Making choices for your future can be tough sometimes. Especially when it comes to the Erasmus (exchange) programme as you want to make the most out of it in every way. So much to choose from and every place seems to be amazing. And here comes the main dilemma: right or left? Even though it’s a long and confusing process, there is a key how to solve it. But I’ll be honest, make sure that you give yourself enough time to make a proper research à la Sherlock Holmes. How?

1. Choose countries of your preference (I went for countries I’ve never been to).
2. Make a sound choice of universities (check what they have to offer you).
3. Read reports of students who went to those destinations before.
4. Check course subjects and the amount of credits offered by your finalists.

Of course, there’s much more to that, but that is only up to you what you’re interested in. However, these provided me with the most important information I needed in order to decide what I wanted and trust me, I am very indecisive person. However, after carefully considering these 4 points, I was able to finally determine that the (https://www.iese-exchange.nl/index.php?option=com_resource&controller=article&article=32&category_id=1&Itemid=1) University of Ljubljana would probably be a great option for Erasmus exchange.

What comes next?

Once it’s clear where you want to go and why, here comes the application process. Let’s face it, one of the annoying parts of the whole exchange. Said shortly, it’s basically just e-mailing back and forth between you, our university, and the host university. After you confirm the offer, you’ll receive an e-mail with a few documents you have to fill in – the learning agreement, the grant agreement, the personal data sheet and the link to the form for the board of examiners, which needs to approve courses you chose at the host university. I have only one advice: Start ASAP!!! The sooner you start, the better for you as you’ll be ahead of everyone and you won’t have to wait for a long time to have everything approved.

What happens before you leave?

I guess that wherever you go, the most important question is accommodation. We all know how difficult it can be in Groningen. Honestly, it isn’t very different in other cities either. You should always check whether the host university offers a place in dormitories, however, it’s still not guaranteed that you’ll get one. There are Facebook groups, which you have to check regularly as well as websites. Moreover, universities usually refer to the relevant links
on their websites. It might take thousands of messages until you find a place, or you can be lucky enough and you’ll need just one short e-mail. It’s important to just try over and over again. Trust me, I was the former case sending thousands of messages a day and I know it can make you completely desperate. Nevertheless, if everything fails, there’s still a helpful hand of the university for those that didn’t manage to find anything.

Why Ljubljana, Slovenia?

The last but not least point is, why I actually chose the University of Ljubljana. Being Slovakian, I have almost always been mistaken to be Slovenian (yes, we are different countries and we are not neighbours) and I haven’t even visited the country. So why not take the opportunity. What is more, the University of Ljubljana is known for its very good reputation and a high-quality education. Subjects they offer are covering different fields of law, which means that almost everyone will find something of their interest. With regard to credits, I didn’t want to end up having too many subjects and no time to enjoy and explore the country. Ljubljana offers subjects, which are worth 6 credits each. As you need 30 credits in total per semester, this makes it 5 subjects to decide on, which seemed pretty reasonable. In addition to that, the semester only starts in October, which allows you to enjoy a really long summer before the final year of your bachelor degree. So, have you decided yet?

- Sara Turkova, Slovakia, International and European Law LLB student