The reason why I’m doing this blog is to put UCD student's worries to bed about the Erasmus program in UCD while also revealing some of the fun things that I got to do.
I applied for the UCD Erasmus program in the second semester of my 3rd year of college. It was a very interesting time of my life as we had to start figuring out what we wanted to do after college and I felt a semester away from the pressures of lovely but controlling parents would be a great way of figuring this out. I applied to many different countries. I liked the idea of going to the beach each day in Australia or the very different culture in the United States. However, the college that stuck out to me was the University of Nottingham in the UK. I loved the way the college looked, and I also felt that going on Erasmus in the UK where your only an hour-long flight home would be perfect.
It's fair to say that I was very nervous about going on Erasmus, the thoughts of not making any friends and being homesick, came across my mind several times. However, all these worries were squashed when I arrived at the college. Everybody seemed to be very nice and all the lecturers I had were more than helpful. It quickly became the best semester I have spent at UCD.
This blog will deal with many aspects that I felt is important for the UCD student on Erasmus. These are:
• Location
• Friends
• Travel and Activities
• Skills learned
• Opportunities gained
Location
As stated above I did my Erasmus at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. This university is located only 2 hours from London on the train. I stayed on campus in the student accommodation. I shared this apartment with 3 other guys. This led to many a fun moment with guys while also finding them incredibly annoying around exam times.
My daily routine would be to wake up in the morning usually only about 30 minutes before my lecture, then when the lectures were done, I never went to the library but instead to some sort of sports training or the college pub. The university itself was beautiful and if you mixed that in with the fun nightlife and good education it would be a perfect fit for any college student.
As it was the United Kingdom the weather was miserable like at home. However, I wouldn’t let myself be swayed to warmer countries as in the UK you have less chance of getting sunburnt.
I would definitely recommend the University of Nottingham based on location. However, I would say that it is based on personal preference and you should do the research while choosing your Erasmus college.
Friends
As I said earlier in the blog, I was very nervous going on Erasmus based on the reason that I wouldn’t make any friends. Unlike the rest of my friends who went on Erasmus with a friend or somebody in their course, I went to the University of Nottingham by myself. This meant that I had to make friends quickly or I would get very little enjoyment out of the Erasmus.
Being in student accommodation helped with this a lot. The university would put on social events for students staying on campus and this gave you a chance to socialize and make friends. All three of my roommates were very nice to me when I arrived. They had spent the last 4 months living together and were very helpful showing me where my lectures were, what places were good for food and where all the best nightlife spots were. The last of these things was probably what I got the most use out of.
Being one of the few Irish guys on my course, everybody took very well to me and my funny accent. However, I would have to say that the joke about not being able to understand what I was saying grew a little thin at times and it was comforting when I came across a group of UCD Erasmus students who set up their tennis team. Playing tennis with this group was one of the most enjoyable parts of my Erasmus so I would recommend trying to do some sort of activities with your friend group. As one of the guys said, “you might be awful at this game, but it's great to have another friend to go drinking with”.
Travel and Activities.
As I was studying in the UK, travel would have never come to mind as something I would want to do. This all changed when I got over there. Every few weeks we would rent a car and drive to one of the major cities in the UK. We saw a Celtics match in Glasgow, and we went to the Ireland vs. Wales match in Cardiff. These weekend trips led to a very close-knit friend group. Just a few weeks ago I, unfortunately, went to the hammering of Ireland by England. Going on Erasmus opened my eyes regarding traveling and I plan to do more of it this Summer.
As mentioned above activities were a massive part of my Erasmus. The University of Nottingham has a fantastic sports program with one of the best tennis halls in the whole of the UK. I believe it is very important to join some sports or societies that you like. Not only to stay active but also to make friends.
Skills Obtained.
As I have been living at home my entire life. I had to quickly learn some skills to get me through the semester so I didn't end up broke and unwashed. Making meals each day not only gave me a new skill of cooking but I also got to saw how budgeting what you buy is very important.
Another important skill I obtained was having an understanding of dealing with different cultures. In the UK everybody has to work very hard as college exams have a massive impact on their career. Everything was very important to them and that joking around was not an option coming up to exam times.
I understood after the first few weeks of term that I needed to be far more prepared regarding your day to day schedule. In college in the UK attendance in lectures is compulsory and if I wanted to pass my Erasmus I would need to make daily plans so I attended each lecture.
Opportunities obtained.
This is one of the most important aspects of the Erasmus program. Not only was it a fun semester abroad but also it shows that I have a number of key traits which employers are looking for. The skills such as being independent and well prepared is something which is very important in a working environment.
Also being well-traveled allows you to connect with other people on a personal level. For example, in the future, if I plan to work in the UK I will already have a good idea of the culture and also I will have friends who can help me there.
I hope you all enjoyed this blog about the Erasmus program and I would truly stress to take advantage of this opportunity as not many of them will come around.
Thanks,
Eoin👍