Why are my grades out of 10? What does ESN stand for? How on earth was everyone in Morocco last weekend?
January 2026: After battling my way through the Spanish visa process, somehow fitting my entire life into two suitcases, and finding a flat through a lucky break, I’d finally made it to the start of my exchange in Granada.
After my first week abroad, I realised that I was surrounded by people who had access to advice in the form of parents, friends and siblings who had went on exchange before them. I’m not saying that Scottish people studying abroad is unheard of, but compared to my experience in the EU, it’s not as common here. My Spanish classmates would ask each other if they’d done their Erasmus yet rather than if they were even going somewhere at all. I felt like my peers had an unspoken understanding of all things Erasmus.
Here are some useful things you may not know as a Scottish student.
Academics
Academics vary by destination country, but something that will be familiar to every Erasmus student is the learning agreement (LA). This is basically something that lists what you’ll be studying and must be signed by your two universities. It’s known for being a tedious process.
However, don’t stress! As a Scottish student, the importance of your learning agreement depends on your course and home university. I found that mine had fewer rigid requirements than my EU counterparts.
You’ll inevitably hear people complaining about their LAs. There may be differences between yours and everyone else’s, but it’s okay, your home university will keep you right. Your home university will also know how to convert your grades into their own system.
ESN
As I was conducting a panicked internet stalk the night before I left Scotland, I kept coming across an organisation called the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). ESN chapters are run by student volunteers and host a mix of activities and trips each week.
Do give it a try. It’s one of the easiest ways to make friends on exchange. The best thing about ESN is that it’s organised by local students. It’s fun to find out more about the culture of where you’re living. It also means you can ask the student volunteers any questions about their university, they’ll know first-hand which classes are a bit trickier than others, or where the best places to eat near campus are.
ESN Chapters often collaborate on a national, regional and international level. For example, each year, ESN chapters across Spain organise an Ibiza trip that almost 2000 students attend!
Travel Agencies
My second week in Granada, I went to my induction lecture. As I walked towards my host university, I was bombarded by leaflets from other English-speaking 20-somethings. These leaflets were filled with pictures of students riding camels, surfing, and skiing. Was this some sort of scam? Or was I about to bankrupt myself by trying to join in?
As you’ll know, Erasmus is a massive scheme, running across tens of countries. This has sparked a unique business model: Travel agencies aimed at Erasmus students. They offer budget-friendly trips and experiences across whichever region they operate in.
Being in Southern Spain meant that my options included both Spanish cities (e.g. Seville, Valencia, Madrid), and places further afield (e.g. Gibraltar, Portugal, Morocco).
You pay the agency to organise travel, accommodation, activities, and sometimes meals. Staff at these agencies are often students themselves, carrying out their own Erasmus through work experience, they come along on every trip and are there to help if you need it.
The first time I went on one of these trips was in February. That morning, a new friend and I walked to the agency meeting point. We were about to spend the day in Seville. I felt a little sceptical, but I was too tired to think straight. I had fallen into the rhythm of saying yes to everything. We got on the bus full of other Erasmus students and hoped for the best.
By the end of my time in Spain, I had gotten scarily close to monkeys in Gibraltar, slept in the Sahara Desert, and taken part in a town-wide water fight in the Andalusian mountains. All made possible by these travel agencies, and some friends that I was fortunate enough to make along the way.