Stay abroad for university: A challenge or a medium heavy catastrophy?
Studying a language at the university could be a lot of fun! Students get to know all about language, grammar, literature, history, culture etc. of the target country. Actually many german universities advertise the study of a language, for instance Spanish and English, but on the same time urge students to study abroad or spend some time working or completing an internship in Europe or any other country. The universities attract you by promises about fantastic stays in France, England, Italy or Spain. You get dazzled by the hundreds of web pages, brochures and articles about an incredible time abroad.
But in fact spending a whole year or half a hear or even only a couple of weeks could be very hard! Students have to fulfill tons of requirements e.g. filling out many papers and handing them in before the deadline ends. Then they have to think about finances: how are they going to pay the rent, the alimentation, insurances etc. in a different country?
After all the complex preparation students finally arrive in those target countries and experience in most cases the worst time of their lifes. Many have to suffer hard living conditions, others make the experience that Erasmus is not a pleasent idea for progressing with one’s studies.
All in all many students rather curse their time abroad rather than enjoying it. Students who do internships are often used for making coffee and being used as “cheap workers”, who do not gain any speacial advantages after having spent half a year abroad.
Many would rather like to spent some time abroad after having succeeded their studys in germany…
