Comparative analysis or why UW is better than UAM (20.10.08)

Vienna University is different than Poznań University... almost in every respect. I dare say that everything is better here. Well, maybe there is one little exception. The way the studies are being modernized (the division into BA and MA studies) is quite strange, seems to take a lot of time and it’s unnecessarily complicated. Maybe there are few more exceptions, can’t think of them now...
First of all – the building. The Vienna University resembles a museum. It’s richly decorated, with wonderful columns, pictures, marble, statues and, my favourite one, a huge courtyard with green grass and plenty deckchairs. The other buildings are impressing, too. Each has computer rooms with free Internet access, canteens, large libraries and self-service photocopiers. If you want to use them, you need to buy a special card first.
The building where we have our classes is also much better than the HCP (that’s the name of the building which houses the Applied Linguistics in Poznań). One of the entries is situated in a park. So, if you wish to, the way to the Uni can lead through the green and flowered area. The rooms inside are quite well marked, which is a good solution, because... they’re not logically numbered and situated and a lot of time passes since you finally find your way through this big chaotic maze.

As it comes to the library, I only visited the reading room. But it is fine. The only stupid thing about it, is that you need to leave all your belongings in a special locker, before coming in. And the lockers are on a floor beneath the library. The lazybones leave their jackets and bags in front of the entry, near the window.
Oh, and one more disadvantage. There’s really few Polish-German dictionaries in the reading room. In this respect our Polish library wins the competition. But there are plenty other languages here.
As I’ve already mentioned, the rooms are equipped very well, contrary to the interiors of the HCP building in Poznań. The lecture rooms are real lecture rooms, the multimedia rooms are much better, as well. I don’t know anything about other faculties in Vienna. Maybe the science faculties at UAM doesn’t fall behind the UW at all...
Oh yes, and the classes. UW teaches how to become a real translator/interpreter. I don’t claim that UAM fails to do that, but the classes at UW are much more interesting than the classes at my faculty in Poznań. Simultaneous interpreting, translation of subtitles, web sides and documents, project management, terminology connected with various area, translation memory tools, rhetoric and many other interesting subjects. And what’s the most important – our teachers are not only qualified lecturers but also experienced translators or interpreters, helpful and friendly. I don’t claim we lack such people in Poznań, it’s just more common here...