erasmus year | A year abroad

Writing from my own experience and the experiences of several friends who have also studied abroad as part of their degree, I can say that spending a year studying in a foreign country was one of the most worthwhile choices I have made.

Most law degrees combined with an Erasmus year require some academic preparation in advance of studying abroad. This is not necessarily language tuition as some foreign universities study in English or provide Erasmus year programmes taught in English.

However, for anyone undertaking an Erasmus year using a foreign language, study in the UK before departure provides ample preparation.

This preparation might be specialist law modules or just language and current affairs modules focused on the country of choice. Friends of mine undertook a combination of the two and no one seems to have fared any better or worse based on the format of the pre-Erasmus study.

Academic preparation does not, however, make the initial move abroad any less daunting. The first few weeks (often alone) in a foreign country can be quite depressing and stressful. Foreign students often have a different attitude towards university and aren’t quite as sociable during the first few weeks as students in the UK are during fresher’s week.

Administration is often much less well organised in foreign institutions and language barriers only add to the general confusion. Although, after the first few weeks things settle down, you meet people, you get to all of the right classes (well most at least) and you get used to the culture and lifestyle of the country you are studying in.

Foreign students, especially those studying English are often keen to make English-speaking friends and so before long integrating with the foreign students becomes easier. Get through the first three weeks and the rest of the year will be fine.

Studying in a foreign language can be difficult and sometimes very frustrating but if you put in the effort then you soon notice an improvement in you ability to understand and communicate in a second language.

Even if you do an Erasmus year with no language prerequisite the teaching and assessment styles in foreign institutions can be very different and take a while to get used to. Stories of oral exams where 100 people turn up at 8am and then everyone has to wait their turn, never being told what time they will be examined, some waiting until 4pm, are common.

The year can’t be judged on a single bad exam experience, there is so much more to it. Friends in Spain enjoyed an apartment with a balcony for them to sit on and enjoy the sun all year round. Each location has its advantages and every Erasmus experience is different.

Furthermore, the UK government provides a grant to students undertaking an Erasmus year. The amount varies but in 2007/08 it was several thousand pounds, more than enough to pay accommodation and some living expenses in most European countries.

Finally a major advantage of taking an Erasmus year is the opportunity to earn some really high marks. Quite often the conversion system for translating foreign marks into UK marks is favourable to UK students and even where it is only equivalent, Erasmus students often do very well compared to the local students and students back in the UK.

Studying in a foreign system also provides students with a different way to approach work and because Erasmus students have one extra year of study the academic maturity aquired can often convert into better grades.

Studying law with an Erasmus year is highly recommended and I do not know anyone who has done an Erasmus year that would not want to do it if given the choice again.

Tom Mountford

Graduate, Kent University

19-09-2009