Connor Potts - Hochschule Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany

Erasmus Study 2022/23

“An incredible opportunity that not only developed me academically but also created new friendships and amazing experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Moments to remember

I played rugby for the local team which gave me the opportunity to travel to different cities in Germany and Austria at the weekends and experience some incredible scenery.

I loved being able to go to the local lakes and rivers to cool off after classes and exams while making the most of the nice weather with friends. In one of the lakes you can even do wakeboarding which is awesome.

Visiting castle Neuschwanstein and lake bled were another highlight.

New campus, new culture

A Hochschule Augsburg campus is overall smaller compared to Ulster University in Belfast, with a stream passing closely to the main building where you could take a break and eat your lunch on a picnic bench. The tram stop is right beside the university which made travelling easy, also cycling is a great option due to the cycle lanes and bike storage areas.

There are a lot of festive events and parties for the students and public to socialise with concerts organised throughout the semester, some of which are free to the public. I found that there were more social gatherings with families and friends to enjoy free time together.

There are many people from all over Europe living in Germany so you get to make friends not only with Germans but also people from Spain, Italy and many more.

Challenges and how to overcome them

I was studying a masters in Mechatronics Engineering as a mechanical engineering student and it was challenging to learn completely new softwares and coding languages that I had little or no experience in previously.

Therefore, I followed an extra course online with video tutorials to bring myself up to the level needed to complete the work.

Making friends

The university runs a scheme called SWOP who would set up events for the Erasmus students to socialise, such as parties, barbecues, music events, day trips to theme parks and sightseeing excursions, providing many opportunities to make friends.

I was also able to make new friends from joining the local rugby team who showed me all about their culture and who were extremely welcoming.

I stayed in a shared student accommodation where I made friends with all the people on my floor, and now I can say I have friends from all over the world, in places such as Argentina, Japan and Kenya just to name a few, who I will keep in contact with and hope to meet again in the future.

Travelling while studying abroad.

With the rugby team I got to play matches in Austria that had some of the most amazing backdrops of the Austrian alps.

My friends and I spent a weekend trip to Slovenia and the capital city Ljubljana, where we went swimming in Lake bled and went sightseeing in Ljubljana, then on the way home we visited Salzburg.

Munich was great for day trips as it was so close and easy to get to on the train from Augsburg. I also visited Prague for a weekend by train.

In Germany I visited Neuschwanstein castle where we hiked to the top of the mountain to reveal more mesmerising views.

Advice

I would encourage students to get involved in sports clubs.

I also encourage people to work hard during the week to allow you to make plans for travelling and enjoying the culture.