For those who are not acquainted with the term “Erasmus”, it is a culture in Europe for organizing student exchanges between Universities. Although in the beginning it started with exchanges among European universities, it has extended all around the world with students from Non-European countries coming to Europe for studying and vice-versa.
Ask any student who has done Erasmus and the response would be the same “Once Erasmus, Always Erasmus”, “Erasmus is a way of life” etc…In the upcoming blog posts, I’ll take you through my life through Erasmus and beyond, in Europe.
This blog post will help answer a set of questions most of the students will have before applying for Erasmus. For international students, this exchange is called as Erasmus Mundus and this has now been renamed as Erasmus+ (Erasmus Plus).
You could either apply for Erasmus + programs or Erasmus Masters.
Difference between an Erasmus Program and Erasmus Masters?
An Erasmus + program will have several partner universities 6-7 from Europe and 6-7 from whichever region in the world the program is aiming at. There will be a list of courses/masters you could choose from and apply for. An example is Merging Voices.
An Erasmus Master is a Masters program in which the student spends each semester in a different partner university. An example is EMARO – European Masters on Advanced Robotics.
Who can apply?
Anyone looking for a course to study in any particular topic. Only thing is to find a program with the particular topic of interest. The internet is a vast ocean and there are lots of opportunities out there. Same with Erasmus opportunities and others. Find the one that suits you the best. For an exchange program, you have to be enrolled in a partner university of the program.
Where, When and How should I apply?
The entire application process of Erasmus Mundus is online (you can find more programs by simply googling) and usually the deadlines of most programs will be by January end to March. So start preparing your application by November and keep improving it so that you can present your best self by the time you apply. This applies to any application process whether you are applying for your Masters or for a job or for an exchange program. You could have a Skype interview once the pre-selection is done.
What benefits will I get?
Most funded Erasmus programs for Non- Europeans will support you with inbound and outbound travel costs to the host university city, a stipend of 1000 Euros per month (more for PhD and PostDocs) and will refund any extra costs that you would incur during the process. So you get the best of everything. You get great education, you get exposed to a new culture, make new friends, learn new stuff and your expenses get taken care of and at the same time, save up some money (depending on how you live). If you are willing to take care of the expenses, you can still get exchange programs without being accepted for a scholarship. You just have to negotiate with the home university and the host university.
What are the requirements?
The usual requirements are: a motivation letter, a CV, two recommendation letters, transcript.
Tips for making a good application
The motivation letter should convey why you want to do the particular course you are applying for, the reasons why you developed an interest in that area and what you have done to nourish the same interests. It should make the reader feel that you are deeply interested and that you are the perfect candidate. Try to be the jury yourself and ask if the current letter impresses you. If you’re not, then rewrite it. Keep doing this until the perfect one is made. Check for spelling and grammatical errors. Ask friends or mentors to read it for you.
For an academic program, the CV should not solely stick to your technical skills. Show your cultural and other extracurricular activities, so that the person gets an overall picture of your character. Use good templates and make the CV look good. Use Latex for better looking CVs and not the usual Word write-ups using tables.
Recommendation letters could be from professors who you have worked with for projects or from lectures in whose subjects you’ve performed well.
Once you’ve done all this and applied, keep your fingers crossed and wait for the results. Look forward to an awesome experience!
Everyday Mischief 