KTU student in Cyprus: studies that inspired new decisions

Adrija Liaugminaitė, a fourth-year student of New Media Language at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (KTU SHMMF) at Kaunas University of Technology, used Erasmus+ exchange to spend a semester at the University of Nicosia (UNIC) in Cyprus. As she herself says, this decision not only enriched her creatively but also opened up new cultural experiences and encouraged her to rethink her future plans.

Adrija had known about the Erasmus+ exchange opportunity since her high school, but various negative experiences she had heard about had long prevented her from deciding to go. Although she had planned to go on an exchange to Istanbul in her second year of studies, she ultimately withdrew her application. In her third year, encouraged by the successful experiences of close friends, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity after all.

As Adrija herself says, the reputation of a private, highly-rated university gave her confidence in the quality of the studies, and the island itself attracted her with the opportunity to experience a different culture and pace of life.

First steps

Focus on creativity in studies

The KTU student was particularly impressed by the style of study at UNIC University. There, theory was only the basis, and all attention was focused on practice: several hours of lectures, hand-drawn sketches, creative projects, and advertising visuals from scratch to the finished format.

“We had to work with Adobe programmes to create advertising campaigns. We spent a lot of time sketching by hand, generating effective ideas on how to reach the target audience, what fonts to use, and how to lay everything out in the overall image, and, of course, creating the final advertising cycle product for the same campaign – leaflets, outdoor posters, Instagram posts, city screen advertisements,” says Adrija.

At the end of the semester, the student had the opportunity to visit the advertising agency TBWA\Entelia. During the meeting, Adrija was able to see and discuss real projects for the brands such as McDonald’s and Volvo. Another memorable experience was a visit to one of her lecturers, who invited the students to his hotel, introduced them to its history, and even gave them gifts.

The University of Nicosia – an international space

Upon arriving in Cyprus, the student was most surprised by the rhythm of the local culture: Cypriots communicate loudly, gesticulate a lot, and are often late for meetings and lectures without feeling particularly guilty. Public transport operates according to its own rules – it is often late, and sometimes does not arrive at all.

“In Cyprus, I learned to plan everything more in advance than I used to in Lithuania,” says the SHMMF student.

Adrija remembers the University of Nicosia as a highly international environment. There were a few locals at the university, and most of the students were from different countries around the world. Student life revolved around country clubs, cultural events, and sports activities, and the active Erasmus Student Network (ESN) made it easy to get involved in the community and meet other exchange students.

Time for student life

In her free time, she travelled extensively around the island and, together with other Erasmus students, visited both popular and less touristy places – all major cities in Cyprus, such as Paphos and Ayia Napa, Aphrodite’s Rock, Turtle Bay, White River Beach, and even snow-capped mountains. However, according to Adrija, one of the most memorable places was the red Mitsero Lake, whose bright colour was formed by the oxidation of heavy metals.

“It seems like the bus appears out of nowhere – someone just starts shouting out the names of the cities these buses go to, and we get on and go. Before getting off, we paid for the tickets,” says the student.

Inner growth

The exchange in Cyprus was not only a significant academic experience for Adrija, but also a personal one. After completing the module “Graphic design for social media & commercial”, she realised that she wanted to delve deeper into media and visual communication, which is closely related to marketing. This experience prompted her to consider pursuing a master’s degree abroad.

The exchange in Cyprus taught the KTU student to react more quickly to unexpected situations, solve problems here and now, and plan everything in advance. During the exchange, she also began to think more about herself, although she admits that it is still not easy to apply this change in thinking to everyday life.

Adrija sums up her experience with simple but important advice for others: “Don’t be afraid to leave your family, home, and country, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, and to take advantage of opportunities that may never come again.”

Looking for inspiration to shape your future? Go on an Erasmus+ study exchange. The application period for an exchange in autumn 2026 runs from 1 to 27 February. Learn more here.