Semester abroad at the Politecnico di Milano - Bachelor Architecture and Urban Design

The decision

As I had never lived abroad before, I really wanted to gain this experience as soon as possible. After two years at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, I simply wanted to get away again and experience something new. For me, it was particularly important to meet lots of new people from all over the world and to see new cities and places. In other words, the classic reasons for doing an Erasmus semester.

Preparations

The application process with the Mobility Online programme was simple and went smoothly for me. Unfortunately, due to a mistake, I didn't receive any information regarding the acceptance until later than others, but I was very happy to have got a place. Unfortunately, this meant that I was no longer able to take part in the language course at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and had to take an Italian course at the VHS.

I arrived in Milan in the morning on the night train with all my things, then had to wait until the afternoon to finally move into my room.

Accommodation

I lived in a shared flat for 3 people near the university. Finding accommodation was extremely difficult for me. Milan is probably one of the most expensive cities in Europe for external students. I initially searched via Facebook, but I quickly realised that most of the offers were scams. Nobody wanted me to view the flat, even though I had planned to do so during my excursion to Milan in May. So I didn't book anything without being absolutely sure that it wasn't a scam.

I booked my shared flat via the big provider Spotahome. In the end, I was just happy to have found a single room in a good location. 550 euros for a dark 10 square metre room was clearly too much. On top of that, there were cleaning fees of 200 euros for what felt like nothing.

Connections are a great advantage when looking for accommodation in Milan, as you can get cheaper and better flats than through agencies. Overall, it is quite difficult to find something good in Milan. However, as you are usually somewhere else, the flat is not the most important thing.

Studying at the university

The semester abroad began with a welcome week. There I realised how incredibly many exchange students there are at the Politecnico. So many that many events were unfortunately limited and you had to register and hope to get one of sometimes 20 places for around 200 exchange students. Nevertheless, there were many open events where you could meet lots of new people every day. Events, such as the campus tour, were also in pleasantly small groups where you could get to know each other better than in a large crowd.

I chose a total of four courses (24 credits). Finding all the courses was a bit difficult. The course selection was also very hectic. You had to enrol directly after the courses went online, as most of them were full immediately. I was lucky and got all the courses I wanted. My courses (Interior Design Studio, Climate&Hydrology, Sociology of cont. Cities, History of Arts) were very relaxed. Especially in my studio, the workload was almost nothing compared to the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. The lecturers' English was sometimes very difficult to understand. The exams are the same as in Potsdam. The oral exam in History of Art took place in the auditorium in front of everyone else and lasted a solid 25 minutes.

The work opportunities at the Politecnico are, quite simply, almost non-existent. In retrospect, having your own studio space is an absolute luxury.

Everyday life and leisure

Milan is a pretty expensive city. As I lived near a discounter, it was affordable for me. After a while I got to know some good, cheap places for students (Bar Picchio/Red Cafe & Club Tempio). That's where I went most of the time. In general, Milan has a lot of nightlife and cultural options and is quite diverse, so it's very student-friendly. There is always something going on.

The monthly ticket is also very cheap at 22 euros. The city is probably the most international in Italy. I got to know other exchange students from Australia, South America and all over Europe, for example.

You have to realise that Milan is not classically Italian and, in my opinion, not the most beautiful city. However, the location is pretty good. In an hour you can be at Lake Como (Varenna), Bologna, Turin, Verona, Bergamo or a little further on in Genoa by the sea. Rome and Venice can also be reached by fast train in 2 - 3 hours. The mountains are also nearby, where we often went hiking and skiing. I went on many day trips and also trips of 3 to 6 days in Italy and saw an incredible amount of the country. The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) also offers many activities and trips, but I didn't take part in any of them. The Politecnico also has a sports centre, which I used frequently.

Conclusion and tips

My semester abroad was exactly as I had imagined it would be. I studied less, but got to know more new people and places. The Politecnico was quite disappointing for me as a university. However, since everything else was pretty much perfect and Italy as a country is simply incredibly beautiful, I don't really have anything negative to mention apart from my accommodation situation.

So my tips would be:

• Look for an apartment/room early
• Don't expect too much from the Politecnico
• Travel a lot/make lots of excursions (my top 3: Varenna, Genoa, Foppolo - very favourable for skiing)
• Apply for the ATM card (public transport) online before you arrive so that you can travel directly with the cheap monthly pass
• Proximity to the university was a big advantage, as public transport is often on strike and therefore not so reliable