language. IS? UČO? ISIC? CPS? That's not a code language, but will soon be a part of your new university self.
Name? The main thing is UČO
That six-digit numbergiven to you at registration day should be remembered. It is your login information to the Information system of MU, to exams, and university computers as well. Student referents and lecturers will ask for it. The UČO, or the personal university ID, will simply become a part of your identity forever. It stays with you even after graduation.
Information System IS
If UČO is your new name, then IS, which celebrated 15 years of its existence this year, becomes your virtual second home. It's the place to find study materials, schedules, and guidelines for your learning. You will register for courses and exams in the IS, and get your grades. Apart from your university responsibilities, IS offers various discussion forums and even games or witty applications. Don't be scared of the vastness of the IS; just try to click through it several times and you'll soon realize that it's not really as difficult as it looks. And if you truly fear clicking through casually, have a look into Help.
Will anyone take care of you?
Partially yes – even though you are individual entities, it doesn't mean that the university leaves you alone fighting in a strange study environment and city. That's exactly why the International Student Club MU Brno exists (ISC MU Brno). It helps you to get acquainted with everything from the very beginning: every incoming student may pair up with his/her tutor (buddy system), visit various social events from country presentations through short trips and numerous parties to sport and cultural courses.
Credits and enrolment in the following semester (only for degree students)
MU works with the internationally accepted credit system (ECTS), where every course has a credit value. In order to enrol in the following semester, you have to get 20 credits in one semester, or, alternatively, 45 together for two semesters. Overall, you need to have 180 credits for the three-year Bachelor's studies, 300 credits for five-year Master's studies (for the Faculty of Medicine it is 360 credits for six-year studies) and 120 credits for two-year follow-up Master's studies. So count them carefully! The number of credits for individual courses and applying for term enrolment can be found in the IS in the section Student).
ISIC card.Make space for it in your wallet (only for degree students)
This internationally recognized discount card functions as an identification card at MU.You may charge it with money and pay with it in university canteens, or for copying and printing in our libraries. You may also need it at some faculties for entering specialized workplaces. With this card, you can get into the University Computer Centre (CPS in Czech or UCC in English) at Komenského náměstí, which is open 24 hours a day throughout the whole year, and there are a hundred computers connected to the Internet to be used by students. When you have your ISIC card in the Czech Republic, you have discounted entry to nearly all galleries and museums, which applies also to bookshops and even some bars. You should see a sticker on the door of the bar informing you about it, or you may simply ask the bar staff.
The alphabet of courses (only for degree students)
Courses are registered in the IS during the previously stated time periods. Every student has to complete all the compulsory "A" courses and a certain number of elective "B" courses. For some further confusion there happen to be also "C" courses, which basically include all the other courses – the optional ones. However, not every course may be registered automatically. Some have limited capacity, others are offered only for students of certain fields or they require enrolment pre-requisites (or having completed another course before enrolling for this one). Course registration is frequently a competition to be the quickest, so don't hang around! Course registration and enrolment dates can be found in the faculty calendar (IS, section Studies). Apart from their field courses, international students may also study Czech at the Faculty of Arts.
Taste of student life
You cannot survive solely on education, and that's why there are catering facilities or canteens at students' disposal, which offer a selection of food at student prices. In addition to typical Czech cuisine and some international meals, for a change you could have a pizza, a salad, or the popular Czech fried cheese in our canteens. The university has four big university restaurants – at Campus Square in the Bohunice quarter, at Moravské náměstí, at the Faculty of Law and at Vinařská. Apart from these there are also a number of buffets and cafeterias in several university buildings, such as the popular Pizza Nostra in the area of the Kounicova dormitories. Nearly all bars and pubs in Brno offer a daily lunch menu for low prices (€3 to €4).
Halls of residence or a private flat?
The university offers accommodation for all international students, but there are also other possibilities in Brno. Students very often rent a flat with their friends. Living in a flat with other people is financially approximately the same as university housing, but you'll be independent. University accommodation, on the other hand, allows you to live with a larger group of people who you don't have to look for in advance. And it is also more fun. Students in university accommodation have playfields, study rooms, dayrooms and Internet access at their disposal. When searching for dormitories, browse their web, and if looking for a flat, you may try bydleni.muni.cz or the Noticeboard – Advertisements section in the IS, with new offers of accommodation or co-housing on a daily basis.
Libraries - how to get acquainted with them?
Each faculty has its own library where you can borrow and read books, work in study rooms, or use university computers. Borrowing books, of course, has its own rules. Not every book can be taken home – some are at your disposal only to be worked with in the study room. A great advantage is that you may borrow from whichever library you want at the university. So if your library doesn't contain a publication, just go to the next one.
Access to the Moravian Library may come in handy, too. Nevertheless, always remember the return deadline so that you don't have to pay the fees; they may accumulate quite a lot, for example during the summer. Libraries have English-speaking staff happy to help,whether with looking for books in the catalogue or working with copy machines. All Brno libraries contain literature in English and other world languages.
Bonus advice at the end
Your time at university is not only about studying, but about creating friendships for life, having fun and meeting interesting people, whether at school or elsewhere. But still, don't forget about your responsibilities.Nobody will keep you on a lead, remind you of deadlines or excuse your breaking them. Welcome to university.