Details

• Portugal
• MAWiRe-21
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Do not stick your head in the sand if things take time or you feel like nothing works. It will always work out. So, search for accommodation asap and do not wait until everything is finalized.

2. Accommodation

I was living in the North of Porto in a residential part. It was very safe and close to the main underground. I can only recommend it as it was perfect for everything. Nevertheless, most of the apartments do not have a heater and are very moist/moldy, so be prepared for that. Keep in mind that it took me 45min by bus to go to the uni, but as busses never come on time and are always stuck in traffic it took me an average of 1h 30min. Taking the bus is the only way to uni, but ad classes start at 10 usually the bus drive was like a second living room. So all in all, my apartment was nice but I feel like if the heating problem would have been better (and not 6 other people in the flat) I would enjoy the apartment more.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is very nice and right next to the sea. There are many great and cheap coffee shops and cafeterias available. The lunch is affordable and astonishingly good. The facilities are depending on the building relatively new and modern. The teaching style is straight frontal teaching and teachers are not to be pressured to give grades as they may take a long time. In addition the Grading system was very intransparent. On a positive note all courses are seminars, which means there are only a few courses at uni which left me with a lot of time to travel or experience porto.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport works well when looking at underground. Busses are chaotic and never on time so be prepared for that. That is not an issue as being late is part of being in Portugal. The public transport ticket is free until the 24th birthday which is very nice. Porto was really safe and I never felt unconditionally even at night. There is a very active Erasmus Life and ESN community and there are events everyday. If there was nothing to do I went surfing or running like most people, as Porto is an active city.

6. Testimonial

My semester abroad was amazing and I would do it again if I could. The people I met and all my surroundings made me call Porto my second home. The travels as well as academic experiences were unforgettable.