How to choose an Erasmus destination

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Hello everyone!

Everyone on this page is in a different phase of Erasmus right now. There are those that will have already done their stay abroad and those that are here recounting their experiences, there are also those that are currently in their host city, those that have been assigned a destination but haven't gone yet (I am in this group) and those that are here to get information to apply for a residence abroad in the next academic year.

This blog entry is mainly for the latter. There are many things that you have to consider before you choose an Erasmus destination, although you could just go crazy and hope everything turns out fine. However, I'm not one of those people and I need to organise things before I take decisions, most importantly, where I am going to spend five months studying and living. I'm not saying that you should make an Excel to list absolutely all of the points that I'm going to make, but you should bear in mind those of importance to you.

I'm also going to tell you how, in my case, I failed to do many of them.

For me, the most important factors are these (they aren't in any relevant order):

• What year you're going on your placement
• Courses
• Living costs
• How much your grant is
• Weather
• Language
• Accommodation
• Supply-Demand
• Choose multiple options
• Connections
• Size of the city
• University
• Length of stay

Placement Year

This is important for a reason I will now explain: the courses. Also the grades. The earlier you do the exchange, the more subjects you will be able to choose and the more likely it will be that you will get credits.

Courses

Everyone knows that going on Erasmus means travelling, going out, meeting people,... But at the end of the day we all know that it's a study scholarship and we need to choose our courses. If you're doing a dual honours degree it would be best to choose a host university that offers both and allows you to study them (normally you can only go with one of them). The learning agreement is always one of the most difficult things to do. Also, even if you choose certain courses at your university, you will certainly have to change them once you get there. So, at the beginning, make sure that there are enough courses to choose from.

Also, if you're only going for one term, choose one that offers your subjects. Like I said, it could be that when you get there the course is full or overlaps with others and so you can't take it, but at least you won't have that problem from the beginning.

Living Cost

Not all wallets are the same and not all countries have the same living costs. Going to Poland is not the same as going to England. And the same can be said within each country; it's not the same in the north of Italy as it is in the south.

Furthermore, depending on the country, some have student grants for accommodation or food, so the best thing to do is research it well and see which are the most affordable or which you can afford (you but especially your parents).

How much your grant is

Just as not every destination has the same living costs, they don't all offer the same amount of grant. The grants are handed out in three groups of countries according to the standard of living. The first group receive a grant of €200, the second €250 and the third group €300, depending on the standard of living in each. If, on the other hand, you go to Switzerland, there isn't a fixed quantity of money but rather it is the Swiss government who supplies the grants and they are usually a bit more generous than the EU.

If you have also received the MEC grant (Ministry of Education and Science) from the ministry in the previous academic year, the amount of the grant increases by an average of €200 per month.

Now is a good moment to tell you that I'm going to Stockholm; because it is in the third group and I receive the ministerial grant I will receive around €2500 for the five months.

It may seem that this is more than enough, but that is quite far from reality. In my case, the cost of living is much higher there - around €1000 a month excluding travel and extra expenses - so with that money I would have enough for a little over two months.

Another thing to bear in mind is when the grant is paid. You have to rely on your own financial stability from the beginning because 70% of the money is paid in after one month and the other 30% does not arrive until the end of the stay.

What's more, many countries will ask you for a current account before you go, where you have to have the minimum amount of money to be able to complete your stay otherwise they may not accept you.

Weather

For some people this may have no relevance at all. Starting from the basis that we live in Spain, every climate is going to be somewhat colder than our own. But the south of Italy, that will have more or less the same temperature, is not the same as the north of Finland.

If you honestly cannot bear the cold and the fewer daylight hours, the best thing to do would be to choose a closer place like France or Germany. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a completely different experience to what you know, then take the chance and go north.

Something to keep in mind is that if you choose this last option, it's likely that your wardrobe is not suited to these temperatures. Before going, (or once you're there) it'll be necessary to buy thermal tops, good boots and socks and a very very thick coat.

I honestly have no problem with the cold, in fact, I prefer it a thousand times more than the heat, so I'm "going on an adventure".

Language

This is a very important issue to consider now (whenever you are reading this). The majority of host universities will ask for a language qualification. An official qualification. I would recommend that you join an academy or prepare for an official exam on your own.

Starting with this topic, I will tell you what happened to me. I've been in english language schools all my life, and last academic year I received the C1 from Cambridge - in other words, Advanced. I was surprised to see the destinations that were offered to me and the language requirements that were asked of me. In some universities - despite having the qualification, I was required to have the IELTS qualification. It depends on the universities. Some others could only be accessed with the Advanced. Honestly, I don't know what to tell you in that respect, or which one is better (from my experience).

Having said that, there are only a few universities that ask for a specific qualification (but if you have it, it'll be much easier for you to get a place). Normally, an exam at your university will be enough to accredit your level. At my university this costs €20 and you do it just before the Erasmus call for applications, so you must be very careful not to miss the deadlines. Also there's no oral part, it's an online test and is known to be easier than an official exam.

Another piece of advice is that if you have studied another language for a number of years and have no objection to doing the placement in that other language, you should do the same and get a qualification.

There are many places that are normally offered but there are many occasions when you can't go with just English alone. Especially countries like France, Italy, Portugal and Germany do most of their courses in their own languages and don't usually have the bilingual English only options, so if you want to go to these countries, it will usually be in their native language.

If you can speak this language then this is an advantage. There are very few people that have language qualifications other than English and so places here are much easier to obtain because there is less demand.

This advice is really important, I know too many people that have ended up without a place because everyone wants the same places because of language issues.

Accommodation

Normally you have two options, flat or dorms.

The concept of student dorms as we know them in Spain is not the same as in other countries (from what I have researched) so if this is your idea (it's mine at least) have this in mind:

It seems that this option is easier if you don't know anyone and you want exactly that: to meet people.

Certain cities or universities have dorms just for international students, which for me is the best option of all. Local people hang out with locals and people from abroad hang out with people from abroad (as a general rule and from my experience at my own university), so a residence where all the new people are together seems to me to be the best option.

If you prefer a shared flat, there are loads of webpages to find one.

Normally the university has a section of accommodation or housing that explains the different options available and how they will help you obtain accommodation. Some will guarantee you a place, but others will not take control of this.

Usually there's a third option which is a bit less secure in my opinion. There are always families that instead of looking for an au pair, look for international students that are going to spend a year in that place. They offer rooms in exchange for looking after children, doing some housework,...

Supply-Demand (and grades)

The first of these is to have the language level required by the host university and once this requirement is met, the allocation will be by grade point average.

If you want to go on placement in third year, the grades that will be taken into account are those of the first year (and the process will be in second year). And if you want to go in the fourth year, the grades will be the average of the first and second year.

It's for this reason that you cannot overlook your grades. What's more, usually the same number of places is usually in demand. I have always been told that the most sought out places are England, Germany and the Nordic countries. So, if your grades aren't very high, it might be a good idea to open yourself up to the idea of other countries.

Especially for this, it's important that you like all of your options, that you're not blindly filling in the options thinking you'll just get the first or second one. Research the ones you are less interested in more than the ones you like (obviously in an order and to a certain point). Your first option will not be the same as your last option but the idea is that when you go wherever you go it won't be reluctantly because you have to.

My first option hasn't ended up being my final destination. Although I didn't have bad grades they weren't exceptionally good and I chose Germany as my first option (the only university that had English as the language). As I said before about what happens when these things are combined - the demand is really high. Even so, I was counting on it and I wanted to take the risk, but all the while choosing other destinations that I also liked a lot.

Connections

Obviously this is important, however it is not a decisive factor. The flights to certain countries are very expensive meaning that it would be more difficult to travel or go home. It's important to keep the airlines that offer connections in mind given that some of those like Iberia or Ryanair offer discounts with the international student card.

Size of the city

For some this is important. There are cities that have very little other than the university, a supermarket and two bars. If you want peacefulness this is perfect, but if you're looking for the opposite, it could be that the city is too small for you.

University

They say that having completed a placement is a factor that companies consider when recruiting you, for the fact of having left your comfort zone. But also, the prestige of the university can be important, especially in your curriculum. If you go to a university that excels in your field of study, it can be a plus when it comes to choosing you for a job.

Duration

There are people that prefer a year-long stay and others just a semester. It all depends on many factors, all of them personal.

However, if you're only going for a semester and you can choose which, my advice is to do it in the first. Although my university doesn't allow it, many people that I know have been on Erasmus for a semester ended up asking for an extension and they extended it for the rest of the year. It usually entails a lot of paperwork, but also they usually say that one semester is too short.

Where can I find all of this information?

Normally on your university website (outgoing placements) and on the host university website (incoming students). Furthermore, if you are looking for information of experiences, this website is the best and look for people on social networks like Instagram or blogs to ask them directly about specific questions.

For me (and to make a long story short) these are the most important factors to bear in mind. I suppose that this is somewhat subjective, but it seems like a good place to start for those that still have a lot of time to choose what to do in this respect. I recommend that you make an Excel table with what you consider most important and especially that you enjoy it, whatever choice is going to be a good one.

I truly hope that this has helped someone choose a destination (or destinations) and if you have any other question, you can always contact me.

Thank you for reading!

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