As the title suggests, should I go to Rome or Dresden? Rome is much more expensive, and housing is harder to find. However, it is a much more lively city than Dresden and (i think) has more open people as it is a huge city. Dresden is centrally located in Europe, but much closer to my home (NL).
Another option is not going on erasmus at all.
What would you guys do?
Hi,
As the title suggests, I am looking for someone studying at TU Dresden, preferably someone who is doing (or has finished) the Air Transport and Logistics master, to possibly help me answer a few questions regarding the courses.
Please shoot me a message as well if you know someone who has done the Master!
I am currently deciding whether to go on Erasmus next winter semester to Dresden. The main reasons that I want to go on Erasmus+ is that I want to spend a semester on my own and experience student life as I have not made a lot of new friends at university. I selected TUD as a last resort as I really wanted to go on exchange, but I am now hesitating.
Also, either an Erasmus+ semester or a minor at another university is mandatory for my degree.
First of all, since my degree is pretty competitive, I was only granted a spot at TUD, which I was not even considering. Even though the city center seems nice, the communist vibe is visible in all other parts of the city. Housing through university is possible, but rooms are small, old and have bathrooms and kitchen shared among 15 people. While money is not really a big concern (I've saved up enough), I am worried that private housing may lead to me not meeting any international students.
The academic calendar in Germany starts mid October and ends in March. However, I can follow a specific program provided to ensure that I can graduate on time as my own winter semester starts in September and ends in January, though this does mean that I will arrive at least a month before the other students. Since I am the first student of my faculty and university to be chosen to go on exchange to TUD, there is almost no information available about this specific program (no information provided by my own university apart from mentioning it) or any previous experiences. Even though I know some German, I am not planning on taking courses in German, so this reduces a lot of my course possibilities.
I am also not really a clubbing person (do not mind parties), although I am sociable (not particularly with new people), and combined with the fact that I am arriving early, I am worried that the semester will be pretty lonely. I have looked through this subreddit and found a lot of negative experiences, whereas the destinations in the posts seem much better than Dresden in my POV (such as Italy, Spain etc.).
Even though I have been selected, I can still back down without consequences (other than that I will be excluded from an Erasmus+ exchange at my faculty in the future) and no other people are in some kind of waitlist for a place at TUD.
In short: I have been chosen to go on exchange to TU Dresden, but I am unsure whether to go due to the destination, uncertainty around the study program and the possibility of loneliness.
If any of you have gone on Erasmus to Dresden or know someone who has (or someone currently studying at TUD), please send me a message. Also I would really appreciate any advice on the housing situation and the exchange overall. Thank you 😉