Study in Greece

About Greece

• Geography and Locales-The country of Greece borders the Aegean sea to the east and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The country consists of many islands, the largest among them being Crete. The country of Greece consists of many rugged mountains. Towards its extreme south lies the Balkan Peninsula.This country has small cities, but beautiful locales. You can spend your day offs visiting Acropolis museum, the cliff top views of Santorini, the island of Mykonos and lots more. Those of you who are artists can think of spending some time in the locales and painting pictures.
• History-Greece is a land of Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, and many more.In fact, the philosophers Plato and Aristotle marked one of the most prolific times of the history of Greece, that is, the Renaissance. Historian Herodotus is considered as the father of historical writing. He was the first person to systematically collect historical facts and make a comprehensive summary of the collected data. In ancient Greece, the largest city was Sparta. Earlier the main control of the states was with the aristocrats. The main source of wealth of these aristocrats and kings was considered to be land. Although, the land was barren in ancient Greece for a long time. These barren lands led to the relocation of people to various places. Earlier the states of Greece were dependent primarily on agriculture. The states started becoming centres of trade and commerce. The famous mathematician Pythagoras was also of Greek origin. Who can forget his theorems in Geometry? I am sure all of us have practiced his theorems in our schools and proved them in the school examination. Did you know that the famous poet Homer belonged to Greece?He belonged to the era of 800 BC. He wrote the most famous epics of the world, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These two epics are compared to the Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
• Mythology-Talking about Greek mythology, the epic of the Iliad should be mentioned. This epic goes like this that Paris, Prince of Troy, falls in love with queen Helen of Sparta. He takes her to Troy. Helen's husband, King Menelaus declares war against Sparta. In that war followed a lot of bloodshed, death of Hector (elder brother of Paris), etc. Finally Troy was defeated when the best fighter Achilles defeated the warriors of Troy and kills the soldiers with the help of the famous Trojan horse. This horse was sent to Troy, saying that Sparta is accepting defeat to Troy. As a mark of the victory of the Trojans, Sparta sent a wooden horse to Troy. Although the Trojans did not know those Spartan soldiers hid in that horse. These soldiers killed many Trojans that night in their sleep.
• Economy-The Greek people suffered a big economic crisis from around the beginning of 2009. The government of Greece owed a huge debt of billions of Euros. The rate of inflation was maximum at that point. The debt to GDP ratio came to 179%. You can imagine how huge is that figure. People came to road and literally turned into beggars. People had neither food, nor shelter. Now the situations are changing. There is a visible economic growth. It is predicted that the following year will see double the economic growth than this year. So if you are planning to study in Greece, then the session of 2019-2020 is positive for you.

Quick Facts

• Did you know that the alternative name of this country isHellenic Republic..
• Another interesting fact is that Greek is one of the oldest languages of Europe.
• Greece is a land of mathematicians. Hence mathematicians like Pythagoras, Archimedes are considered to be the inventors of Mathematics.
• Many Greeks keep any furniture or a part of their house either blue or turquoise in colour. According to Greek mythology the blue colour destroys the influence of any evil spirits.
• The Greek sculpture is world famous. It is them who thought of bringing the effect if motion in a sculpture.
• In this country, you cannot say no to voting once you cross the age of 18. If you are above 18, then you are an adult. Voting is mandatory for any adult in Greece.
• The first philosopher, who preferred scientific explanation of the existence of Earth over any other explanation was of Greek origin. His name was Miletus. After that, Galileo Galilei of Italy and many other such scientists and mathematicians came with proper scientific theory of the existence of the world and mankind.
• The latest news about Greece is that due to a violent outbreak of wildfire in a region around Athens on 24th July, 2018, around 100 people died.

Admission Process in Greece

• You must submit the photocopies of the mark sheets and certificates of class 10,12, graduation/ master's degree as applicable for the course. You will also require a proof of your birth. You can submit either your voter card or adhar card for this purpose. In my suggestion, submit either your certificate of date of birth or your passport for this purpose. /li>
• You must submit a photocopy of your passport. The photocopy should show the date of issuance and the validity period. The passport must have a remaining validity of more than one year.
• You need to submit 2-3 photograph of yours. The size of the photographs would depend on the university you are taking admission in. Generally a standard passport size showing the entire face and neck of the candidate is preferred by the universities. Here also the same rules apply. The face must not be covered by any veil or hair or anything similar to that.
• Here also you require to submit a fit certificate signed by your doctor. The universities might also ask you to submit the photocopies of the blood reports. Some universities have their own medical experts
• Youmay have to clear an entrance examination while taking admission for master's degree and doctoral programs. Unless you clear the examination, you will not be given the invitation letter. Some universities might also accept the score of any international entrance examination conducted in India.
• You must not have any criminal record. If you were convicted in the past, then your chances of taking admission in that university will become zero.
• You need to submit a statement of purpose which will state your urge to study in that university. The higher authorities of that university will scrutinize your application and see why you want to study there. It is also important to showcase that how the subject you have chosen is important for your career. Be very specific while writing this statement of purpose. If you make a slight mistake while writing this letter, your application may be rejected.
• Last but not the least, without the application fee, your application for admission is incomplete. You can pay the fee online.

Student Visa Application Process

You can apply for the student visa of Greece online. You need to download the student visa form and print it. Then you have to fill the entire form. No field should be left vacant. If any field doesn't apply to you, write N/A. Do not keep any field or box blank. In that case, your form will be rejected before the actual visa interview. The normal time taken for the visa to be processed is one month. This time is to be calculated after you have appeared for the visa interview. Unlike few countries, when you are applying for a student visa to Greece, you will have to be present during the visa interview. In countries like Spain, you need to submit the documents online. After that the consulate may or may not give you a date and time to be present for the interview. If the visa application is successfully processed, then sometimes the candidates are issued a student visa without an interview. But in the case of Greece, you should be present on the stipulated date and on the time fixed by the consulate. The consulate will scrutinize your documents and perform a background check. Finally, within a month it will decide whether your visa application to be accepted or rejected. The consulate may charge some additional money for shipping your visa and providing you a SMS alert, once your visa has been dropped at the consulate office.

Lifestyle

Greece is a beautiful country. When you land there, you will feel as if an artist has painted a picture in front of you. The summers are quite dry in Greece. Temperatures may rise to as high as 40oC. Although the people living or studying in the coastal areas will be able to experience the north winds. This counters the fiery effect of the sun during the months of summer. The winter temperatures could be as low as 0oC. The temperatures are quite moderate during the month of May and June. The temperatures start further soaring in the month of July and take its peak in August. Some universities open their courses for application in the month of July. So by the time your admission and visa processing is complete, the month of August will be over. So you have to think that when you will enter Greece, the rainy season will start. The monsoons stay in Greece from the month of November to the month of February. So you will have to pack your raincoats, umbrellas, gloves and other winter clothes on the top layer of your suitcase. One good thing about coming to Greece from the month of October is that you will be able to do scuba diving, horse riding, and other fun stuff during that time.
If you come to study in Greece, you must accustom yourself to the Greek food. Greece has very fine cooks who can make a few of the best non-vegetariandishes. You can try dishes made with lambs or pork in this country. The students who have come from foreign countries never forget the dishes made with these items. When you are hungry after attending constant classes in the afternoon, a Lamb Souvlaki with Yogurt-Garlic Sauce is all you want. It is very delicious and kills your afternoon hunger. If you are more of a pork person, then you can try Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic. This is a delicious dish for afternoon hunger. In fact, this is a good side dish to go with bread or rice. If you are totally vegetarian, then also Greece has lots of items to offer you. Greece chefs can offer you various kinds of salads. In fact, you can also get non vegetarian salads (this is for non-vegetarian people). You can have different kinds of fritters, stuffed with vegetables. You can have fruit pie or vegetable pie. So whatever be your food habit, Greece won't disappoint you. You should try this with your classmates. Greek desserts are very famous among the teachers and students alike. When you are staying in Greece for 4 or 5 long years, you do not want to miss out on the dessert. If you are from West Bengal, then you are definitely a dessert and sweet person. For you this country holds lots of surprises, when it comes to food.
The course fees in this country are quite affordable. Many universities offer scholarships to retain intelligent foreign students in their universities. Some universities provide food or textbooks free of cost. Some universities provide both. The fee is included in the tuition fee. I would suggest that you opt for universities which will provide you food and books together. This way, you don't have to cook at home or go to restaurants. This will be a convenient and cost effective life for you. Other than climate, food and high quality universities and subjects, Greece has beautiful locales. Your weekends or day offs won't be wasted. You can tour various parts of this country during your vacations.

Cost of Living for Students

Accommodation-You can rent a flat. If it is a single room flat, then it would cost you between 200-350 Euros. The cost of double bed room would cost you a maximum of 400 Euros a month. The charges for a housekeeper and electricity, gas and other bills will be separate. You have to keep around 250 Euros aside for all these purposes. You can think of staying university hostels. This would cost you much less than rented apartments.
FoodIf you think of eating in a restaurant, then lunch and dinner will be a little costly for you. It would take around 10 Euros per meal. You will require depending on restaurants for 2-3 months. Then you will have to depend on your cooking skills. Initially, you will have to buy packaged water for drinking purpose. This will cost you .50 Euros per bottle. You can buy groceries from the market and cook at home. The price of rice is moderate and you will find some brands of rice in Indian to be costlier than that in Greece. But other that eggs, beans, tomatoes are quite costly. But having said that the cost of cooking at home will be much less than eating out. Lastly, in the earlier sections I have mentioned that some universities provide food for the students. Try to avail that as much to avoid cooking at home.
TransportationThe cities of Greece are quite small, so mostly students walk to their institutes. You have very few cities where metros are available. Mostly walking or taking a bus would suffice to go to the colleges. You can buy student cards for around 30 Euros. The bus fares could start from 1.5 Euros.

Documents for University Admissions in Greece

1. You must take admission in a university or college of Greece first. The first document that you require is the invitation letter from a university in Greece accepting your candidature. When you receive the letter, it must contain the sign and seal of the prefectorial office.
2. You have to fill up the visa application form and submit it during the visa interview. Before the actual interview, you must clear the application fee. Without this, you will not be called for the visa interview.
3. The validity of your passport must remain for at least for six more months and at least two of the visa pages must remain empty before your student visa application.
4. You needtwo passport size photographs. The photographs should be taken in such a way that your full face. So do not cover your face with hair or anything else while taking the picture. The background of the picture could be any color. The main condition is that the color should be light.
5. You may have to submit your latest CV. Here you must mention your academic qualifications, marks obtained, expertise in extracurricular activities, etc. This is required if you are called for the visa interview.
6. You have to submit a proof that you were not convicted in the past. This means that your character should be clean of any criminal activities.
7. You must have a health insurance to cover any probable health hazard that may takeplace during your stay in Greece. Along with this you must also submit the original signed certificate of your doctor. The doctor should certify that you don't possess any contagious disease or infection. Along with that, he must also certify that you are not suffering from any mental disease.
8. Last but not the least, you will have to submit the photocopies of your bank statements. Your bank balance should be sufficient to cover the tuition fees and other requirements during your stay in Greece. You will have to think about the food, accommodation and transport cost given in the previous sections. Accordingly you must show your bank balance. You can also show that your relative is funding your stay in Greece. In that case all the bank statements should be of your relative's. In addition to the bank statement, you must also provide a letter from either parents or your relative (whoever is funding your stay in Greece, stating that they will keep funding you as long as you stay in Greece and as per the requirements of your academic pursuit.

In this country, a child will not be admitted in a kindergarten school until and unless he or she is about 5 years. Before that he or she will go to any pre-school or stay at home and learn with the parents. This is similar to that of the education system in Italy. The primary education will start only after the kid has crossed the age of six. In Greece there is a unique feature of a few primary schools. They are known as the experimental schools.. The aim of these experimental schools is to engage students into their students in a modern way. They deviate from the traditional school of thought and impart education to students in a more technical way. The method of imparting the education is not designed by the schools itself. There are higher authorities who look into the course curriculum every year. If there are changes to be made in the education procedure, then they do it accordingly. After a kid passes the primary, he or she has to study at the secondary level.The secondary education starts from the age of 12.After the age of 18, one will have to pursue higher studies. The higher studies are not mandatory in this country. But if you want to progress in your career, you would require to complete your higher studies. Greece has a number of universities. You will find most of the graduate courses of Greece to be of four years duration.Few are of five years duration. There are a few which are of three years duration. After you complete your graduation, you can also think of pursuing the master's degree. You will find some courses of 1 year duration and some of 2 years duration. Here, I would like to mention one thing. The students tend to join the postgraduate degrees of one year after they complete their graduation in Greece. This is generally because, the money required for a one year postgraduate degree is less than that of a two year postgraduate degree. But this may lead to a problem. If you think of pursuing your career in India, then most of the institutes of India recognize the postgraduate degrees which are of two years. There are a few institutes which consider both the postgraduate courses to be equivalent. So you have to first think of where you want to start your career and how. Then accordingly you must choose your postgraduate degree.

Following is a list of Greece universities and colleges, and the subjects offered in those universities.

1. National Technological University of Athens-Subjects taught-This university has nine academic branches. The most popular coursehere is a degree course in architecture. This university also offers degree courses in various applied sciences. This means you will find a degree course in all those scientific disciplines which have practical applications in real world. The degree courses are generally of five years. So when you apply for a graduation in the National Technological University of Athens, then you must be clear about where you are going to apply for a job next. This university is a very prestigious university and offers course curriculum of high quality. Having said that, this curriculum differs from the curriculum offered by most Indian degree colleges. So you must jot down which are the universities or companies that will hire you having a degree completed in 5 years. This university also offers research programs in various science disciplines.This university has the provision to offer you research programs at its own cost. For this they will take an interview or conduct an examination to see how much or whether you are eligible to get this research grant. This is done mainly with the help of a collaboration with General Secretariat of Research and Technology.
2. University of Crete--Subjects taught-Bachelor's course in almost all discipline of arts, B.Ed., master's degree in Bioethics, Philosophy, Education, History, etc. This university offers summer schools. This is not a course. This is a short term training given to students with outstanding academic records. You will have to go through the official website of the University of Crete. The moment they give a notice of admission in summer schools, you will have to send your application. If your academic record is quite good, they will send you a signed invitation letter to study there for 4-6 months. During this time, you will get the opportunity to be familiar with the university campus. You can avail most of the university resources. You will get to learn a new subject and you can become familiar with the city too. After you complete the summer school, you can think of studying there further for higher degrees. Remember that this summer school is not a degree, but it is training program on subjects that are popular internationally.
University of Ioannina-Subjects taught-Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science and Engineering, Architecture, Material Science and Engineering, History, Archaeology,etc. This university ranks within the top 600 universities in the world. The science departments of this university are very popular.University of Aegean-Subjects taught-This university provides a master's course in Mediterranean Studies. You will seldom find this course in any Indian university. This university also offers master's degrees in Environmental Studies, Information and Communication Technology, Environmental Studies, Graphic Design and Multimedia, etc. This university not only offers courses that are solely held in this university, but it jointly collaborates with few other universities. Such collaborations result in having joint faculties on a particular subject from both the universities. The classes could also be held in both universities as per convenience.