My Erasmus Experience in Loughborough, UK

Why did you choose to go to Loughborough, UK?

I wanted to improve my English and I thought that the best way to do this was to go to England. Loughborough was my only option possible in the country and it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, it turned out to be quite a lot better than I could ever have imagined.

How long did you grant last? How much money did you receive as help?

I have been living here for 9 months as an Erasmus student and the money I received for the grant didn't even reach €3, 000. This does not even cover all of the accommodation bills in the residence, unless you look for a flat and reject the residences offered by the university. Despite this, the cost of living is a lot more affordable than other big cities in England.

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What is the student lifestyle like in Loughborough?

It is a town that lives through and lives for its students. During the holidays it's practically deserted, there are only a few English people and some international students who can't go back to their country due to the high flight prices. But during term-time, the town is filled with students from every part of the world - they create an amazing atmosphere. There are hundreds of associations that practise all kinds of sports and strange hobbies during which you can get to know people at the same time: athletics, running, belly dancing, karate, go-karting, home-brewed beer connoisseurs... Everything and anything that you can imagine!

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

Without a doubt, I would recommend it. I have lived my best year there and now I am returning for my doctorate! I spent three more years there and now I am coming back because it seems like a great town to me. The town allows me to live in England for a reasonable price with all the services that you can use to your advantage (there's even a Primark! ). It is also very well-communicated by train and bus systems with the other important cities in England like London (1. 5hrs by train), Liverpool, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester, Manchester....

In terms of the university, it's great. It has large facilities in all of the departments, an enormous library for all the campus, various residences within the cmapus and all kinds of sports facilities, too. The campus is all a large city with its club included in the Student's Union which is open practically every day of the year! There are all kinds of associations you can join to discover new sports or enjoy your hobbies, there's nearly 100! Without a doubt, it is worth it to come here... For 6 years in a row, Loughborough has even won the award for "best university experience in the UK" according to UK students.

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What's the food like in the country?

The food is not as bad as everyone thinks! When you come to visit, you rarely discover more than just the basic fish and chips, baked beans and beef burgers. But, if you live here for a prolonged amount of time and you have the opportunity to live with an English family you can discover a pretty tasty gastronomy. For the nostalgic ones, you can always find almost all of the ingredients you'll need to make any kind of food from your own country in any of the different supermarkets in the town.

How did you find accommodation?

I used the serviced that the university offered to me and I was assigned to one of the residences that were available. I recommend this option for people who are coming for the first time; it allows you to meet other Erasmus students and one or two Englishmen. It is easier to socialise because of all the activities that the committees of each residence organise.

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What are the prices of accommodation? And the prices in general?

You usually would pay for accommodation in a residence in three parts and the amount would carry according to the weeks of each one of the term-time dates (separated by Christmas holidays and Easter). An affordable residence can usually cost around £3, 500 - 4, 000 per year. If you choose to rent a shared flat then the rent would usually be around £250 - 350 a month, or £75 - 90 a week.

For the rest of the costs, you'll notice the prices as more expensive than Spain for everything. The food, drinks and even for clothes. If you add to this the exchange from pounds to euros... You'll notice it a lot. Despite this, Loughborough is much more affordable than other more populated cities, and so much cheaper than London. You have shops like FarmFoods, Primark, or the products from TescoValue that can help you keep your expenditure a bit lower.

And your language? Did you go to any course at the university?

At the start it was a little difficult to understand people, but I soon adapted to it. The university offers free courses for foreign students throughout the entire year. There are courses of sessions that are focused on concrete topics, or there are ones made up of four weeks so that you can focus on more complete materials. There are also courses for general English at affordable prices, with certificates for when you finish.

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What is the most affordable way to get ot your destination from your country?

The most affordable option to get to Loughborough is to use the East Midlands Airport. Ryanair has flights from all of Spain to this airport. I travelled from Alicante and Murcia. Once here, there are buses every 30 mins all day and night to Loughborough for £2. 60.

Where do you recommend to go out in Loughborough?

The place known for its excellence is the Student's Union which is a buildings inside the campus that acts as the social centre, supermarket, club, pub... It has everything! There is also very good pubs that are great to start the night with in the centre of town, like Moon&Bell (very cheap! ), Varsity or the Orange Tree. And for starting the nice you can also go to Vice Versa or to ECHOS, or if you want to be more selective... Vozka Revolution!

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And to eat in Loughborough? Can you tell us your favourite places?

My favourite in Moon&Bell... Good prices and quite a wide-ranging menu. A place that is a little cheaper and also good quality is the Unicorn Pub. If you want something cheaper... You can always go to McDonald's or any of the other fast-food places that hey have throughout the centre of time.

And for a cultural visit?

In Loughborough there is only the old train station, which is now a museum, and a couple of museums that tell the history of the town and its famous bell factory. But, nearby, you can visit other very interesting areas such as Nottingham and the Robin Hood Castle, or Lincoln. There are quite frequent trains to these places from Loughborough.

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Do you have any advice for future students coming to Loughborough?

Get to know as many English people as you can, or Erasmus students from different countries. It is the best way to have a good experience, to have a good time and to learn English without realising it. And if you have more will power than I do... try to talk English even with the people from your own country, I couldn't do this for more than one week...