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! ;)