VIA University College

ERASMUS was an incredible experience for me and for my friends at all levels. You make a lot of new friends from all over the world, you have contacts all over Europe for the future, you get extremely independent, you learn a lot about life and you grow as a person, you experience many new things you would never experience in a normal environment, you face the unknown, you loose your fears, you improve your English, you get ready to work in an international environment, you fall in love, you party like never before and you carry memories you will never forget. In Horsens or everywhere else, everyone should definitely experience ERASMUS.

Although I was not used to speak English before, I was very comfortable with the language because I am used to read and write in English. Almost everyone in Denmark speaks English and well, so it was pretty easy to communicate with everyone. Some friends of mine that almost didn't speak English before ERASMUS improved a lot during their time in Horsens and are now able to use it quite ok.

Partying at home or in university related places is not expensive. Usually you pay around 0,70eur. for a beer and 1,40eur. for a long drink. You have to be careful when you go to restaurants (even fast food ones), bars and discos because it is quite expensive there. Buy as much as you can in the supermarket. Some students find a part-time job pretty easily (hotels, factories, etc.) and are very well payed. If you want to spend a lot of money going out at night you might need to get one (specially if you are staying for one year).

The place where I lived in - Kamtjatka - is a brand new student house (we were the first students living there) constituted by 3 aggregated buildings. It is located just next to the city center and 10 minutes from the university by bus/bike. The facilities are very good since everything is new and you can have both privacy or fun/bonding with your flat and corridor mates. Boys and girls live together in the same corridor. The flats have a common kitchen and WC, and are shared with one or two persons (the latter is the most common). In the beginning some things were not ready yet, e.g., common rooms, and there was some dust on the corridors, but with time everything got ready and now it is not a problem anymore. The 3 buildings have wireless internet access; it is enough for browsing sites or chatting, but not good if you want to download big files - you should try the university network for that. At some spots the signal is not so good. The alternative to Kamtjatka is the K Block or private flats. K block has a great atmosphere, with lots of students, but the facilities are not as good. You have to share a kitchen and shower with 11 people, although you have a toilet per 2 persons. Private flats have the disadvantage of being a bit isolated from all the other students. Overall, Kamtjatka is probably the best places to stay if you will be studying in Horsens.

Almost all the parties are made among the ERASMUS students (almost everyday on the vacations period and every weekend during the school period). They usually take place in private flats, student halls, in the P3 (a pavilion next to the university, built specially for that) or at the school bar (mostly Danish students here). Horsens is a very quiet town, except during the Medieval festival in the end of August, which was quite amazing: the streets were crowded and there was an incredible medieval atmosphere all over. Besides being quiet, Horsens is also a small city and there is not a tradition of going to cafés after having dinner to chat with your friends. Nevertheless, there are some places that you should not miss: Crazy Daisy (the only disco in Horsens), Koks - a pub with live music. A good alternative is going to Aarhus (30 min. by train) where you have a big variety of places where you can go during the night. There are also, once in a while, parties made in the university, which should not be missed. Overall, you will have unforgettable parties here and probably the best ones of your life!