Erasmus Experience in Sevilla, Spain by Jamie

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Why did you choose to go to Sevilla, Spain?

I had 4 options to choose from for my course and Sevilla seemed to be the nicest city with the best university.

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

I was there between September 2012 and June 2013. I received around € 5, 100 from various different grants (Erasmus Grant, Irish Third Level Education Grant, etc. )

What is the student lifestyle like in Sevilla?

It's incredible. The city is amazing, it has so many great bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. Everything is extremely cheap so it's easy to afford a good lifestyle there. The amount of classes isn't too much so there is plenty of time to enjoy the student lifestyle in Sevilla.

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

I would definitely recommend the city, it's probably my favourite out of all the different cities I've been to. I wouldn't recommend the Universidad de Sevilla as highly, some of the buildings have quite considerable distances between them which made things complicated at times. Also, I found some of the staff to be quite impatient and not particularly friendly towards Erasmus students.

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What is the food like?

The food is really great and there are so many different places to choose from to eat out.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Sevilla?

No, it was pretty easy. I stayed in a hostel for my first two days there while I made appointments and arranged viewings. I almost immediately found a great apartment really close to the university and city centre.

How much does it cost to live in Sevilla?

It's really cheap, particularly compared to the cost of living that I'm used to in Ireland. On average, I spent about € 500 per month (that paid for rent, bills, transport, groceries, clothes, social life, etc. )

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

The language was pretty easy to get to grips with as I had a pretty high level of Spanish before arriving in Sevilla. The Andalusian accent takes a little time to get used to though. There was also a free language course offered through the University which helped too.

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

The easiest way for me to get to Sevilla was to fly from my city (Cork) to Málaga and then take a bus from there to Sevilla.

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

There are so many great places. I really liked most of the bars in Calle Betis, Alfalfa and Los Corralones. For clubs, I would recommend either Abril or Freeway.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Sevilla?

I really liked Levies Cafe-Bar on Calle San Jose. La Gruta and Mr. Pizza on Avenida Menendez Pelayo are pretty good too. The Merchant Malthouse on Calle de Canalejas also does really good food.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

My favourite places to visit were Plaza de España and Parque de Maria Luisa. The Cathedral, Torre del Oro, Real Alcazar and Las Setas are among the best cultural sites to visit.

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Sevilla in the future?

Just enjoy it, it's a great city and you'll have one of the best years of your life.

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