What's something you genuinely regret about your Erasmus?

[u/SufficientDraw1266]

People always say Erasmus is one of the best experiences of their lives, but I wonder how many people look back and wish they would done something differently.

Maybe you spent too much time with the same group of people, did not travel enough, chose the wrong city or focused too much on partying.

I am especially interested in hearing from people who have already finished their Erasmus.

If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be?

[u/riccafrancisco]

1) not doing a language course while there

2) not being more outgoing

3) not travelling around more (third because my city was quite isolated)

[u/kiraofvanaheim → u/riccafrancisco]

Honestly same. Did not want to pay for the language course, or skip too much school to travel, so I just didn't. I still enjoyed it, but I wish I could have done more. Also keeping in better contact w my friends I made there

[u/Patchali]

I would have loved to stay longer, I stayed one semester plus summer and winter holidays

[u/theErasmusStudent]

Not staying the full year, but it was not even a choice I made as my university only allows semester exchanges

[u/Butterfly-Flower4884 → u/theErasmusStudent]

Same

[u/-Felin- → u/theErasmusStudent]

I agree, on the other hand Erasmus life would probably have been way different, and it was a great, intensive time. So Im actually in between "one semester was good" and "a year would have been better". I also stayed the spring semester, so I could have extended the period to the time before, not after the semester, which would have changed everything.

[u/theErasmusStudent → u/-Felin-]

I went the fall semester, and ALL my friend group was staying for the year so that definitely influenced my answer. It is true that before starting you can't know that, and maybe you are staying one year and the friends you meet are staying only for the semester

[u/-Felin- → u/theErasmusStudent]

I was kind of lucky, because I was in Lithuania for a summer language course, after that went back to Germany for one semester and returning in February. Some people from the summer course were still there for my semester, others went home, so there were some people I already knew, which actually helped. In the end, I could even move to a shared flat with some friends from the summer course and with two locals, which was a great mixture.

[u/idiilsn]

i’ve stayed there for a year and i regret not staying there for full time studies lolll. I’ve had the chance but I decided to think of other things before myself. hopefully for my masters i’ll make it :)

[u/yooooouuuuuuuuu]

Not going out tonight (yes, you reading this).

[u/flora_h]

Finding a private accommodation - the rent was expensive, the house sucked, and the owner most likely had a personality disorder and ended up being very, very dangerous (5 roommates of the 9 who were there decided to leave unannounced for that reason, me included)

[u/heyaly7]

hanging around with the wrong people just because i was afraid to be alone

[u/BioPolyglott]

I think it‘s important to focus on genuine friendships and good people.

Sometimes I regret trying to please certain people who were attached to much to their core group, so I‘m not left out.
And when the community is small, don‘t feel pressured by gossip.

[u/Alone-Confidence-639]

I guess I do not regret anything 😅 ... compared to other peoples comments I have done everything ... I stayed for 1 semester then went back home and decided to move back after 3 months and am living where I did my Erasmus... it's different life ofc since during Erasmus I was around all the time meeting new people and enjoying the company ... maybe a little thing I regret of the Erasmus is not joining trips of the ESN group ... would have been fun maybe going around with the Erasmus community also around the country not only in the city

[u/gilbatron]

My biggest regret is not collecting peoples phone numbers. I lost contact with quite a few people who stopped using facebook or other social media 

[u/triggerrrrer]

Honestly, I'd tell my past self to embrace the awkwardness of being an outsider more. I spent too much time trying to find comfort in the Erasmus bubble and should have pushed myself harder to make local friends and really dive into the culture.

[u/Feisty_Landscape_698]

Not doing more to meet locals. I lived in a flat of only exchange students and had several classes that were aimed at exchange students, but I also had a few classes with locals and I wish I’d done more to actually interact with them and get to know people who live there full time and not just a semester

[u/Sufficient-Status441]

I traveled and been outside too much that i genuinely didn’t have a routine around my apartment so i lived a mess lol. Took me months after to build back a routine like normal people. Also lots of activities would’ve been more quality if i showed up rested at least. Now I wouldn’t underestimate resting and home days while on erasmus

[u/Street-Background239]

Not traveled enough or socialized enough

[u/CorrectSpinach6530]

Jumping into a relationship. Ahhh never again

[u/becomingnan]

One thing I regret is trying to fill every moment of silence with people. I sometimes went to parties, drank or spent time with people I didn't particularly enjoy being around, simply because I didn't want to be alone.

Looking back, I think Erasmus is also a wonderful opportunity for introspection, but it's easy to overlook that when there's always another party, trip or social event.

I'd tell my past self to embrace solitude a little more. Go for walks alone, enjoy the silence, reflect on what you're experiencing and get to know yourself better. Not every moment needs to be filled with people or activities. Sometimes the most valuable part of being abroad is having the space to discover who you are when nobody else is around.

[u/jolandaluna]

My only regret is not moving permanently to my city, which i still consider a second home. My local friends there, who had been in Erasmus a couple years before I met them, regretted not making local friends in their city, they went back to visit and it was sad for them to find it "empty".

[u/Due-Hospital-7337]

Not doing 2 years because my home university is fucked as hell

[u/Kyloe91]

I had learnt enough of the language to speak but I didn't try all I could have to develop it once I was there. But I highly recommend learning enough so you can do some language exchange. Thanks to that, I returned years later and still had 2 local friends there. 

First semester I was kinda just doing life as usual because being abroad was awesome in itself. I just wished I would have travelled a little bit more at that time. But I could do it during 2nd semester so it was fine. 

Oh and also I wished I would have taken crushes a little less seriously and have more fun dating or hooking up with other people instead of trying to find real love. Cuz Erasmus isn't really the time for that. 

[u/wandm]

I did so many things right. Studied hard, partied hard, learned the language.

Perhaps I should have smoked a bit less pot, and built a bit more longer-term relationships. I basically have no contact details to any of the ppl I met. Perhaps I could have even had girlfriend there.

[u/TheRealJiniko77]

Not sleeping with as many women as I could have.

[u/Feisty_Sandwich2435]

Going lol. For some reason my courses where very demanding. I spend all my time studying. I have no idea how people had time to party and travel. That semester burned me out.

[u/Narrow_Chocolate_265]

The amount of money wasted on rent, food and other expenses that could have been avoided by staying at home instead.