ERASMUS+ is an EU action programme in the field of lifelong learning that offers students the possibility to undertake a study period/internship in another European university/company, either with academic recognition (as an integral part of the study programme of the home university) or without academic recognition (in the case of extra-curricular traineeships or graduate traineeships).
The erasmus student will benefit from a unique academic, personal and perhaps professional experience that will translate into their growth. You will have the opportunity to learn new working methods, new technologies, to access other knowledge and other cultures and to develop your language skills. This opportunity will contribute to: a possible and greater future employability, not only in national but also in international markets; a greater capacity to adapt, flexibility, autonomy, initiative and entrepreneurial spirit; the widening of horizons, thus favouring the construction of a Europe that is increasingly pluralistic but united by cultural, linguistic and educational diversity.
testimonies
An enriching experience that I will certainly carry with me for life. I will never forget what Osijek offered me during 5 months. The memories, friendships, experiences, good or bad, it was all important to promote my personal development. I will never regret that I made the decision to go on Erasmus, even though it was during the pandemic. However, of course it was different from a “normal” experience without a pandemic, but it was not worse or I regretted it, quite the opposite. Thank you UPT, for making this amazing opportunity available to me.
It was a fantastic experience above all because I learned a lot, I had contact with excellent teachers, I met other cultures and I spent good moments that have become unforgettable memories.
My Erasmus+ experience is being amazing, of course the current situation puts some obstacles to certain activities, but even so I’m loving it. I think that doing Erasmus is helping me to grow a lot, to become more independent, because as I always lived in Porto I still live at my parents’ house, and here I am living in a dormitory, which as you can understand becomes more interesting because I only live with other students from the most varied universities and countries, here I also had to learn how to manage money for rent, food, activities, transport and other things. I think doing Erasmus is a very enriching activity and I recommend everyone to do it, because you have the opportunity to meet completely different cultures and work on your English which is always a plus!
Last year and at the beginning of this year I already spoke with the rector and some coordinators in Wroclaw about this subject, and from their answers and our conversations I got the idea that this year would be different for the better. But it is not because of this that I stop recommending mobility and I will now give my (more positive) testimony of this experience that I recommend 100%. This is my second semester in mobility (last year I saw my Erasmus supposedly annual interrupted by Covid-19) and there is no experience that I advise more than this. I think everyone should do at least one semester outside Portugal. The advantages are immense for our evolution as people. Living “alone” and/or with colleagues, meeting people from all over the world, being 100% responsible for your daily life are all factors, as I said before, to evolve and to get out of your comfort zone but above all to get to know yourself and what you want to do in your life. If you have the opportunity, don’t hesitate! Enjoy Erasmus.
The fact of coming alone on Erasmus made me grow in many aspects. I admit that in the beginning I was afraid, but in fact this adventure taught me to be more responsible and independent.
I didn’t expect that when I arrived here and said I was from Porto everyone would be delighted and would ask me to speak Portuguese. There is a huge curiosity to know about each other’s cultures. When you talk about Porto…the reaction is always the same, even more when you talk about academic traditions.
I was very well received by the University, by my colleagues and professors; and despite being far from my beautiful Porto, I feel at home. It is without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life.
I can’t stop thanking UPT for this great opportunity, support and encouragement in making this experience come true.
The mobility is being, without a doubt, one of the best and most enriching activities I have ever participated in, I have already met a lot of people from all over Europe, we exchanged ideas, we did several activities, we traveled around Poland, we created complicity.
As for the classes, I am also enjoying them because I am learning new and interesting subjects and improving my ability to communicate in English and Polish!
Finally, I want to emphasize again how enriching this experience has been and that I don’t regret having chosen to do this mobility!
Doing Erasmus is really a unique experience. Leaving your comfort zone results in a new life, with new friends, new experiences and a new me. A huge thank you to Universidade Portucalense and everyone who made this possible.
Facts & Numbers
Outgoing Student Mobility (2021/2022)
In the academic year 2021-2022 there was a huge increase in the submission of applications by students and their interest in the effective accomplishment of the mobility demand for mobility in the 1st semester. At the beginning of this academic year, 66 students left.
Graph 1. Development in the number of Outgoing Students
The pandemic context made the support provided by the IRO much more accurate. Students were contacted more frequently, either by phone or email, and a direct phone contact was made available to them on a permanent basis in case of an S.O.S.
Characterisation of Outgoing Student Mobility
Graph 2. Distribution of Outgoing Students by fields of study
The 27 mobile students were distributed across the various teaching areas of the UPT, but the highest number (48%) was in the area of Law. The second and third positions in this distribution were occupied by students from the areas of Management, Economics, IR and Tourism/Hospitality Management, respectively.
Graph 3. Distribution of Outgoing Students per semester
The distribution of mobility was very similar between the 1st and 2nd semester. Of the 17 students who started mobility in the 1st period, five chose to make an addendum and stay in the host institutions for a longer period, i.e. the academic year.
Graph 4. Distribution of Outgoing Students by receiving country, 1st semester and 2nd semester
The majority of outgoing students (56%) chose Poland as their destination. It seems plausible that this choice is related to financial reasons (standard of living, possibility of accommodation in “nice” and “good” university residences); greater compatibility between the teaching provided at UPT and the teaching provided by Polish institutions. Spain is the bordering country where the cultural and linguistic similarities, when compared with the other European countries, could make mobility more attractive. This “proximity” is one of the reasons mentioned by our students when choosing their host institution.There were more diversified destinations this year, namely: Croatia, Slovenia, France, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Graph 5. Support provided by the host university
The students were generally pleased with the support provided by the host university, especially the support from other Erasmus colleagues from different countries, which was rated as “excellent” by most participants. The evaluations expressed in relation to the teachers, the departmental coordinator and the IRO were very positive.
Gráfico 6. Buddy/mentor
A prática de atribuição de buddy, pela universidade de acolhimento, verifica-se em menos de 30% dos casos.
Graph 7. Welcome session
About 64% of the students had, on arrival, the formal welcome session held in a classroom, in other cases parties and informal visits to the city. It is understandable that some institutions chose not to hold any welcome session as the threat of the pandemic hung over our heads the whole academic year.
Graph 8. Host country language course
There is a large percentage of students (88%) who chose not to attend the home country language course, i.e. the majority of students do not see any advantage in attending the host country language classes.
Graph 9. Types of accommodation and its characterisation
About 80% of the students shared accommodation and this fact was due to the fact that many university residences did not accept foreign students due to Covid 19. Overall, and as we can read in the graph, the students were satisfied with the price, the conditions and the relations they had with the landlord throughout their mobility.
Graph 10: Evaluation of personal experience
Once again, around 76% of the students expressed having developed their autonomy during the Erasmus experience. This is a fundamental skill of the UPT educational matrix, challenging them in the ability to solve new problems, preparing them for collective work, for taking the initiative, for living with risk, for business creation and for leadership in a global context.
Graph 11. Results of the final survey of outgoing students – GRI support
The support from the IRO was evaluated between excellent (17 students) and good (6 students) by around 92% of the students before, during and after the mobility. We noticed, however, and contrary to what has been usual, that one student felt this support as insufficient and another as sufficient. As it is always important to understand what might have gone less well, both students were contacted by telephone and, one of them answered that he understood that it was the support provided by the host GRI and the other one because he was always very disconnected, which is consistent with the final mobility report submitted in the Erasmus mobility management platform (Mobility Tool+).
Analysis of the results of the final survey of outgoing students – Support from departmental coordinators
The evaluation of the Erasmus Departmental Coordinators (EDC) was globally excellent/good both in pedagogical advice and in the elaboration of the Learning Agreement, as well as in the support provided during the mobility and in the return, at the time of academic recognition. We can conclude that the work and joint effort of coordination of the activities and tasks carried out by the IRO and the coordinators in general and each one in particular, have resulted very positively and the satisfaction recognised through the evaluation of our students is an example of this.
