‘My Life Didn’t End At All’: COVID-19 Didn’t Stop Erasmus Students From Coming To Malta
While the majority of university courses were held online this academic year, COVID-19 didn’t stop students from experiencing life in a different European country.
According to a survey by Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Malta, most students still went ahead with their Erasmus exchange despite the pandemic.
The ESN survey saw respondents from all European Universities of the Seas, including Malta – and 95.5% of all students said that they were able to travel to their host country.
The majority of students said they still went abroad because the COVID-19 restrictions in their host country were more relaxed than in their home country. Others said they felt it was safer to travel and live in the host country.
Eva Koutoulaki, a Greek student from the University of Glasgow, did her exchange in Malta even though the lessons were online:
“I wanted to come to Malta to experience exploring another country – its culture, language, people, food, identity and diversity.”
Eva Koutoulaki
Most students had overwhelmingly positive experiences living and studying abroad during a pandemic.
“Even though I visited and lived in Malta under weird circumstances, I can say that thanks to the right people, my experience was marvellous,” Koutoulaki said.
The majority of students stated that they were kept abreast with information on local COVID-19 regulations prior to and during their stay in their host country.
They also declared that they were given the right support when needed, including psychological, logistical and medical support.
Koutoulaki continues: “I’m extremely happy, blessed and grateful that I spent five months in another country under the pandemic circumstances. My life didn’t stop at all, as I continued to explore new places, meet new people, and immerse myself in a different culture.”
The SEA-EU Universities have ensured that the student support which is readily available to domestic students is also made available to international students.
Did you go on an international exchange during your studies?
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