Are you hesitant about doing an Erasmus? Let me convince you to try it! 

The main reason to do Erasmus is to improve your language skills and let me tell you, it works like a charm. By studying abroad, you’ll be completely immersed in the language and will have no choice other than to get better at it. The cool thing is that you won’t even notice it! 

Every little thing you do will be an opportunity to improve your language skills: going to the bakery, talking to your roommate, going to the hairdresser, asking a question to your professor, going to the market, etc. Those things will be stressful at first but then will become part of your routine. The point of an Erasmus is to become comfortable enough with a language to speak it naturally. I studied Spanish for more than 2 years before going to Spain for 6 months and I was pretty good at it. But when I entered the bakery to ask for bread the first day of my exchange experience, I was unable to speak naturally and made a bunch of stupid grammar mistakes I hadn’t made in months. Learning a language in school and actually using it with natives are two completely different things. 

Doing an Erasmus is also a great way to open your mind and experience new things. Going to another country and living in it with roommates who will probably also be from other countries is a huge step. You will be forced to get out of your comfort zone and will be exposed to new mentalities, opinions, ideas and ways of living. You’ll definitely disagree with some of them but getting out of your bubble is, in my opinion, extremely important to be able to grow into a tolerant and empathetic human being. Experiencing new cultures and seeing new landscapes and ways of living will make you realize it’s important to stay grounded because the world is huge and doesn’t revolve around you.

It will also teach you to respect fellow humans, no matter how different they can be, it will help you to be more open-minded. Getting out of my city, my house, my family taught me many things and helped put into practice all those values: empathy, open-mindedness, tolerance and much more. I am forever grateful for it and I don’t regret one second of it. 

Being independent is also essential to become a functional adult. Going on Erasmus will teach you how to manage a budget, how to live without your parents and far away from them, how to organize yourself and to adapt to new situations. You will gain the maturity that you need to face what is coming your way in the future. 

Having fun is almost as good of a reason as the three previous ones I just explained. Doing an Erasmus is all about having fun and enjoying life to the fullest. And I’m not talking about partying all day every day and skipping classes, because that would be irresponsible. I’m talking about making the most out of your time in that foreign country, experiencing it to the fullest and taking advantage of the fact that you are LIVING in it and not just on vacation, because they are two very different things. Explore the area, meet the natives, go on little trips, don’t hesitate to talk to people, sign up to a class you would never be able to attend in your home university, taste new food, be social!