Erasmus Experience in Milan, Italy by Jeanne

Why did you choose to go to Milan, Italy?

I first choose to go to Milan because I wanted to go to Italy and I had never been to Milan. Moreover, I wanted to go to Milan because of the culture, the food but most of all for the great university there: Politecnico di Milano.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I receive the Erasmus scholarship for the entire semester, which means 5 months, and for Italy it's 200 euros per month. I also receive help from my home university but this depends on the grades, the living cost in the hosting country...

What is the student lifestyle like in Milan?

I love my student life in Milan. There are a lot of bars with "aperitivo" and a lot of clubs. You can do everything here I think, there are a lot of student association that will help you to be integrated and to make friends from all over the world.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Milan to other students?

I would definitely recommend both the city and my university which is as I said previously Politecnico di Milano.

What is the food like?

The food is good: pizza, pasta... You can either eat Italian specialities but so much more than that. You can find very cheap places as well as very luxurious restaurants. Be careful because the food really depends on the place you are.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Milan?

It was very difficult to find accommodation. I would recommend to check stanzesingole.it because they have an amazing range of single room. You can also check Easystanza or Bakeca but be careful, there are a lot of traps! But for me, it was very difficult to find a single room in a not so bad area and for a low price. There is also a lot of residences but it's often already full.

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How much does it cost to live in Milan?

I would say you need at least 500 euros to rent a single room. And you need around 300 euros (or a little more) to buy food, transport, cellphone... And to that you need to add the cost of your night outs: aperitivo, alcohol, clubs...

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

Italian is very easy for me because I'm French so it's pretty close to my mother language. But in my university there are language courses from level A1 to level B1.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Milan from your city?

You can either take the train which can cost from 45 for 1 trip to 130 euros (it depends on the date... ) or the plane which can cost around 100 euros for 1 trip. The prices are at the end almost the same, again it depends on the date you want to travel. The only thing that is different between the two is the time: 1h 30m for the plane, 7h 30m for the train.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Milan?

Navigli or Le Colonne.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Except for the centro storico there is not a lot to visit. But there is still the Duomo, la galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle, il Teatro de la Scala, Le Colonne, Navigli...

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