'It helped me grow up': students on why the Erasmus scheme must stay
Britain leaving the EU could put the Erasmus student exchange scheme under threat. Six former students explain why this matters
‘I was incredibly lucky with where I ended up studying – the cities were both beautiful.’ Photograph: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
Sarah MarshandGuardian readers
Wednesday 14 September 201610.14BSTLast modified on Monday 13 February 201714.09GMT
There are fears over the future of the Erasmus, a £112m EU exchange programme thatallows students to spend time elsewhere in Europe as part of their degree. It’s believed that Brexit could put the scheme under threat andDavid Davis, the secretary of state for exiting the EU, is being urged to protect it.
Here, six people talk about their experiences of the programme.
Sophie, 26, Reading: ‘I learned that I was a lot tougher than I originally thought’
I did a joint honours degree in French and Spanish, and was given the opportunity to do an Erasmus semester in each country. I first spent five months in Montpellier in the south of France and then five months in Granada in Spain.
One memory that really sticks out for me is my first evening in Granada: I had moved into my new flat earlier that day and my new French and Belgian housemates took me up to the Mirador St Nicolas, which looks over the Alhambra Palace, to watch the sunset. Anyone who has been there before will know just how stunning the view is. I remember feeling like I’d won the lottery knowing that I’d get to spend the next five months living and studying in such a beautiful city. My year as an Erasmus student was honestly one of the best years of my life.
If I hadn’t done an Erasmus year, I would have left university not knowing all the intricacies of the language and colloquialisms that you learn from native speakers. You can learn the fundamentals of grammar in class but every language student will tell you that what really sets you apart is knowing the local lingo.
But it was about so much more than that. I had such a blast getting to know so many other people from all different nationalities and I grew so much in confidence as the year progressed.
Many people see Erasmus students as being drunken party animals. While I can’t deny that I enjoyed going out and had a great time with my new international friends, the experience was also tough at times. My first six weeks in France, for example, were a huge test of patience, mental strength and perseverance. Everything from opening a bank account to getting enrolled at university was a bureaucratic nightmare.
I learned that I was a lot tougher than I originally thought. My first six weeks in Spain were an absolute breeze in comparison.
I hope Erasmus isn’t scrapped because it would be such a tragedy for UK students not to have the opportunity to study inEurope.
Emily Goodier, 21, Manchester: ‘My year abroad helped me grow up and become an adult’
I went to Lund University in Sweden for a year as part of my degree. Before I left, getting everything sorted involved filling in lots of paperwork and this taught me to be more organised. When I arrived, I found the programme challenging both academically and personally, but living on my own, in a foreign country (and being immersed in a new culture) taught me how to be an adult. I didn’t have my mum and dad, friends or family there for support, but learned to look after myself. I also learned how to talk to people from all over the world. I had to be financially careful and one of the most valuable lessons from my time away was that it’s important to seize any opportunities that come your way. I grew in confidence that year.
Losing the Erasmus programme would have a huge impact on students from working-class families, such as me. I could never have afforded to study abroad without financial support. My university fees would have been much higher if I hadn’t gone away for a year and I also wouldn’t have been able to take a range of exciting new topics: there was much more on offer on Lund’s programme. This helped me get a first-class degree.
Stephen Devincenzi, 25, Bangkok: ‘I can’t stress how awful losing this programme could be for the next generation’
I spent one semester in Luxembourg as part of my degree. While there, I had all my courses in French (although there were plenty available in German, too). It was an invaluable experience to study under a different education system and I made lots of friends from across Europe (many of whom I continue to see to this day).
My dissertation was about how to implement foreign-language teaching in the primary curriculum. I spent many hours in the university library in Luxembourg working on this, speaking to teachers, professors, and students who lived through a multilingual education system. My dissertation wouldn’t have been as interesting if it hadn’t been for Erasmus.
I cannot stress how awful losing this programme could be for a generation of young people. The loss of Erasmus would be a huge missed opportunity and could stop young people making new friends and forming relationships that could last a lifetime.
Helen Carnac, 48, London: ‘My experiences mean I will always have close ties and connections in Germany’
I spent four months in Germany in 1993. I was studying for a degree in silversmithing, jewellery and related arts at the time.
The Erasmus programme was fantastic. One highlight was studying with lots of other students from Europe, some of whom have become lifelong friends. It had an incredible effect on my future career. When I went away I was in my sixth year of studying, post-A-levels, and needed a break from London. Going abroad helped me develop ideas in different ways and perhaps I, and other Erasmus students, had a fuller education because of it.
My experiences mean I have always had close ties and connections in Germany – I now regularly show my work there and was a professor in Berlin for six months in 2011. A highlight of my Erasmus experience was doing a residency with the Munich-based artist and gallery owner Marianne Schliwinski. We have kept in touch since and I have valued this enormously.
It would be so damaging to lose Erasmus; studying abroad can really help you develop in new ways you might never have imagined.
Martin Hunt, 48, Cambridge: ‘My year in France helped shape my future. I discovered a taste for living abroad’
In my second year at Bristol we were told that an Erasmus exchange was being set up with the University of Bordeaux, and anyone who had a French A-level could apply. Even though I got a miserable E grade, I thought, why not? So I sent off my application and got a place.
I was in my third year (it was 1989-90) when I found myself in Bordeaux for the year. It was interesting because the history I studied there was (a) very French (a course on, say, European culture quickly became a course onFrenchculture) and (b) involved memorising a lot of facts rather than the analysis we did at Bristol.
It was a great opportunity and one that all students should get to experience. I guess there is a counter-argument that it’s an opportunity only open to a university-educated elite, but even so it’s well worth keeping.
My year in France definitely helped shape my future. I discovered a taste for living abroad, so after graduation I taught English in Greece and then Singapore. I saw an awful lot more of the world than I would have done otherwise. I gained a real interest in and appreciation of different cultures.
James, 30, London: ‘Without Erasmus I would not have met my girlfriend’
I was the only person in my entire faculty who wanted to add an exchange year to my course, so it took a bit of persuading for the course director to let me go. He said: “Well, I guess we should be offering more of this kind of thing.” I had a year to learn enough German to understand lectures, so the pressure was on, but it also helped to have a goal to work towards.
I spent two unforgettable semesters at Bremen university. Erasmus can be a bit of a bubble – I made many, many friends from other countries but not that many Germans. However, it is what you make it and many people do immerse themselves fully in their exchange city; it depends partly on where you go.
Upon returning to Liverpool for my final year I was fluent in German, had a network of friends across Europe and a completely different perspective of my home country. My language skills were stretched to their limits in the intimidating German style of oral exams, but pushing myself meant I became fluent. Last but not least, without Erasmus I would not have met my girlfriend. Our lives have very much been shaped by the exchange programme – after graduating, I moved to Berlin during the recession of 2009. We had met once in Bremen but started dating in Berlin. She had dreamed for years of studying in London and Erasmus made it possible for her to do so in 2012-13. The following year, circumstances brought us both together to the UK for work. Brexit may force us back to Germany. Either way, one of us is always the marginal man, living in our adopted home country.