Year Abroad 2011/2012 chat thread

Hi! I've just been accepted to study abroad in Copenhagen next year to study Law aswell! I'm from Nottingham University

Starting to think about the details now, so nerve-wracking!

When did you start looking for accommodation? Are all the Erasmus students together or do you kind of have to seek them out? Completely unsure of what the next step is!

Also, when/how did you apply for student finance/the erasmus grant thing? I feel so clueless!

Other than that i'm very excited. Not entirely sure it has sunken in yet... x

I'm seriously considering going on an Erasmus exchange in my third year, but i'm just a bit worried about the fact that I have to basically take a year out of my degree between the 3rd and 4th years to do it. It wont count towards my final degree grade either, which I suppose could be a really good thing!

Did anyone else have to take a year out to do Erasmus?

I'm taking a year out, in that my Erasmus year has extended my degree length by a year, but my marks will contribute towards my degree classification. What exactly are you worried about?

I suppose the fact that "my year" will have graduated by the time I come back from the Erasmus year. I know you make new friends blah blah, but is there still that feeling of being left behind?

How are you guys doing

I'm feeling a bit run down. I thought there'd be the whole Elation-then-homesick-then-settling in phases but the moment I arrived here with my suitcase 3 months ago I felt like I wanted to go home and I've basically felt the same way the entire time I've been here. I hover between "hating it and wanting to go home" and "feeling alright about it" but I'm never truly happy that I'm here. Literally counting down the days until I can go home (238 to go... ugh....). I went out for a crappy new year's eve thing (wish I hadn't gone) and crawled home from that at 5am new years' day and I still haven't really left my bed other than to cook and wash then just crawl back under the duvet like there's no point in getting up.

The year abroad program is so tiny here, no other British people at all so I have literally nothing in common with anyone.

You do sound a bit down. I had a totally miserable point one weekend when I was ill, I desperately wanted to be at home being looked after and I really felt like I hadn't made a single good friend. And then everything changed for the good! Try not to write off the exchange just yet. New semester = new arrivals? I definitely agree that it's easier to stick with other Brits (obviously only if possible), but I've found that a bit of perseverance with people from other backgrounds normally pays off eventually and you can find some kind of common ground.
Other than generally trying to stay optimistic...try and find more imminent things to focus on looking forward to, rather than counting down the days until you're home?

Also, not trying to be preachy, but try and get out regularly. Even if you don't want to, just go out for a walk or something. I find that when I stop going out it generally means I'm about to sink into some kind of depressive episode.

If you want to chat privately then feel free to message me

i really wanted to go to the Uni of Vienna for my year abroad but got an email a few days ago saying my degree scheme only allowed the following unis

ESC Rennes

University of Reutlingen, Germany

Corvinus University of Budapest

The Hague

University of Ostersund

University of Orebro

University of Southern Denmark, Sonderborg

i still wana go abroad though but not quite sure where to go now, out of these i may go for ESC Rennes since i know or did know a bit of French and maybe i could get half fluent if i studied there for a year, anyone been to these unis/countries or know anything about them, any info would be much appreciated, thanks

Hmm, I wouldn't recommend University of Southern Denmark. I have heard good things about it, but the city it's in is really not that interesting. I would pick Rennes

Anyone know much about Italy? If I don't get a job abroad my options are Universita degli studi di Bologna/Genova/Roma or Torino. The only one I'm pretty much certain I don't want to go to is Rome, because of how insanely busy and expensive it would be. Wherever I'll end up I'm sure I'll be pretty chuffed though

Bologna is beyond awesome, I lived there for a year, and it's absolutely the best place to be a student. There are lots of really good, really cheap, eating, drinking, and going out options, and with 100,000+ students there are always fun people to meet.

I don't know what you're studying, but UniBo also apparently has a really good reputation for European Studies and polisci, which I never even knew until I came to France.

There are also a ton of American study abroad programs that are based in Bologna (notably Johns Hopkins SAIS), so there are plenty of English speakers as well.

I got a place at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for study abroad (I'm doing Civil Engineering). Has anyone been to the university? What is it like and what is the area like?

Hi Samir. You may wish to PM WelshLily - she is currently doing a year abroad at that University I think! She gave me some advice as I'm going next year. Hope this helps.