My first blog!

Hello everyone!

My name’s Alex and this is my first official post as a ‘Warwick Blogger’. I am a (BA) German and Business Management student currently on my year abroad in the city of Cologne. I have had the enjoyment of living here since the middle of September and I’ll be staying in Germany right up until June/July, when my time abroad will unfortunately be over. I have just completed my ERASMUS semester at the University of Cologne and I am now undertaking a marketing internship at a company also situated in this vibrant city.

My interest in blogging first arose as soon as I set off for my year in Germany. While this partially came down to the fact that I wanted to share my international experiences with a broader audience of people – other than my family and friends – it primarily stems from my time leading up to my departure, where I was frantically preparing for one of the biggest years of my life. While I could describe my ‘pre-year abroad’ experience as a time filled with excitement, optimism and elation; there was also a great deal of stress, confusion and uncertainty. These emotions primarily came down to the overwhelming level of ERASMUS forms, accommodation e-mails, internship applications and every other item of bureaucracy that I had to complete. Whilst all this administration is fortunately behind me, I realised how much easier the entire process would have been if I had someone who had done it all before to publish their advice and make it accessible for all Warwick students to see.

As a result, throughout my time as a Warwick blogger, I hope to share as much genuine and helpful advice as possible to both encourage all other students to undertake the amazing opportunity that is the year abroad, as well as make the entire experience – from start to finish – a whole lot easier and less stressful. I am also more than happy to answer any individual questions which you have with regards to Warwick uni and studying/working abroad.

Auf Wiedersehen!