Erasmus, better known as Europe’s most effective birth program, is a must for any young guy studying at university.
I noticed that while there are a couple of threads and experiences about Erasmus, there is no Erasmus datasheet per se. Which is an absolute travesty in my opinion.
Erasmus is pretty much a game boot camp on speed. Done right, a young guy can learn within a few weeks and months what other guys take years to learn.
I did Erasmus myself and, while fucking up royally on the girl part, still learned a lot and can probably call it my most influential experience up to this point. It totally changed trajectory of my life and how I want to live it. You will read more about my own experience throughout the datasheet.
This is what this datasheet is going to cover:
And a bonus section:
One final point of interest. I specifically talk about Erasmus, the exchange program of the European Union. However, I would imagine that most of what I am saying is applicable to any student exchange around the world.
If you’re already looking information about Erasmus from this particular resource then you’re already set on doing it and I probably don’t need to convince you anymore.
I’m assuming you are not a high-performer or from a wealthy background. These types don’t tend to do Erasmus. Any regular student though should do it for the following reason first and foremost:
Erasmus is a fast-track program to personal responsibility and improving your social and women skills.
Your experience will of course always depend on you and how you shape it. But if we assume the “regular” Erasmus experience, you will grow up and learn to manage your own shit. Most probably it’s your first time away from home but definitely your first time abroad. You’ll learn how to manage certain administrative stuff and paperwork, as well as personal stuff like looking out for yourself, feeding yourself and keeping your shit in order (literally and figuratively).
But the main selling point and what most guys are looking for is of course the sexsexsex. Yes, if you play your cards right, you will get plenty of that. On top of that you’ll also learn general social skills like making friends, being interesting, establish and keeping interest of strangers, hosting parties and social gatherings and being part of another culture. The last point probably more passively than actively but still.
What you will NOT get is valuable professional skills or a useful entry on your CV.I barely even bothered to mention my Erasmus on my CV. If you have good sales skills (and after Erasmus you’ll definitely have improved ones), you might be able to sell it to someone 40+. But younger colleagues will know exactly what you’ve really been up to there.
We had a thread on this just recently and this probably planted the seed in my mind for this thread.
The short answer is that there are pretty much no wrong answers.
I did my own Erasmus in Cork, Ireland although Copenhagen was my first preference. In retrospect I was quite happy about having been in a smaller town. Especially now, that I have the experience of having lived in other medium, big and giant cities, I would probably even recommend a small-ish student town to a greenhorn.
Peter Thiel says better to build a monopoly in a small market first before moving on to a bigger pond. For Erasmus this is probably equally true.
Likely it is your first time living abroad. Tokyo, London & others will be quite overwhelming for you in this case. Living abroad is much different to traveling, since your routine is different and you actually are responsible for stuff.
I would therefore recommend almost any city under 1 million inhabitants. You will likely get a good combination of nightlife and coziness in that target range. You will not have to deal with transportation, high costs and all the other unpleasant aspects of big cities.
As far as countries go, this is really up to you.
Eastern Europe is the darling of those that are not looking for their unicorn virgin wife over there. In Erasmus you definitely are not that type. I can’t remember Central&Eastern Europe being big back when I went abroad. But I would assume that with continuing EU integration and expansion you can probably get a spot in Bulgaria, Romania or Croatia now. Czech Republic and Poland are the old school choices that have been around forever.
Advantages are a lower cost of living, more pleasant local girls, probably even less hassle in terms of studying and an overall “edgier” experience. The poorer the country, the more this will be true.
Disadvantages are language barriers, even less (=virtually no) contact with the local population apart from a few Erasmus groupies, less exchange students overall and I would also imagine that with female exchange students these places are not all the hype. At least I have difficulties imagining the promiscuous French and Spanish girls living the life somewhere in Slovakia or Latvia.
Old Europe is the safer, more conservative choice. The further north, the better the command of English will be. Don’t be too bothered by feminism this and rape culture that, this will not be an issue during your experience.
I might be biased here but I think the British Isles are quite a good choice. You do get students from Continental Europe, meaning Spanish, French, Italian, German, Scandinavian and Slavs will all be on exchange. Plus you’re able to bail on little attractive British and Irish girls. If you really wanted to, they’re always around.
Scandinavia would be a close second to me with better and more pleasant locals but also more expensive.
I’d probably stay away from the “classics” like San Sebastian, Granada et al. Yes, weather is amazing and you’ll be chilling your ass off but your target clients are exchange students first and locals second. It will be harder to get Spanish in Spain than abroad, if you get my point.
Once you’re set on where to go, there’s actually not a ton of prep you need to do.
If you’re not going to an English-speaking country, learning some the language is the elephant in the room. The more fluent you are, the easier your experience will be. You’ll make more and better contacts in your host country, you’ll have a different level of access to the local culture and population and your social proof will be infinitely better.
Chances are that most other students don’t know a damn word of (insert language here). Be ahead of the curve and be “that guy”. You’ll be a connector and that’s what you want.
Upon arrival I advise you to visit every damn introductory session, lecture, party and whatever is on offer. This is a buffet and you better overeat and vomit out the parts that you don’t like later. Be aggressive in getting to know as many people as possible in the beginning. If you’re socially competent, you’ll quickly learn who’s cool and who’s not. If you aren’t, you need this even more.
I didn’t sign up for any local clubs and societies back then but I probably should have. At least one would be good because it takes you out of your Erasmus bubble and puts you in contact with the locals. Usually the uni will have offers or at least be able to point you in the right direction for that.
The main part of preparation happens in the next section.
This one is BIG. Dare I say even more important than where you go and how much money you have. Logistics will have a major impact on your experience and social standing so pay attention now.
Whether by design or by accident, I got it right from the off and logistics was probably the one part where I would give myself a magna cum laude. If I had to do it again, I would do it exactly the same way. Here’s how:
When you’re still home, figure out what the housing situation is in your host country.
More precisely, how the local market looks like.
Expensive?
Easy to find a flat?
How are landlords?
You are going for the main prize and that is your own apartment that you fill up with cool people. For that you need to understand the local dynamics. Your host uni will have all the information you need.
Here’s the deal:
You will still be sharing with other people but YOU want to be the one calling the
shots and making the decisions who moves in and who doesn’t. That’s why there’s no big money required for this but just planning skills and a bit of luck.
Do absolutely not try to arrange anything from home. You will book a hostel for the first few nights that you can extend as long as necessary.
Once you’re there, what I said earlier kicks in. Go to every single social gathering you can find to meet people. What you’re looking for is competent and cool people to hunt a flat together and live with. Some people come with their accommodation all set, others make a decision on the spot. There will be other people that are still in hostels as well so don’t worry.
You basically need only one person and take it from there. I teamed up with a Dutch guy that developed into one of my life-long friends and we found a flat pretty quickly. We filled up the remaining two spots with two girls. That wasn’t ideal but we were calling the shots. The social proof and the parties we hosted are legendary to this very day.
Where should this flat be?
Here’s where your other prep comes into play. Try to figure out the good areas in the city from home and on the spot too. You don’t want to live in a suburb of course but as central as possible. The smaller the city, the easier this will be, hence why I advise a smaller pond. The flat itself doesn’t need to be balling. What you’re looking for is location and maybe acceptable neighbors.
What if all this falls flat for one reason or another?
Ireland has an oversupply of housing , so I might have been very lucky to some degree. If you can’t pull this off for whatever reason, you’re either looking at a dorm room or moving in with someone else. The choice is really up to you.
You’ll have to book a dorm room beforehand. If you already know that my approach isn’t working, you need to organize this from home. The dorms I know in Europe are very close to apartments, so I might even choose that over trying to live with a bunch of people I don’t know and that I have to submit to. Choose what gives you the most amount of flexibility and freedom.
On to the part why you’re actually doing this.
You finally arrived, figured out your apartment, probably are already three hangovers in and got some sloppy makeouts. Unless you’re really talented and got laid already, you have really blue balls now.
Day game is really not my natural habitat but for the well-equipped up-and-coming young cad, this is where he starts to scout his prey. Since you will be on Erasmus for 9 months (usually, can also be only 4 months), day game really turns into social circle game quickly. Calibrate wisely. You are not looking to post up in some mall and start asking for pet shops left and right. You want to grow your pool of possible targets that you can hunt down later.
Game should be you and you should be game at any point of your Erasmus. Needless to say that uni is your number one option and you want to get to know and be known as much as possible there. You can find girls in gyms, cafes and supermarkets (big one, find out where the others are buying groceries!!) as well. The more you are a part of the local student population, the better you’ll know where your girls are.
This is even more so true for locals. You’ll pretty quickly have a pretty good idea of what the exchange students are up to. Do your homework and befriend the right people in university to get access to locals as well, if you wish to do so.
Another key point to have in mind is having friends and acquaintances in all circles. Erasmus is still an incestuous fuckfest and you’ll not get the most out of it if you’re not prepared. Spanish girls go abroad to fuck Spanish guys, Italians bang Italians, French…you get my point.
Know someone from all the social circles. I always was a very welcome guest at the Spanish house parties because I was one of the “cool Germans”. Unfortunately I was a little bitch boy back then and stuck with the first girl I found throughout my entire Erasmus instead of racking up 20+ notches from all around Europe. Don’t be like me.
During the day you really only want to warm up your targets, at night you strike. I can’t remember anyone ever going on a date while on Erasmus. I really only discovered dating when I moved to Russia. You want to be on their radar and when the night comes and the booze flows, you move in for the kill.
There’s going to be club nights and house parties. One isn’t necessarily better than the other, you can get girls at both. You’re not restricted to the weekend but the “7 days a week party” rhythm is really a myth. You do some weeknights but there will be plenty of downtime as well.
Know where the good spots are, know who goes where and at which time. If you’ve done your homework during the day, swooping will be effortless. Girls come to have fun and let loose and ideally you already positioned yourself as the guy they want to be with. There’s often going to be preparties too in someone’s flat or dorm. On Erasmus you don’t head out to the clubs to find girls there but to convert the ones you already warmed up.
If you followed my advice and have a balling flat then you’ll also be able to host afterparties, preparties and house parties. Your standing will go through the roof if you can do that and it’s going to be debauchery deluxe at your own parties.
There’s already great datasheets for that on this forum but suffice to say that for Erasmus the cheap version is good enough. Bring the location, have some booze, tell people to bring booze too and that’s pretty much it. I still cringe when I think back to how much pussy I left on the table at our parties because I was such a little bitch. There will be plenty of pussy for you, if done right.
During my Erasmus online game didn’t even exist. Tinder really sprung up only later and IG probably didn’t even exist back then. You probably don’t need it per se but it’s a good complement. I’d definitely fire it up nowadays, at the very least to stalk people and see who’s actively looking for dick. Do absolutely, for the love of god, not go on a date. Totally wrong frame and not Erasmus at all. Girls do Erasmus to get accidentally impregnated, not to find boyfriends.
IG is a good tool for the long term as well. Can’t harm to document your cool life abroad and keep some contacts for after Erasmus later. If I were to do it again now, I’d probably walk away with at least a dozen safe pussy havens all over Europe after my Erasmus.
You will likely live in your own Erasmus bubble. You’ll be hanging out with exchange students, fucking exchange students, doing trips with exchange students. Try to break out of that for a bit and get to know some of the local culture and people too.
I saw plenty of Ireland but never really developed a connection to the people there. Which was all on me because Irish are generally really cool. Sleeping with a few locals would help but unless you’re in the right country for that (looking at you Poland), it’s not gonna be easy. You’ll have to infiltrate some local social circles for that and with so much exchange pussy on the table, you’ll likely be a bit too lazy for that.
Nevertheless, definitely take trips around the country and do some non-party related stuff as well. You’ll not only cherish the memories but you’ll get a finer sense for the local culture too. That’s going to help you a ton later in life.
Ahh studying, the ugly stepchild of Erasmus.
Yes, you do actually study on Erasmus. I remember having to pass a couple of exams at the end of my Erasmus and there was a period of 2-3 weeks where there was almost no partying among the exchange students.
It’s definitely not true that you don’t study at all. Technically you’re a regular student and you get the same kind of reading material and homework as anyone else. I often didn’t do that but the same was true of my studies at home, so it’s not like a lot had changed.
At least in Ireland teachers mostly turned a blind eye to the fact that you’re on exchange. That might have been because my English was fluent and I never went up to the profs to complain and get freebies. But don’t bank on the fact that it’s going to be no studying and you have good marks already penciled in. Especially since these count at home as well (at least if you want to, I think), so you might as well use the time you sit in class to tick off some courses.
The good thing about Erasmus is that Mother Europe (bless her) even pays you a stipend for going on exchange. I think the exact sum varies depending on host and home country.
Either way, money will not be a massive issue but you don’t want to be dead broke either. Hopefully you have some saving or supportive parents. I could imagine nicer things than working during my Erasmus but it wouldn’t have broken me either to do so. However, working at the time when the other students are partying is going to hurt you more than it would at home.
All the other students are likely poor or broke as well. Money will not be a difference-maker for getting laid but it can make your life a bit easier and more relaxed.
This is the part where I turn into a keyboard jockey, since I have not actually done this.
I tried being a part of the Erasmus Student Network after returning home but my own living situation cockblocked me. I know, however, people who do that and I’ve partied with Erasmus students in other cities.
Getting Erasmus pussy at home is pretty much the same like abroad, if you apply the same principles. Only you’re the host this time. So be a part of the team that welcomes them and organizes events. Hang out with them, party with them, introduce them to cool local shit. Ideally you even have a living situation that allows you to have girls or parties at your place.
The second reason why I didn’t do it is that it grows old after a while.
Erasmus is great and all and you do get laid a lot if you don’t fuck up. But it’s really
like a long extended holiday. Just like anyone can get laid at the beach, anyone can get laid on Erasmus. But you don’t really want to spend your whole time at the beach with ever-changing people, repeating the same kind of games, conversations and patterns over and over.
The Erasmus bubble is really that: a bubble. Enjoy it while you’re in but when you’ve done it, you should be ready to move on to other things. That’s also a reason why a lot of locals don’t bother becoming friends with you and why you should do this in your early twenties. It’s the YOLO experience of doing everything for the first time.
That’s really it. Any questions are welcome.
I noticed that while there are a couple of threads and experiences about Erasmus, there is no Erasmus datasheet per se. Which is an absolute travesty in my opinion.
Erasmus is pretty much a game boot camp on speed. Done right, a young guy can learn within a few weeks and months what other guys take years to learn.
I did Erasmus myself and, while fucking up royally on the girl part, still learned a lot and can probably call it my most influential experience up to this point. It totally changed trajectory of my life and how I want to live it. You will read more about my own experience throughout the datasheet.
This is what this datasheet is going to cover:
- Why should I do Erasmus?
- Where should I do Erasmus?
- Preparation and arrival
- How to draw a royal flush regarding logistics
- Day Game
- Night Game
- Online Game
- Local culture and why you should become a part of it
- Studying: the part no one talks about
And a bonus section:
- How to game Erasmus girls at home
One final point of interest. I specifically talk about Erasmus, the exchange program of the European Union. However, I would imagine that most of what I am saying is applicable to any student exchange around the world.
Why should I do Erasmus?
If you’re already looking information about Erasmus from this particular resource then you’re already set on doing it and I probably don’t need to convince you anymore.
I’m assuming you are not a high-performer or from a wealthy background. These types don’t tend to do Erasmus. Any regular student though should do it for the following reason first and foremost:
Erasmus is a fast-track program to personal responsibility and improving your social and women skills.
Your experience will of course always depend on you and how you shape it. But if we assume the “regular” Erasmus experience, you will grow up and learn to manage your own shit. Most probably it’s your first time away from home but definitely your first time abroad. You’ll learn how to manage certain administrative stuff and paperwork, as well as personal stuff like looking out for yourself, feeding yourself and keeping your shit in order (literally and figuratively).
But the main selling point and what most guys are looking for is of course the sexsexsex. Yes, if you play your cards right, you will get plenty of that. On top of that you’ll also learn general social skills like making friends, being interesting, establish and keeping interest of strangers, hosting parties and social gatherings and being part of another culture. The last point probably more passively than actively but still.
What you will NOT get is valuable professional skills or a useful entry on your CV.I barely even bothered to mention my Erasmus on my CV. If you have good sales skills (and after Erasmus you’ll definitely have improved ones), you might be able to sell it to someone 40+. But younger colleagues will know exactly what you’ve really been up to there.
Where should I do Erasmus?
We had a thread on this just recently and this probably planted the seed in my mind for this thread.
The short answer is that there are pretty much no wrong answers.
I did my own Erasmus in Cork, Ireland although Copenhagen was my first preference. In retrospect I was quite happy about having been in a smaller town. Especially now, that I have the experience of having lived in other medium, big and giant cities, I would probably even recommend a small-ish student town to a greenhorn.
Peter Thiel says better to build a monopoly in a small market first before moving on to a bigger pond. For Erasmus this is probably equally true.
Likely it is your first time living abroad. Tokyo, London & others will be quite overwhelming for you in this case. Living abroad is much different to traveling, since your routine is different and you actually are responsible for stuff.
I would therefore recommend almost any city under 1 million inhabitants. You will likely get a good combination of nightlife and coziness in that target range. You will not have to deal with transportation, high costs and all the other unpleasant aspects of big cities.
As far as countries go, this is really up to you.
Eastern Europe is the darling of those that are not looking for their unicorn virgin wife over there. In Erasmus you definitely are not that type. I can’t remember Central&Eastern Europe being big back when I went abroad. But I would assume that with continuing EU integration and expansion you can probably get a spot in Bulgaria, Romania or Croatia now. Czech Republic and Poland are the old school choices that have been around forever.
Advantages are a lower cost of living, more pleasant local girls, probably even less hassle in terms of studying and an overall “edgier” experience. The poorer the country, the more this will be true.
Disadvantages are language barriers, even less (=virtually no) contact with the local population apart from a few Erasmus groupies, less exchange students overall and I would also imagine that with female exchange students these places are not all the hype. At least I have difficulties imagining the promiscuous French and Spanish girls living the life somewhere in Slovakia or Latvia.
Old Europe is the safer, more conservative choice. The further north, the better the command of English will be. Don’t be too bothered by feminism this and rape culture that, this will not be an issue during your experience.
I might be biased here but I think the British Isles are quite a good choice. You do get students from Continental Europe, meaning Spanish, French, Italian, German, Scandinavian and Slavs will all be on exchange. Plus you’re able to bail on little attractive British and Irish girls. If you really wanted to, they’re always around.
Scandinavia would be a close second to me with better and more pleasant locals but also more expensive.
I’d probably stay away from the “classics” like San Sebastian, Granada et al. Yes, weather is amazing and you’ll be chilling your ass off but your target clients are exchange students first and locals second. It will be harder to get Spanish in Spain than abroad, if you get my point.
Preparation and arrival
Once you’re set on where to go, there’s actually not a ton of prep you need to do.
If you’re not going to an English-speaking country, learning some the language is the elephant in the room. The more fluent you are, the easier your experience will be. You’ll make more and better contacts in your host country, you’ll have a different level of access to the local culture and population and your social proof will be infinitely better.
Chances are that most other students don’t know a damn word of (insert language here). Be ahead of the curve and be “that guy”. You’ll be a connector and that’s what you want.
Upon arrival I advise you to visit every damn introductory session, lecture, party and whatever is on offer. This is a buffet and you better overeat and vomit out the parts that you don’t like later. Be aggressive in getting to know as many people as possible in the beginning. If you’re socially competent, you’ll quickly learn who’s cool and who’s not. If you aren’t, you need this even more.
I didn’t sign up for any local clubs and societies back then but I probably should have. At least one would be good because it takes you out of your Erasmus bubble and puts you in contact with the locals. Usually the uni will have offers or at least be able to point you in the right direction for that.
The main part of preparation happens in the next section.
Logistics
This one is BIG. Dare I say even more important than where you go and how much money you have. Logistics will have a major impact on your experience and social standing so pay attention now.
Whether by design or by accident, I got it right from the off and logistics was probably the one part where I would give myself a magna cum laude. If I had to do it again, I would do it exactly the same way. Here’s how:
When you’re still home, figure out what the housing situation is in your host country.
More precisely, how the local market looks like.
Expensive?
Easy to find a flat?
How are landlords?
You are going for the main prize and that is your own apartment that you fill up with cool people. For that you need to understand the local dynamics. Your host uni will have all the information you need.
Here’s the deal:
You will still be sharing with other people but YOU want to be the one calling the
shots and making the decisions who moves in and who doesn’t. That’s why there’s no big money required for this but just planning skills and a bit of luck.
Do absolutely not try to arrange anything from home. You will book a hostel for the first few nights that you can extend as long as necessary.
Once you’re there, what I said earlier kicks in. Go to every single social gathering you can find to meet people. What you’re looking for is competent and cool people to hunt a flat together and live with. Some people come with their accommodation all set, others make a decision on the spot. There will be other people that are still in hostels as well so don’t worry.
You basically need only one person and take it from there. I teamed up with a Dutch guy that developed into one of my life-long friends and we found a flat pretty quickly. We filled up the remaining two spots with two girls. That wasn’t ideal but we were calling the shots. The social proof and the parties we hosted are legendary to this very day.
Where should this flat be?
Here’s where your other prep comes into play. Try to figure out the good areas in the city from home and on the spot too. You don’t want to live in a suburb of course but as central as possible. The smaller the city, the easier this will be, hence why I advise a smaller pond. The flat itself doesn’t need to be balling. What you’re looking for is location and maybe acceptable neighbors.
What if all this falls flat for one reason or another?
Ireland has an oversupply of housing , so I might have been very lucky to some degree. If you can’t pull this off for whatever reason, you’re either looking at a dorm room or moving in with someone else. The choice is really up to you.
You’ll have to book a dorm room beforehand. If you already know that my approach isn’t working, you need to organize this from home. The dorms I know in Europe are very close to apartments, so I might even choose that over trying to live with a bunch of people I don’t know and that I have to submit to. Choose what gives you the most amount of flexibility and freedom.
On to the part why you’re actually doing this.
Day game
You finally arrived, figured out your apartment, probably are already three hangovers in and got some sloppy makeouts. Unless you’re really talented and got laid already, you have really blue balls now.
Day game is really not my natural habitat but for the well-equipped up-and-coming young cad, this is where he starts to scout his prey. Since you will be on Erasmus for 9 months (usually, can also be only 4 months), day game really turns into social circle game quickly. Calibrate wisely. You are not looking to post up in some mall and start asking for pet shops left and right. You want to grow your pool of possible targets that you can hunt down later.
Game should be you and you should be game at any point of your Erasmus. Needless to say that uni is your number one option and you want to get to know and be known as much as possible there. You can find girls in gyms, cafes and supermarkets (big one, find out where the others are buying groceries!!) as well. The more you are a part of the local student population, the better you’ll know where your girls are.
This is even more so true for locals. You’ll pretty quickly have a pretty good idea of what the exchange students are up to. Do your homework and befriend the right people in university to get access to locals as well, if you wish to do so.
Another key point to have in mind is having friends and acquaintances in all circles. Erasmus is still an incestuous fuckfest and you’ll not get the most out of it if you’re not prepared. Spanish girls go abroad to fuck Spanish guys, Italians bang Italians, French…you get my point.
Know someone from all the social circles. I always was a very welcome guest at the Spanish house parties because I was one of the “cool Germans”. Unfortunately I was a little bitch boy back then and stuck with the first girl I found throughout my entire Erasmus instead of racking up 20+ notches from all around Europe. Don’t be like me.
Night game
During the day you really only want to warm up your targets, at night you strike. I can’t remember anyone ever going on a date while on Erasmus. I really only discovered dating when I moved to Russia. You want to be on their radar and when the night comes and the booze flows, you move in for the kill.
There’s going to be club nights and house parties. One isn’t necessarily better than the other, you can get girls at both. You’re not restricted to the weekend but the “7 days a week party” rhythm is really a myth. You do some weeknights but there will be plenty of downtime as well.
Know where the good spots are, know who goes where and at which time. If you’ve done your homework during the day, swooping will be effortless. Girls come to have fun and let loose and ideally you already positioned yourself as the guy they want to be with. There’s often going to be preparties too in someone’s flat or dorm. On Erasmus you don’t head out to the clubs to find girls there but to convert the ones you already warmed up.
If you followed my advice and have a balling flat then you’ll also be able to host afterparties, preparties and house parties. Your standing will go through the roof if you can do that and it’s going to be debauchery deluxe at your own parties.
There’s already great datasheets for that on this forum but suffice to say that for Erasmus the cheap version is good enough. Bring the location, have some booze, tell people to bring booze too and that’s pretty much it. I still cringe when I think back to how much pussy I left on the table at our parties because I was such a little bitch. There will be plenty of pussy for you, if done right.
Online
During my Erasmus online game didn’t even exist. Tinder really sprung up only later and IG probably didn’t even exist back then. You probably don’t need it per se but it’s a good complement. I’d definitely fire it up nowadays, at the very least to stalk people and see who’s actively looking for dick. Do absolutely, for the love of god, not go on a date. Totally wrong frame and not Erasmus at all. Girls do Erasmus to get accidentally impregnated, not to find boyfriends.
IG is a good tool for the long term as well. Can’t harm to document your cool life abroad and keep some contacts for after Erasmus later. If I were to do it again now, I’d probably walk away with at least a dozen safe pussy havens all over Europe after my Erasmus.
Local culture
You will likely live in your own Erasmus bubble. You’ll be hanging out with exchange students, fucking exchange students, doing trips with exchange students. Try to break out of that for a bit and get to know some of the local culture and people too.
I saw plenty of Ireland but never really developed a connection to the people there. Which was all on me because Irish are generally really cool. Sleeping with a few locals would help but unless you’re in the right country for that (looking at you Poland), it’s not gonna be easy. You’ll have to infiltrate some local social circles for that and with so much exchange pussy on the table, you’ll likely be a bit too lazy for that.
Nevertheless, definitely take trips around the country and do some non-party related stuff as well. You’ll not only cherish the memories but you’ll get a finer sense for the local culture too. That’s going to help you a ton later in life.
Studying
Ahh studying, the ugly stepchild of Erasmus.
Yes, you do actually study on Erasmus. I remember having to pass a couple of exams at the end of my Erasmus and there was a period of 2-3 weeks where there was almost no partying among the exchange students.
It’s definitely not true that you don’t study at all. Technically you’re a regular student and you get the same kind of reading material and homework as anyone else. I often didn’t do that but the same was true of my studies at home, so it’s not like a lot had changed.
At least in Ireland teachers mostly turned a blind eye to the fact that you’re on exchange. That might have been because my English was fluent and I never went up to the profs to complain and get freebies. But don’t bank on the fact that it’s going to be no studying and you have good marks already penciled in. Especially since these count at home as well (at least if you want to, I think), so you might as well use the time you sit in class to tick off some courses.
Money
The good thing about Erasmus is that Mother Europe (bless her) even pays you a stipend for going on exchange. I think the exact sum varies depending on host and home country.
Either way, money will not be a massive issue but you don’t want to be dead broke either. Hopefully you have some saving or supportive parents. I could imagine nicer things than working during my Erasmus but it wouldn’t have broken me either to do so. However, working at the time when the other students are partying is going to hurt you more than it would at home.
All the other students are likely poor or broke as well. Money will not be a difference-maker for getting laid but it can make your life a bit easier and more relaxed.
BONUS: Erasmus girls at home
This is the part where I turn into a keyboard jockey, since I have not actually done this.
I tried being a part of the Erasmus Student Network after returning home but my own living situation cockblocked me. I know, however, people who do that and I’ve partied with Erasmus students in other cities.
Getting Erasmus pussy at home is pretty much the same like abroad, if you apply the same principles. Only you’re the host this time. So be a part of the team that welcomes them and organizes events. Hang out with them, party with them, introduce them to cool local shit. Ideally you even have a living situation that allows you to have girls or parties at your place.
The second reason why I didn’t do it is that it grows old after a while.
Erasmus is great and all and you do get laid a lot if you don’t fuck up. But it’s really
like a long extended holiday. Just like anyone can get laid at the beach, anyone can get laid on Erasmus. But you don’t really want to spend your whole time at the beach with ever-changing people, repeating the same kind of games, conversations and patterns over and over.
The Erasmus bubble is really that: a bubble. Enjoy it while you’re in but when you’ve done it, you should be ready to move on to other things. That’s also a reason why a lot of locals don’t bother becoming friends with you and why you should do this in your early twenties. It’s the YOLO experience of doing everything for the first time.
That’s really it. Any questions are welcome.