However nice it would be to just decide to study abroad and go, it’s not really the case. The university will most likely want to know what it is you who should be supported in staying abroad, and what you can make of the stay.
Applying for Erasmus
When I finally decided what university (or universities, actually) I wanted to study at, I had to apply using an online form, which was provided by the School of Psychology. Completing the form was quite easy – apart from writing a motivational letter, which was something I really had to think about. We were asked to state why we feel like we would benefit from Erasmus, and to comment on our choice of universities in 300-600 words. Here are some points I included (and consider useful – I got the offer in the end, didn’t I?):
- What studying in a foreign country can help you in (e.g. learning a new language)
- Why I think I will represent the university well whilst abroad
- Activities that make me more ‘interesting’ from the international mobility’s point of view (e.g. working abroad, working with people, etc.)
- A short description of the host universities and the rationale for choosing them
- My future goals (involving the experiences I might gain while studying abroad)
As you can see, the key is to relate your experiences (and the whole narrative) to how you think you might benefit from the stay and how ‘international’ you can be.
Another requirement was to submit a CV; let me share a few tips I got from the Careers & Employability Centre:
- Fit everything into two pages
- Make sure your CV looks neat; stick to one font and two (three) colours
- Individualise your CV – include things relevant to the placement and experiences related to working/studying abroad
- The CV should support the cover letter & vice versa in terms of the content
Going through this process and thinking about what you should write & say about yourself is not only useful in being selected for Erasmus, it can also help you with finding your strengths and weaknesses and practising for prospective job interviews.
Attending the interview
The final step of your application is attending an interview – for me, it was an interview with the Academic Coordinator for Psychology and the Deputy Head of Psychology. I’m not going to say that I was not stressed – because I was – but it turned out to be a nice talk about what I think Erasmus will be like for me and what I expect. Some of the questions that came up (and that would be useful to think about before you attend the interview) were:
- What does Erasmus mean to you? How will it benefit you?
- What are you expecting to learn?
- How will you represent the University?
- How will you cope with moving abroad and studying at a different university?
- How are you expecting to cover the expenses (apart from the Grant)?
tl;dr
When you decide to apply for Erasmus, there usually is a selection process. Mine consisted of providing a CV, cover letter, and attending an interview. If any of the steps are the same for you, make sure you 1) clearly outline how you want to benefit from studying abroad, 2) present evidence of your ‘international’ skills, and 3) show that you can cope with living, studying (and perhaps even working) abroad.
The information provided applies to the University of Lincoln’s School of Psychology (as of 2019) and the procedures are likely to differ at other universities, however I believe that an outline of what you might be asked to do is always useful.