ERASMUS+ Study Report

faculty of arts

ERASMUS+

Study Report

This form needs to be completed by every student who has completed an

Erasmus+ mobility.

Last name

Fisher

First name

Kathryn

RUG student number

S 4189329

Please enclose a 2-page report on your experiences abroad, using the

following headings:

1. Your study programme

2. Language

3. Finance and other conditions

4. Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after

your stay

5. Housing

6. Culture

7. Free time

8. Travelling

9. Your host and home institution’s management of Covid-19, and the

extent to which the virus (countermeasures) affected your mobility

10. Other

I hereby give permission to the International Office to publish my report on the Faculty of Arts

Repository to inform future students

☐ Yes

☐ No

Future students may contact me for additional information ☐ Yes ☐ No

Signature Participant

………

Date:

University of Groningen, NL Groning01 Erasmus+ KA1 Mobility

My study programme is Language and Communication Technologies (LCT). The program was taught in English at Saarland University and followed the local program, Language and Science Technology. I really enjoyed the wide selection of courses the university had to offer, there was something to suit all interests. I financed the exchange through the Erasmus+ grant and self-funding (I have had a part-time job teaching English online throughout my master’s studies).

I was contacted by the local LCT coordinator, Dr. Jurgen Trouvain, before my stay and maintained contact with him throughout my time at Saarland too. I had regular online meetings with Dr. Trouvain and the four other LCT students at Saarland, the meetings were designed to get to know each other and keep up to date with each other’s studies.

I stayed in the Guckelsberg student accommodation during my time at Saarland. The housing was clean and comfortable, I shared a two-bedroom apartment with another master’s

student. The accommodation was located a 20-minute bus ride from the centre of

Saarbruecken, as a bus pass is included in the semester fee for Saarland the distance was not a problem. Plus, I enjoyed being slightly out of the city as Guckelsberg is located right next to a large and pretty forest, where I enjoyed going for regular runs and walks.

As Germany was in lockdown for the entirety of my stay it was a little difficult to really get a feel for the culture but I tried my best to learn some simple German phrases and use them in the supermarket and other everyday encounters. I discovered that German people are very passionate about good bread, proven by the fact bakeries are the only store open on Sundays in Saarland.

I was able to visit Luxembourg during my stay, the student bus pass will take you for free from the centre of Saarbruecken to Luxembourg! I think during normal times Saarland is an especially nice place to be due to its good connections with surrounding areas. France is only just over the border, roughly half an hour by car.

The virus did affect my experience significantly due to the fact all lectures remained online for the entire semester, although I did have to do two exams in person. The in-person exams were something I, and many other students, didn’t really understand the reasons for. This is something I think the university could improve. However, overall the communication from university was clear and well-informed.

I enjoyed my time at Saarland despite the restrictions and would recommend it to future students. I’m sure during “normal” times that both the university and the city have a lot more to offer.