Blog Layout

Erasmus+ Experience in Portugal - Anna's Story

December 12, 2022

Every semester several students around Europe leave their comfort zone and apply for ERASMUS+ mobility. This is an opportunity to go study abroad at one of the participating universities at the expense of the European Union.  The students of VUAS are no exception and applications for ERASMUS + mobility for the spring semester are currently being actively accepted. This experience helps students to expand their horizons, gain new knowledge and make friends. Anna (who spent her ERASMUS + in Portugal) does not deny that this experience has definitely positively influenced her life.

"My name is Anna, I am a 3rd-year bachelor's student in the programme “Intercultural Communication”. I believe that my semester spent in Portugal at the Polytechnic University of Porto is an added value that could have only been obtained during the ERASMUS+ mobility. I decided to apply for ERASMUS + when I received the first email about this opportunity. I only applied for the 2nd semester of my 2nd year of university, because the situation with COVID-19 disrupted my plans, and also before leaving, I actually wanted to attend my studies in person at VUAS. I chose the university in Porto because I wanted to get to know a culture that is unfamiliar to me, and, of course, I wanted to be at a place that was warmer than in Latvia.

Apart from geographical reasons, on their website Porto also offered more suitable courses that aligned with my interests and curriculum. I remember talking to friends who had already been on ERASMUS +, and a common phrase was: "it's hard to deal with the paperwork, but otherwise - there are no problems." After a bit of stress at the beginning regarding the documentation and after the support from my friends who had already been on ERASMUS+, I submitted the documents to my program director for approval, and later also to the university's ERASMUS+ coordinator. Then tickets, and insurance, and - you can start the  ERASMUS+!

In contrast to the joy I just expressed, I can honestly say that for the first few days I did not leave the room at all. The stress level was high. I was afraid to communicate, afraid to show my face or be close to anyone. While the students with whom I lived in the same house were having fun, at that time I was in my room panicking. However, when I finally decided to leave my comfort zone and went to Spain on my first weekend with people I had only spoken to once, my stress was replaced by full commitment and the ability to use all the offered opportunities . After the first week of ERASMUS+ adventures - studies in Portugal began. Studies were in person but it was necessary to use face masks. And, by the way, masks in Portugal were mandatory for a longer time than in Latvia. Even when I left Porto in July, I had to wear a mask on public transport. Anyhow, studies were in person and the examination process differed from the one in Latvia.


There were 2 types of study process you could choose from - the "Continuous assessment", where you accumulate points for the final assessment by actively participating during classes, and by passing several tests during the year. Or the "Final Assessment" which takes into account the final grade of the exam. This applies more to local students since many students also work, and in that way, they can work according to a schedule that is suitable. The studies themselves were very exciting and with a personal approach, and the lecturers were very friendly if you consult with them in time, because I often received email responses within 3-5 work days.

Thanks to my new friends, I did not go crazy, because with their help we also made the perfect travel schedule for ourselves. A group of  ERASMUS + students quickly formed also known as my internal support system in all matters, events and travels. It consisted of Poles, Slovaks, Brazilians, Spaniards, and Czechs and it grew bigger as time went by. We traveled to the north of Spain, throughout Portugal, and I managed to fly to Italy and visit my friends there as well. Looking back, it's strange to see how much has happened in just six months. Of course, I also changed as a person and changed my views on life. If a person claims that they have returned from ERASMUS + the same as they were before, then they have not noticed them yet. 

ERASMUS + not only expands one's horizons, but also the circle of friends, and the possibilities of studying or working abroad. ERASMUS + is "addictive". There's a reason why there is a whole ERASMUS + community with the slogan: "ERASMUS addicted", because once you try, you will not be able stop taking advantage of these opportunities, and if you have not tried, you will not know how it is.

Of course, not everyone can leave home for six months, however it is definitely worth meeting people who inspire you and who make you understand that you are not weird, you just had not met “your people '' yet. And it's well worth it. I believe you have the strength to study, travel, and just be abroad, while receiving financial support from European funds. It is a 10/10 experience, if I could, I would repeat it every year.


Share on other platforms

Other news

By Rota Rulle April 3, 2025
At the Elektrum Physics Festival, which will take place on April 12 at the ATTA Center in Riga, young people will be invited to engage in exciting physics discovery activities and explore future professions in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The final of the FIZMIX school knowledge and physics competition will be held for the 30th time during the festival. This will be the fifth edition of the festival, and this year's theme is "Mission: Future." Throughout the day, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, visitors of all ages can participate in creative workshops and experiments that will test both intellectual and physical skills. The event will feature engaging activities presented by science centers from Latvia and Estonia, universities, extracurricular education institutions, companies, and entertainment centers. Each year, the festival is widely attended, with young people and families appreciating the meaningful way to spend their time—last year, it attracted around 4,000 visitors. Science centers and universities, including Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center, will offer various educational and interactive activities. Program: 11:00 – 11:25 Opening Ceremony 11:25 – 12:15 Discussion: "STEM Sciences: Future Professions" 12:25 – 14:00 Competitions, experiments on stage, activities, and prizes 14:00 – 14:15 Honoring long-time teachers 14:15 – 14:30 Announcement of FIZMIX competition finalists 14:40 – 15:40 FIZMIX competition final 15:50 – 16:10 FIZMIX competition awards ceremony 16:10 – 16:50 Concert: Fiņķis & Patrisha Organized by AS "Latvenergo," the FIZMIX knowledge competition and Elektrum Physics Festival aim to spark young people's interest in exact sciences, demonstrate how theoretical knowledge can be applied in practice, and encourage students to consider careers in STEM fields.
By Rota Rulle March 31, 2025
From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt.
By Rota Rulle March 31, 2025
On Wednesday, May 28, everyone is invited to the Kurzeme Business Forum “Artificial Intelligence – The 4th Industrial Revolution”, which will take place at the Latvija concert hall. The forum will bring together entrepreneurs, municipal representatives, university staff and students, as well as technology experts to discuss the significance of education and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business. The first part of the forum will focus on the role of higher education in the AI era. The development of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences will be examined in this context, addressing key questions: How will the education system adapt to new requirements? Which professions will remain relevant, and which will change? The discussion will also explore the synergy between AI and cybersecurity in academic studies. The second part of the forum will address the question—do businesses need AI? The legal framework and state support mechanisms for such innovations will be introduced. Entrepreneurs will share their experiences, and participants will gain insights into common myths and the real situation regarding AI in Latvia’s economy. The discussion will conclude with an exploration of the opportunities for port development in the AI era. Participants will have the chance to engage in valuable discussions and networking sessions. Although the forum will be held in Latvian, the company SIA Tilde will provide real-time translation into any language using AI technology. Register for the forum now: https://www.kurzemesbiznesaforums.lv/ The forum is organized by Ventspils University of Applied Sciences within the European University Alliance COLOURS, in collaboration with the Ventspils State City Municipality, the Freeport of Ventspils Authority, and the Green and Smart Technology Cluster.
By Rota Rulle March 24, 2025
From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt. On Friday, March 21, 13 teams from various regions of Latvia, as well as partner universities in Croatia and Spain, began a three-day hackathon. During the event, teams were tasked with designing and building a combat robot to compete in a specially designed arena. After several intense battles, the grand prize of €1,500 was claimed by a team from Riga, Latvia with their combat robot "The Shredinator." Second place went to VUAS students with their robot "Bob," earning a €600 cash prize. Meanwhile, third place and a €400 prize were awarded to a team from Latgale with their robot "Zeimuļs vs PRK." The Ventspils City Special Award went to the team "Labākais tiiims ever" for their exceptionally creative combat robot design. Hackathon winner Patriks Ezerins shares: “I think this is a really cool way for people to come together – engineers, future engineers, and robotics enthusiasts – to build something amazing within a set time limit and then battle it out for victory. It’s a unique opportunity! I definitely recommend giving it a try, especially with the kits we provide. Even someone with zero coding knowledge can come, take a basic chassis (which is a pre-assigned part), print it, install the motors and controller, and start driving. That’s it – you’re ready to fight! I encourage everyone to participate, because the more participants we have in the future, the more hackathons like this will continue!” On Saturday, robotics and technology enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania and Croatia gathered at VUAS to participate in the Ventspils Robotics Championship. Throughout the championship, more than 50 robots competed in nine different disciplines, like Folkrace, Antweight, Mini Sumo, Line following and iRobot Sumo, and showcasing the participants' outstanding skills and innovative solutions. Team from Croatia placed 2 nd in Mini Sumo PRO category. The Ventspils City Special Award in the Robotics Championship was not given to an individual but to a team from Sigulda in recognition of their enthusiasm and extensive participation, demonstrating their contribution to the development of robotics. Photos: Day 1: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-1-diena-21-03-2025/ Day 2: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-2-diena-22-03-2025/ Day 3: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-3-diena-23-03-2025/
By Rota Rulle March 6, 2025
On March 7 at 16:00, the opening of the Ventspils University of Applied Sciences Student Entrepreneurship Center will take place at the Moomentum coworking space. The center is being established within the framework of the European university alliance COLOURS and will serve as an innovation and entrepreneurship support hub for students. The primary goal of the Student Entrepreneurship Center is to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among alliance students, helping them create and develop business ideas. The center provides a supportive environment where students can collaborate with partners to design new products and services that address modern challenges. On March 8, a practical workshop is planned, during which students themselves will define their needs and the type of support they would like to receive when starting a business, as well as identify what has been lacking so far. The head of the Student Entrepreneurship Center, Gvido Grīnbergs, states: "In my opinion, this center will be an excellent collaboration point between the Ventspils Business Support Center, the LIAA Ventspils branch, the Moomentum coworking space, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences students, and society as a whole." The COLOURS alliance brings together nine international universities, uniting approximately 126,000 students, 12,300 staff members, and 54 associated partners. COLOURS offers students opportunities to participate in hackathons both in Latvia and abroad, develop mobility networks, take advantage of extensive internship opportunities, acquire micro-qualification courses for personal development, attend summer schools, and represent their university in international student forums. Additionally, the alliance aims to promote joint educational programs in research and innovation by collaborating with local businesses, thereby enhancing student, young researcher, lecturer, and administrative staff mobility among partner universities. At the same time, innovative interdisciplinary projects will strengthen international research collaboration and support both local and international entrepreneurs by sharing knowledge and technologies.
By Rota Rulle March 5, 2025
As part of the European University Alliance “COLOURS”, the students of the Alliance universities are offered a great opportunity to participate in a rapid and collaborative engineering hackathon – the International Ventspils Combat Robotics Hackathon “Combat Robotics”, March 21- 23, 2025 . If any international hackathon participants wish, there is a unique opportunity to participate in an additional activity – the Latvian Robotics Championship 2025, which will also take place in Ventspils, on March 22. , welcoming robotics enthusiasts and curious spectators. Students can participate in this championship with existing robots that they bring with them. Dream it! Make it! Test it! Share it! Problem/ challenge to be solved in the hackathon: Make a robot for the relevant section that proves to be the best combo of performance, innovation, design and technical solutions during the hackathon. Background to the Hackathon problem/ challenge: The CoLab event “Higher education and workforce in the Region” a very topical trend emerged from the business community and stakeholders who participated in the event – that regions need not just engineers, but engineers with creativity and initiative. Research and Development departments need innovative ideas and technological solutions to make the production process more efficient and innovative through the use of robotic technologies. Hackathon Objective: to allow students to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in their studies in practical projects, to promote engineering and robotics technology development, and to encourage student collaboration within the COLOURS Alliance. Skills which will be improved: design and critical thinking, prototyping, testing, problem-solving, engineering skills, team management and communication skills. The theme of the hackathon matches the area of regional specialization: Advanced industries, manufacturing and smart technologies, electro-mechanical industry, mechatronics and automotive, and Industry 4.0. Over three exciting days, teams will: Develop their combat robots; Present their robots to a jury; Compete in a specially designed arena with eligible robots. Based on the “COLOURS” agreement, the prize fund for the Hackathon is up to 2500 EUR. It’s possible to receive valuable prizes from event sponsors. Registration for the hackathon: Open until March 18, 2025 , by filling out the application form: https://forms.gle/kDraaQ157YyMdA619 The construction will take place on-site with the given materials. To successfully implement the project, you must definitely have some basic technical skills, i.e., electrical connections will be given, you must know simple soldering, the design and implementation of the case requires the ability to draw 2D or 3D simple objects for printing, laser cutting. We will try to help within our abilities, but that is why there are 3-4 people in the team (preferably with different skills) in order to successfully implement the intended project, design.
Other news
Share by: