First steps before Erasmus

The actual exchange semester might not start before Autumn (or respectively, Spring) but you have to start preparing much sooner for it. The very first steps included the following in my case:

1. Google-ing
Of course you need to look up, well, basically everything online, if you want to make the best choice. Where to fly, which airline to choose, when to fly and how big a luggage to take? How big a suitcase to buy for that? And what to pack in it? What papers and documents will you need? What is it that you should know about the destination? And about the university? And how much money will you need? What is the currency? What courses can you take? And how many you have to have? And so on.... Not to mention all the useful information you can get by googleing 'How to pack your bag?' and 'How to keep your relationship working during Erasmus?' and 'What is the weather like in *destination*?' and so on. Seriously, looking up stuff online can take days, if not weeks. But it is all worth it, if you do it right.

2. Buying plane tickets
Once you decided on what kind of ticket to buy, you'd better not wait long before actually buying it. They might get more expensive with time and you don't want to miss the best window seats. Also, buying the ticket made me realise that I really need to think about expenses - 192 EUR disappearing from your account suddenly makes it all realistic.

This pic is from my very first (and so far only) flight. You really don't want to miss out on such a view.

3. Writing lists 
It's maybe just because I've really really gotten into writing lists in the last two years or so but I think it is very hepful when preparing for a long stay abroad. It helps you in organising stuff and deciding on what to take with you and it gives you time to figure out what is it that you already have at home and what you need to buy. I have lists with the major expenses, about what I should pack when I do the packing (last day, probably, especially since I have a well-prepared list so it will be easy). I have lists about what to buy and what offices to visit for papers and what to do when I arrive there and what courses to take and so on. You could say this trip just made my already existing list-writing mania flare up to burn with now kinda frightening flames.

  4. Looking for accommodation
This one is kinda obvious - you will need to live somewhere, after all. I tried to look for accommodation on numerous websites but it is not so easy cause they mostly have offerings for the summer and not from September. In the end I just ended up asking students who had previously been to that university about where they lived and if that was okay. This way I found a (supposedly) nice couple who have rooms available for university students. The house is kinda far from the uni buildings but they also give you bicycle so that should be okay. I just hope I will be satisfied with them - I will pay the price (I mean I knew it is gonna be expensive but ahhh I wasn't really expecting this much for a room that is not even close to the university).

5. Buying a suitcase
For those who are not big travellers already. I had no suitcase since the only time I took a flight abroad was half a year ago and only for a few days so I could simply borrow a suitcase from someone else. But now I needed an own bag since I will be away for months, and hopefully won't stop traveling after I come back. This was really an item I wanted to purchase for a long time and now it was high time I actually did it. And you just need SO MUCH information to be able to decide which one to buy. I don't talk about colours or material but mostly size and quality. It took a lot of time and googling for me to pick the right one. If you do have one, then lucky you, skip this step and go watch some series online while all the others are out there (or most probably online) looking for the perfect suitcase

And of course there is all the administrative stuff going on. Registering online, filling out forms, printing and scanning papers, writing emails, running to offices to get all the necessary papers and insurances and passport and all. I am kinda halfway through that, I did most of what I could from home, now I need to go and get my passport and cards done.

Top 5 tips if you plan to apply for Erasmus+

At least the five things I found most important based on my experiences - those what I kept and those that I unfortunately and foolishly did not.
 
1. Start saving money!

If you don't have a job, get one, even if only student or part-time one, or only for the holidays. You will soon be in sore need of that money. Also, try not to spend as much as you are used to - the price of one or two bars of chocolate every week can mean a lot when they add up.


2. Choose your destination wisely!

You might think Erasmus is just for making new friends and enjoying life and it's mostly true, but you also need to think about practical things. Do you speak or intend to learn the language of the target country? Does the university you apply for have at least some classes you can take instead of the ones you would at your home university? Is that country really what you need most? Giving up the sunny beaches of Spain in favour of cold and grim Finland might seem hard at first but you need to take more factors into consideration. You will love your semester(s) whichever you choose, I can guarantee you!

3. Information!

You can never start searching for information too early. Check the universities offered by the faculty and department you study at, contact students who have already been on Erasmus, look up useful stuff on the internet. You won't regret it.

4. What motivates you?

In case you are not used to writing motivation letters on a weekly basis, you might need to start thinking about what you are good at, why you are good at it and what you want to do with your life. Concentrate on how Erasmus could help you in achieving your goals and how your community/university/country could benefit from the knowledge and experiences you gain there.

5. Chillax!

You will have a lot on your plate once you get accepted to the host university and start organising your trip, find accommodation, buy all the stuff you might need, take up classes and register and so on. For now, you should just be happy that you still have some time before all the chaos that will fall on your head. I suggest you spend time with your friends and family - you will probably miss them a lot when you'll be gone.

Whether you choose to apply my super cool advices or not, I hope you will get accepted to wherever you want to go and have unbelievably much fun there! Good luck! ;)