What’s better than a plain old degree? A degree with a year abroad, that’s what! Nowadays you can go pretty much anywhere and do anything, although Europe and English-speaking countries remain firm favourites. One thing nobody tells you? The hassle. The sheer amount of problems and hassle (and I haven’t even got out there yet!).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited to go abroad (to Italy, since you ask) that it hurts, and I pretty much spend my days getting into a frenzy over the fashion, food and fabulous hair. You know, Italian things. But in the brief moments where I take a trip back to the real world, I can’t help but think how much I still have to do.
Europe is easy
And the scariest thing is, Europe is easy! You get a ton of money thrown at you (no joke, 370 Euro a month, courtesy of the British Council), there’s no visa to contend with, and if you can speak the language, it’s a year in the country you’ve always adored. I have a friend who just left for America, and her visa came through on Thursday. She was meant to leave that day.
Sooner rather than later
Admittedly this isn’t normal, but I’m telling everyone now: sort stuff. And soon. You’ll thank yourself when all you have to do before leaving is relaxing and thinking of heading to a new clime and time, rather than haring around desperately hoping you’ll sort everything.
Check your options
Another thing you should probably do is look at your options. Don’t be the idiot who makes a snap choice and then regrets it; you want to enjoy the year abroad, not dream of home. Also, don’t be afraid if you don’t have somewhere to live – I don’t, and I won’t until I’m out there (well, hopefully I’ll have somewhere!). Book into a hostel, meet new people and find a group you’re willing to tolerate for a whole year.
Documents
I won’t bore you with details of which documents you need, mainly because I don’t even know what documents I need. Also, do us all a solid and try not to make us all seem like boozy idiots. We’ve got a bad enough reputation already, try not to make it even worse!
Get excited
Finally, get excited! Don’t go if you don’t want to. You’re about to immerse yourself in another culture, and it’s almost definitely going to be the most amazing year of your life. If you don’t love the country, you won’t love the experience, so pick somewhere you’re already a little obsessed with (or in my case, a lot!).
I suppose all I can say now is good luck and good travels. You’re going to love it!
Do you have any more advice for students going on their Erasmus year? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: Nicolas Raymond / Flickr
Warwick Editor for Career Camels and Deputy Comment Editor for The Boar.
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