Information to Check for Daily Life While Studying Abroad in Europe (Communities and Information Gathering)

I am sharing information that I feel I have been able to keep an eye on precisely because I am from the Erasmus Mundus European Studies program. I hope this reaches everyone starting a new life this autumn.

For all international students: Erasmus Student Network & Erasmus Student Network Card

To put it very broadly, it is an expanded version of an international student exchange club. It is on a European scale, with sections in each country, and further sections at the city or regional level within those.

Also, once you create an ESN card, you can participate in ESN events at a discounted price, and you can also receive discounts at affiliated transportation agencies and airlines.

https://esncard.org

ESN activities vary, ranging from day trips to nearby tourist cities and chartered bus tours to Christmas markets, to language cafes held regularly in the city and light art activities.
It is interesting because when you participate, you can meet students from the same university but different majors (regardless of whether they are local or international students), as well as students from other educational institutions.

An article I wrote on the international student association blog at the time:

To find out about the branch information for your study abroad destination, please
select your country here → and explore local activities on the country-specific page:

Depending on the country, it seems there are exchange meetings for scholarship recipients before leaving Japan, but since there are few opportunities when going alone like in the EMJM, I hope this becomes a trigger for making friends regardless of nationality or major.

For all international students: Erasmus + Mobility (Short-term study abroad/internships/volunteering, etc.)

Those who have already been to Europe on an exchange program must have been asked at least once, "Did you come via Erasmus?" You will hear it so often that you might think the word "Exchange" has been replaced, but it is often used to refer to short-term study abroad systems.

However, please check the information, as subsidies are sometimes available not only for studying at other universities but also for internships and volunteering.

This is the official page where support for students is summarized.

Also, there seems to be a movement in Erasmus+ recently to create a European Student Card, so it is a must-see to see what you can do with it, how apps and the like will be developed, and how procedures will be simplified!

Please also refer to the note below for an overview of Erasmus+.

For those wishing to advance to a master's program: Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees

This is also close to what I have written about before, but within the framework of Erasmus+, there are programs where two or more European universities collaborate to create and operate their own master's degree programs. There are over 200 of them.

Since some programs disappear due to the program's own operating budget fiscal year, etc., if there is a program you are interested in, please do not hesitate to gather information and take action!

The biggest difference from a general master's program is that all programs are joint degrees or multiple degrees, and it is mandatory to study in at least two countries and move across borders.
There is a scholarship system, but it is not provided to everyone, so I think tuition fees in the absence of a scholarship are a consideration for both general master's programs and Erasmus master's programs.

For students studying art, music, or creative fields: Creative Europe & Creatives Unites

Now, Erasmus+ is the EU's framework for supporting education and sports. However, some of you may be studying abroad for design, art, or music.

For those of you, please be sure to keep an eye on information from Creative Europe.

Creative Europe is a major framework that implements support programs and initiatives for culture and media. The European Capital of Culture has also been running within this framework for 40 years.

Furthermore, they provide various grants for young people in the arts and creative sectors. One of these is Culture Moves Europe.

Eligibility is based on your country of residence rather than your nationality, so I think there may be opportunities you can use for career development toward the end of your study abroad.

It is a bit old, but I have an article summarizing this, so please refer to it if you like.

Also, there is a site called Creatives Unites that aggregates information related to all creative industries and art.

They also post open calls on Instagram and other platforms, so please use them as a source of information to find opportunities.

This is also a past note, but I have a summary in Japanese as well, so
please check it out if you like.

That is all for this very rough introduction to information sources that might be useful to check during your daily life while studying abroad!