The ERASMUS experience

For many European university students, the ERASMUS programme offers the chance of living in a foreign country for the first time. For this reason, it has become sort of a cultural phenomenon, and is very popular among European students, even becoming the subject of movies such as L'Auberge espagnole, which, it is claimed, has led to an increase in potential ERASMUS students in France.
The programme fosters not only learning and understanding of the host country, but also a sense of community among students from different countries. The ERASMUS experience is considered both a time for learning as well as a chance to socialize. "Erasmus parties" are known in university cities across Europe for being boisterous, multilingual events.
Students' experience varies enormously from country to country. In all countries some level of language tuition is provided in order to help students integrate. In some countries visiting ERASMUS students complain of a high workload compounded by difficulties with language comprehension, while in others visiting students complain that the authorities seem to expect the students to treat the visit as an extended holiday, and do not give any deadlines or real assessment. In order to spread information, an encyclopedia dedicated to the Erasmus programme has been created, Wiki MyErasmus, it's a free website where people involved in the programme can share their experience.
Tutors are often keen for students of subjects like Politics or International Relations to participate in the Erasmus Programme. It is seen as a great opportunity to study abroad while not having the expense of studying outside the European Union as the grant available to Erasmus students are not available to those opting to leave the continent to study. Simply having Erasmus on one's CV is seen as being a very positive thing because that one word explains the whole experience of studying abroad. Therefore, those who partake in the programme are considered more employable than those who do not.
Some academics have speculated that former ERASMUS students will prove to be a powerful force in creating a pan-European identity. The political scientist Stefan Wolff, for example, has argued that "Give it 15, 20 or 25 years, and Europe will be run by leaders with a completely different socialization from those of today", referring to the so-called 'ERASMUS generation'.