Problems on Erasmus and tips on how to overcome them

Everyone talks about Erasmus like it's an amazing experience that they'd do again and that they'd recommend to everyone. Travelling, learning languages, parties, meeting people, getting to know yourself... Everything seems like an advantage when a student talks about their Erasmus experience. But, everything isn't always a bed of roses. During this experience different problems can arise that I myself experienced or that I have been told about, and I think it's important to keep them in mind to understand how to deal with them if they come up at any point. In this entry I will tell you some problems that I had during my Erasmus and how I tried to solve them and the tips that helped me.

Choosing your destination

Choosing the city where you will spend the best months of your life is without doubt the most important decision of Erasmus. Even though lots of people already have their ideal destination in mind from the start, sometimes this doesn't end up being our choice because there's someone else with better grates, it's too expensive for our budget or simply there isn't a suitable offer for our courses.

Firstly you have to remember, that whatever grades you get, there will always be someone better than you, so it's advisable to seriously consider the rest of your chosen destinations and don't put them in a random order (or don't select any at all) because you are sure that you're going to get your first choice.

Something else really important to remember is the Erasmus tutor associated with the destination. Even though the majority try and help you as much as possible and care about you, this isn't the case for all of them.

• During my Erasmus I had a tutor that couldn't really care less so I only contacted him a couple of times during the selection of materials for the study contract (he didn't help at all) and and to get him to approve the subjects for the final study contract. Apart from that I had no contact from him, so I would recommend that if your tutor doesn't help you enough you should speak to your university to see if it's possible to swap or at least, so they are aware of the situation.

Money is also an important issue but it shouldn't be a drawback to not choosing a destination. Think before you go on Erasmus you should always have some savings incase anything happens. Even though they will give you grands during the placement, at the start you will have to pay out of your own pocket, and sometimes these grants aren't enough to cover all expenses. Therefore it is advisable to keep in mind the living cost of the city before choosing it as a destination, and once you're there, it is really important to manage your money wisely so you can complete the placement without issues. You have to remember that travelling, trying new food and going to parties are all really appealing, but sometimes you have to sacrifice other things. If you save throughout the year, at the end you'll have the opportunity to enjoy the last months with more freedom and money.

Regarding the study offer: if your university has an agreement with another it's because they have similar degree curricula, so there should be no problem when choosing modules. You could take a look at the degrees and their modules before doing the first draft of destinations, but you shouldn't worry too much because until you know your definite destination you won't be able to research in depth. What's more, your final destination tutor should help you in the selection, so it won't be a big issue.

Lastly, one really important tip is don't choose a destination because all of your friends have, two things could happen: ultimately you get separated because you don't all have the same grades and you feel so disappointed that you think that Erasmus isn't even worth it anymore, or you all end up in the same place and you spend your time glued to one another. Think that Erasmus is a unique opportunity to meet new people, learn languages and discover the world. If you go with someone you know, chances are you won't leave your comfort zone, because you'll end up talking in your own language amongst yourselves taking time away from practicing a new language with other people, or you may even adapt to the plans of other people without taking any decisions on your own. If you all go to different Erasmus destinations there's always the option of visiting each other in your respective destinations, so this will be an advantage.

Study Contract

Choosing the subjects you are going to study during Erasmus and the resulting study contract is one of the most important (and sometimes difficult) parts of this experience. Even though the university gives you some leeway with the courses you can choose (as long as you choose similar courses to your own), there's no doubt that choosing courses randomly is not always worth it.

Here arises the first problem, given that it's not always easy choosing courses without knowing how they are going to be or if they're suitable for your courses. In this situation, doing a bit of research with a tutor is important (or on your own if the tutor isn't helpful) and keeping in mind the courses that more or less seem interesting and you would like to try the first few days upon arrival. Bear in mind that once you're there you can change your contract, so I think it's advisable to make your final decision on courses once you've attended a few classes and spoken to the professors of each to see if they're suitable for your studies and if, obviously, you can study them.

Take advantage of all the courses you can, in other words, don't choose one because it seems like the easiest, but rather because it's interesting for your education. Think that while you are on Erasmus, you are losing courses from your home university, so it's worthwhile compensating them with similar or new education because upon returning you might feel a bit lost having not studied the same.

One thing to remember is that in some universities there are no courses for Erasmus, that means that the job of finding suitable modules and fitting timetables will be double the effort, so, from my own experience, I recommend a lot of patience.

On the other hand, another important thing is having the Erasmus documents really well organised. Both the study contract and the arrival and departure documents have deadlines to be submitted and have to be signed, so if your tutor doesn't help you, be very aware of these deadlines and keep everything up to date.

• For example, a problem that I had is that when I arrived at my university and they I received the grades, I needed to submit a document for the study contract. I wasn't the one who had this document as it had been kept by the international relations officer at my host university, so I had to send them an email and ask them to send it to me scanned to be able to send it to my university. Luckily, in my situation I could solve this, but it is really important to prepare and send all the documents that the university asks of you or mark on the documents that you have to send.

Finally, bearing in mind that you can change the Erasmus contract once you're there, you can also extend the stay from 6 months to a year so you don't need to worry about this at the start. If the first month goes well, you can start to think about staying all year, and if not, you can leave the contract as it is.

Losing yourself in the city

This means losing yourself literally in the streets of the city just as much as being lost with the language, given that in most cases they go hand in hand.

On one hand, losing yourself in the city is normal when you don't know it, especially in the first days. Either by means of transport or walking, it's very likely that you will get lost at one point during Erasmus, especially if you already have done so in your original city. There are people, like me, that have an awful sense of direction. In this situation, I recommend only two things: Google Maps and a good internet connection. The possibility also exists of asking people in the street, but it's likely that they either don't know how to tell you or make you get lost even more. In this latter situation, patience is always required.

• One of the things that helped me the most with this problem is that I don't usually panic in these moments, given that I know at the end I'll end up finding it, and if I don't, I can always ask someone.

It's also true that getting lost on many occasion means finding new places that you would have never found any other way, therefore, this situation doesn't always have to end badly. So, if you have the above (Google Maps, Internet and patience), you can let yourself get lost one day in the city and you'll be surprised at what you can find.

On the other hand, there's the issue of language. It's normal at the start to have no idea on how to speak it, despite studying it all your life, because in every place the language will have its characteristics and pronunciation so sometimes it takes some getting used to, but you'll get there in the end. So the only thing you can do in this case, if you have issues with the language is practice it as much as possible with everyone you have the opportunity to, let them correct you, and of course, keep studying the language, whether it's in your Erasmus classes or on your own.

Being alone

Even though this might not be the biggest problem for some, there definitely exists the possibility that you are alone or lost at some point during Erasmus, especially in the first days. While some people make friends easily and are capable of interacting with native people with no issue, there are many others that don't have this ease and struggle at first.

• In my case, my biggest problem was that there were only four Erasmus students (including me) at my destination. On one hand, this was a clear disadvantage because I didn't have the opportunity of meeting many people in the same situation as me and that understood me. On the other hand, the advantage was it was easier for us to make friends (although this only happened with two of the three Erasmus students) because there wasn't much choice. Also, this would force me to make french friends given that the majority of classes that I had I was the only Erasmus student. The latter didn't happen. Whilst there were some people that made an effort with me at the start, this stopped happening as the days went on and it came to a point where I didn't know what I was doing there. Luckily, I had a friend that I knew before that I could make plans with and living in her grandma's house helped me a lot, given that I could interact with her and her family.

The latter didn't stop me from occasionally feeling alone, but there were some things that I was very clear on and that I will give you now as advice if the same happens to you.

The first is that you have to be brave without caring what other people think. This especially relates to language. Even if you don't have the best level or even if you can't say a word, try it. The majority of native people like to meet Erasmus students, but don't try out of shyness or because they don't want to bother you. However much you struggle to communicate, they will appreciate it a lot because you took the first step and tried; the rest will be left to them.

Another tip is there's life outside of university. Of course, the best people you can meet are young people because they're likely to have similar taste to you and you can travel and go to parties together, especially if they're Erasmus students. But there are many other possibilities to meet people outside of university. A good way is going to a conversation club in your language where you will find people that like Spanish (and other languages) and they will be delighted to have a native amongst them, so there's a high probability that you will get on.

The last tip is don't be afraid of being alone, because Erasmus is also important to get to know yourself and this is honestly how you do so. If you fancy travelling somewhere, travelling alone lets you go at your own pace and will be a great opportunity to discover places you would have never known if you had gone with someone. If you don't manage to make friends during your placement, don't worry too much either. With time, you end up losing many of the people you meet along the road, so if you make few friends, it'll be easier to keep in contact with them all.

The end of Erasmus

After months (whether a semester or a full year) in your new city, it's really difficult having to say goodbye, especially because towards the end is when things really start getting better and your level of language really improves.

One of the problems that can arise during these times, as well as all the paperwork, moving and so on, is the issue of accreditation. If you were lucky enough to pass everything despite making the most of your Erasmus, you are in luck because you will feel proud of having lived the best experience of your life without losing anything. On the other hand, like what happened to me, you give it your all and still you don't pass everything, do not worry. Erasmus is there to be enjoyed. As many say, university is not the be all and end all.

• Of course, in my case it was a real problem because I only went for one term and sending my notes very late meant that I couldn't make up the subjects in the second term in either France or Spain which meant that I had to repeat the ones I failed.

If you see that you're not going to pass, I recommend talking to both universities to get information about the possibility of retaking courses, whether that is in your home university or in the host, so you're not disappointed. Whatever happens, all that you've learnt on Erasmus will be worth it even if you don't pass everything.

Lastly, the hardest thing at the end of Erasmus, of course, is saying goodbye (especially if you had a good time). Saying goodbye to the friends that you made, to the people you met, to the teachers, the university, the city, to life on Erasmus.

First of all assume that you won't have an experience like this again (of course you won't have the same experience given that every one is different), so it's really important to think about all the things you've done and to not regret what you did, because you know that at the time it didn't happen for nothing.

I don't have any advice for this. Even though they say the possibility always exists to do another Erasmus (because you didn't use all twelve months, because you can do it during your Masters or because you can do another programme like CRUE) you know that it'll never be the same, because the difficulty of saying goodbye to a place that made you feel so good is understandable. You only have to think about the good times you had and all the things you can tell those waiting for you back at home, your friends and family that will be so happy to see you.

These are some problems, recommendations and tips that helped me but obviously every Erasmus is a different experience, so it's possible that you won't have any of these problems or that you have others that are worse. Either way, good luck if you're starting your Erasmus soon. Take advantage of every second and don't let the problems that can arise get you down.