10 reasons for a semester abroad that you'll love!

1. First of all, quite clearly: the academic aspect. You will benefit in every way from having studied abroad for a while. You get to know a new university system, study in a different language, learn content whose focus exists only at your chosen university abroad, confront yourself with different types of assessment, can have these credited back to Würzburg in the best case, and discover a new learning atmosphere. Who knows, perhaps you'll be as taken with it as I was in South England? The University of Chichester almost looks like a little castle, doesn't it?

2. Once you've chosen a place of study, most students remain loyal to it. You know your way around, know where everything is, and feel at home. But the same streets, the same people and the same events all the time? At some point that's enough! That's practically crying out for a change of scenery. Have you always wanted to study in a city of millions, but it's too expensive for your entire degree? Do you long for high mountains, fresh forests or the sea on your doorstep? Are you fed up with too many students and looking for a smaller town? By choosing your university for your semester abroad, you have the chance to decide again, perhaps for a completely different place to live. In my Erasmus semester in South England, what I enjoyed most was being just a few minutes from the sea by bus, and I still rave about it now.

3. Not only on the street, at university, in the supermarket or on the bus, but also door to door you are surrounded by the locals of your chosen country. You certainly get to know people and cultures on holiday, but only through this intensive contact with fellow students and housemates do you learn the real peculiarities, special features and charms of the country. As much as my housemates in England got on my nerves and as often as I was amazed at them and their habits, it was one of the best experiences during my semester abroad. We really laughed a lot together, chatted and spent time with each other. Through this intensive living together, I know exactly about the eating habits of English students, am familiar with the financing methods of their studies down to the smallest detail, have closely followed the weeks of a British fresher and am well informed about campus rules that will never officially be written down anywhere. Of course, you are also always
a representative of your university and your home country. So you can incidentally challenge stereotypes and explain why you find "Hambürger" so funny.

4. In another country you suddenly see so many possibilities and it's finally time to indulge in one or another dream. Perhaps you've always wanted to visit a particular sight, participate in a make-up artistry course, take a helicopter flight, try bungee jumping, or like me, visit the Warner Bros. Studios in London. Feeling like I was in a Harry Potter film there for a day was my dream, which I fulfilled. What do you dream of?

5. You visit a different city every weekend, take trips during the week, travel to a neighbouring country for a long weekend. No matter what, wanderlust is written in capital letters during a semester abroad. I think there are several reasons for this: on the one hand, the student studying abroad usually has more time due to fewer courses at university and fewer obligations than at home. You're not trapped in some routine or seeing the same group of friends regularly. You're new to the city and you get creative! Slowly you work your way from your own place of study to the next city, to the capital, to a weekend trip. By the end of the semester, many students can say that they know the entire area around their temporary home inside and out. But beware: the travel euphoria gained abroad continues beyond that!

6. Far away from home, one thing is of course particularly important: having dear people by your side! No matter where in this world, there are wonderful people everywhere who want to be met. Especially in shared flats, in Erasmus groups or similar, it happens so much faster than ever thought before. You make friends with people from the most diverse countries, listen to their stories, their dreams and ideas, travel together to the most varied places and have an indescribably wonderful time together. What's even more beautiful about it is that friendships can continue to exist beyond the time abroad. So our semester abroad in the form of our friends is always a part of us.

7. It's only when you're away from home that you often realise what you don't want to miss or what your heart is attached to. Only in England did I find shopping at Lidl so wonderful. When we walked home with our fully packed rucksacks, the haul was like home in our luggage. And this is never a bad thing, because everyone is allowed to admit to a piece of their comfort zone. Besides, one or two semesters pass faster than you think. In times of video calls and budget airlines, loved ones are reachable faster than ever before. Especially those who decide on a semester abroad within Europe should not be surprised how often visitors drop by.
8. You're brand new to the city, nobody knows you, nobody expects anything from you, you have to manage your everyday life independently, find your way around the university, participate in courses and exams, mix with people and build a new chapter of your life. These and many other points mean that you make a huge leap forward. Your personality will develop, you grow with your tasks and strengthen your self-confidence. You perceive yourself anew in an unfamiliar environment and in exchange with others. Through the new situation, you might also find space for time out to reflect and grow beyond yourself.

9. Whether Mandarin, English, Czech, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swahili or Spanish: language skills have only advantages and it doesn't matter which language you're passionate about. On site you can haggle at markets, chat with your neighbours, know exactly what you're buying in the supermarket, and find your way around local and long-distance transport. Even if you only learn the basics of a language, it will quickly be sufficient for that. If you're a bit more ambitious or already have prior knowledge of the language, these can also play into your hands in your professional future. In later working life, most graduates benefit from a foreign language not only in their CV but also in their daily work. Especially because of globalisation, everything is now so closely networked that you need more than just your mother tongue. Besides, it's also nice when you travel through the country yourself again, use your own language skills to your advantage and, for example, order the food for your friends.

10. Time is running! And that's exactly why your time abroad will pass far too quickly. It's best to sort out an extension as soon as possible. If that's no longer possible, remember that the memories and experiences have shaped you not only during your semester abroad. These special moments will stay with you. Perhaps write down one or another particularly funny, odd or crazy story, or tell it back home so often that everyone gets totally fed up with you because every sentence you say starts with "so in my semester abroad". But you can also be indifferent about it, after all, for you they're not just any old stories, but genuine experiences, real life itself.

Helena Klöhr