Erasmus experience

Erasmus doesn't fund people to do their whole degree abroad.

I haven't done erasmus but living abroad away from family. last year I was in France and now Im in Switzerland. so if you have questions outside of the erasmus process then feel free to ask.

Are you a languages student? Each university has a slightly different policy but generally language students get first dibs on Erasmus places which means non-language students usually end up going to places like the Netherlands or Scandinavia rather than France or Spain. Where do you want to go for your year abroad?

I'm only looking to do an Erasmus year.



I think France would be more representative of Spain than Switzerland (are they that different?) so how did you find France? Did you enjoy it? How did you fund your stay?

Thanks for responding

I loved France! But a lot of my enjoyment came from being away from family and feeling like an independant adult. I actually got free accommodation. I was volunteering in a nursery for an organisation, so I got benefits like free accommodation, free meals when working and free language classes. I loved experiencing a new culture, learning French and getting to know new people. The downside was that I actually still spoke a lot of English! I lived with American people who were doing the same french course as me. I really recommend you research into accommodation and try live with spanish students. If you live with internationals you will end up speaking english! even if that is not their native language, chances are their english is better than your oral spanish if you have never lived abroad before. so be especially weary of placements aimed at internationals. that is something I didnt consider before leaving. another thing, don't take critisism personally. You will get quite bit of it and it can be damaging sometimes. Europeans tend to speak their minds much more than we do, But you need to understand that they are saying this because they care. They want you to develop into the best person you can be. and remember, if they say it to your face it means they are not saying it behind your back but critisism is something you slowly get used to and start to even appreciate, and come home much more confident! so don't let that put you o! ff

Wow, that's great! Thank you. I am trying to teach myself Spanish before I go and the Uni has Spanish classes which I shall make the most of, hopefully it's good enough to hold a conversation by the time I go

cool! where are you going and what are you studying? are you in yr12 or 13? also before you go to spain make your oral comprehension is good enough to get by in everyday situations. this will help the temptation to speak in English, for the other speaker too. although i hear the spanish are a lot more encouraging of those learning their language than the french. but if the only you learn is reading a text book-even if guided by a teacher- you will not learn to understand speech or speak. I found when I arrived France that I couldn't understand much, despite having an a level and knowing enough vocab to read a newspaper. because i had never listened to a native speaker. so go online for resources, listen to the news and radio, youtube in spanish and there is a great site called conversationexchange.com where you can practice with native speakers via Skype in return for helping them with english.

I'll be starting yr13 in September, I'm looking to go to Kingston to study Journalism and do my 2nd year at UC3M in Spain. I listen to radio and watch some Spanish TV too, plus I used similar websites to conversationexchange! I've read Spanish people are very appreciative of foreigners that try their best to speak in Spanish haha.

Don't you think it is a bit too early to start thinking about doing an Erasmus year? You haven't even applied, let alone got into Kingston yet. I've had a look at the website and you're right, you could do an Erasmus year abroad in Madrid (although you should check to makes sure there is no language requirement). You do understand that you wouldn't be doing your second year in Madrid, you would be spending a year in Madrid in between your first and second year of your degree?

No, it is never too early. If I find everything out now then I can be well prepared if I decide it's something I want to do. And why is that? I didn't know that.

I don't know, it's just how it works.

How do you know?
When should I go abroad?
This depends on your subject area. Undergraduate students normally go abroad in the second year of their studies. Some subject areas will permit students to go abroad in their third year, however this is not always possible. You should discuss this with the Erasmus Unit and with the relevant Academic Erasmus Coordinator(s).

I know because I know, it's just a fact - if you don't believe then phone Kington's international office and ask them yourself.

So you don't know then?

I'm not going to do your research for you. I've told you what I know, if you don't believe me then contact Kingston and ask them.