STUDENT LIFE

Our little piece of Heaven – ESN Maribor

Erasmus Student Network or shotly ESN is one of the biggest non-profit interdisciplinary student organisations in Europe, which was founded in 1989. It’s aim is to support and develop student exchange and provide an intercoltural experience. On the other side, it also offers so called “internationalism at home” to those students who cannot access a period abroad. We work by principle “students helping students”. We are present in 1000 Higher Education Institutions across more than 40 countries.

The network is constantly developing and expanding. 15 000 active members, that in many sections are supported by so called “buddies”, who act as mentors for international students. Thus ESN involves over 29 000 young people offering services to around 350 000 international students every year.

ESN works for the creation of a more mobile and flexible education environment by supporting and developing student exchange as well as providing an intercultural experience also to those students who cannot access a period abroad. bor was established in 2001, as an independent association, which is working hand in hand with the International relations office of the University of Maribor. The mission of ESN Maribor is to help with the integration of Erasmus and other foreign students in to the local environment. It is part of the Erasmus Student Network and is composed out of Slovenian volunteers who were or are going on exchange.

As the most active section in Slovenia, we have around 15-20 active members and we help around 400-500 exchange students per semester. All our members and buddies are volunteers, who don’t get any salaries or pay any fees.

ESN Maribor is also a part of ESN Slovenia together with ESN Ljubljana, ESN Ljubljana University and ESN Primorska.

Buddy system

Being a stranger in a foreign land, lost and not knowing anyone is not the best feeling in the world. That’s why we have our buddies. Buddy is a Slovenian volunteer student, who “adopts” an exchange student, makes sure he/she feels like at home, and helps him/her through the first steps of living in Maribor.

The goal of the buddy system is to help the Erasmus students to establish a social and academic network in Maribor. The Buddy Program is designed especially to introduce Erasmus students to the city, the places to go out, and to integrate them in our way of life. Before your arrival, your buddy will answer your questions that concern your well-being in the city and help you explore the city. When you arrive, your buddy will take you to see the city, the places to go out, shopping, etc. Maybe your buddy will introduce you to his/her local friends and help you with formalities like a residence permit, food coupons or help you open a bank account, etc.

Local buddies also know where to find the cheapest beer in Maribor and where you can eat excellent food or party till the morning. They know which bus to take to Pohorje and they know about all the secret spots of Maribor. Remember, your buddy does this voluntary, meaning that he/she likes to do all these things with you. The procedure on how to acquire a buddy is sent from university email, before the start of the semester and most relevant information is posted by ESN Maribor on their facebook and instagram accounts.

Welcome Weeks

At the beginning of each semester, ESN Maribor organizes Welcome Weeks, a set of 20+ activities compressed into a short period of two weeks. Welcome Weeks help you to meet other Erasmus students and discover Maribor through different activities.