Where am I going on my Erasmus exchange?

You have been studying for a few years now and finally the time has come! You can choose in which country you want to do your exchange program. Probably, it's the first time you are going to live abroad. Super fun and exciting. Maybe you already made out that you should go to Italy, because you are studying Italian, but even when that's the case, this article can help you in choosing the city.

I study European Studies at the Haagse University of Applied Sciences, and I went on an exchange program to Padova, Italy for 6 months in 2014. Currently, I am doing an internship at this website in the south of Spain, where I have been busy translating experiences of students for three months. Besides that, I also started writing my own articles about cities, countries and cultures.

What's important whilst choosing is to make priorities. You base your choice mostly on a country, city of university. And this all depends on your own university. Ofcourse they have several contracts for exchange programs with different universities abroad. It could also be the case that you don't have a say in it, but that's a whole other story.

Making a choice is very personal. Everyone is different and has their own interests. It could be that you've traveled a lot in your life already, and you have a clue which cities are interesting to you and which aren't. These tips are more specific for Dutch or Flemish people, which have their first opportunity to go abroad for a longer period. What I can give away already is that you are going to have a good time everywhere. Especially if you have only been living with your parents before. This will be the first time for you to be free and do everything you want, and aside from that it will be done abroad. Great! When you are living abroad, you will surely meet new people en try to do as many activities as possible to get to know the city or country.

What's especially important is that you know yourself. Do you always feel homesick when you're on a holiday? Are you not a big fan of traveling? Do you have problems speaking English? If so, I would recommend you would think it through another time if you're suited to do an exchange program abroad. Even if you are, try and prepare you in the best possible way, do some research about the culture. A good tip is to take a friend with you for the first two weeks of your stay; that way you're not completely on your own and it could help you to settle much faster in your new, current residence. An experience aborad is very helpful, but it does not have to mean it will be a positive one. Be curious and explore the world. Especially when you are still young it's a must.

When you want to go to a specific university, because it's a prestige school, be careful that it will make studying extra difficult. When you're studying at an university of applied sciences, the level of study can be higher than you're used to. Most of the time it's not even the level, but rather the type of education. Universities of Applied Sciences are more practical, with more cooperation, presentations, classes, etc. A university on the other hand is more focused on research. Exams mostly consists out of learning material which has to be exactly reproduced, and this is the case for most universities abroad. Lectures at universities of applied sciences are more interactive than normal lectures. These lectures can be huge auditoriums where hundreds of students are listening to the professor. The students are keen on writing everything down what the professor tells them. Most of these things you're probably already aware of, but I'd like to make sure to tell you just in case.

You can base your decision on a language you would like to learn or improve on. You are not the best in speaking English and you want to improve it? Go to England, United States or even Australia. You can also visit any other university which teaches English courses. But try to find out if these English courses are actually taught in English or if they are in the mother tongue of the university. Most of the time this is the case in France, Italy or Spain.

Are you studying Spanish? Or have you been attending the course for years? Go to Spain or South America, even if you believe that you don't know anything after learning all these years. Most of the time you will remember more than you think. It's difficult to learn a new language. You should know that the first weeks or months will not be easy. You will get angry with yourself because it's not working out or you're making mistakes. But believe me, it will fade away. You will wake up one day and realise: Wow, I am fluent in French (of Spanish, Italian, Turkish, German or... Chinese? ). So don't give up if it's not going flawless, you will get there.

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