Recently, beyond discussions of how I’ll be spending my summer (answer: uncertain), I’ve also been asked where I’ll be spending my next year of college. That answer is Dublin, and despite being very happy here, I’ve come to the slightly daunting realisation that a large number of my peers will be going away next year for Erasmus and things will be very different. It’s strange, but people who are heading abroad and are keen to go don’t really know what to say to those who are staying in Dublin. As your friends gear up for a term or two in a different university, it can be difficult not to feel as though you’ve been left behind by staying here.
Erasmus is an amazing opportunity. Moving to another place and exposing yourself to somewhere different is incredible. You’ll meet new people, maybe learn a new language, and experience things beyond the typical Trinity bubble. But who’s to say that you can’t do any or all of these things while remaining in Dublin? Having an exciting year or even a fresh start doesn’t necessarily have to begin with a new place. Every September, we are presented with new opportunities, like getting involved in a new area of college life or even discovering things in Dublin that exist outside of Trinity – I hear there are many. The vibrancy of Dublin and the fresh faces that will be entering Trinity should not be undervalued. Not to mention that skipping Erasmus is not abdicating from all future travel – you are not any less interesting as a person for staying that extra year in one very compelling place.
I had never seriously considered doing Erasmus, but hearing of friends setting off for new adventures almost prompted me to submit last minute applications to places and universities that I had put little thought into actually attending.
ADVERTISEMENT
My decision not to apply for Erasmus may have been a case of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”-type thinking, or else just laziness. Even so, the period of Erasmus applications catalysed a general feeling of restlessness in me. I had never seriously considered doing Erasmus, but hearing of friends setting off for new adventures almost prompted me to submit last minute applications to places and universities that I had put little thought into actually attending. In my case, I think this would have made little sense – I really do feel that there are more reasons for me to stay than take off. But I know others who, really feeling the push to go somewhere different, rushed to submit a last minute application and are now less sure if they want to go.
But I see it as a win-win situation. Going away will be as incredible as you allow it to be. Staying in Dublin could be equally rewarding, as long as you see it as staying and not as being stuck. I’m very excited for all of my friends going abroad, partly because I know it’ll be new and scary and exciting for them, all of the wonderful things associated with experiences that put you a bit outside of your comfort zone. Selfishly, I’m also excited for myself, visiting friends in their new homes, getting a snapshot of their experiences in a brand new place, and seeing the trials and tribulations that Erasmus entails. I’m also excited to bring my own fresh stories too, only from a place that I already know and love.
