EXCHANGE STUDIES PRACTICAL INFORMATION

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EXCHANGE STUDIESPRACTICAL INFORMATION

• Mari Peets
• Erasmus coordinator for outgoing students

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THE BEGINNING

• STEP 1 Selection process Completed!
• By exchange committees in Faculties
• Now you are the representatives of TUT (and of
  Estonia)
• How to represent our university?
• Know the facts presentation of TUT
• Distribute the materials brochures for the host
  university coordinator
• Study hard, behave well!

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NOMINATION

• STEP 2 Nomination
• First contact between the two universities
• by the Erasmus coordinator
• Your personal information (name, date of birth,
  e-mail address, study field and level) is sent to
  your chosen partner university
• Confirmation in some form is expected

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APPLYING

• STEP 3 Applying to the partner university
• Application form online or paper application
• Supporting documents
• Transcript of Records in English,
  signed/stamped
• Language certificate
• Copy of ID document
• Copy of EU Health Insurance card
• CV
• LEARNING AGREEMENT

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LEARNING AGREEMENT

• MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENT
• (Includes courses that you will follow)
• Consists of 2 documents - Official Learning
  Agreement form and its Annex (lisa).
• Official Learning Agreement
• Places for 5 signatures - students signature 2
  from home university and 2 from the receiving
  university
• Signed by your academic adviser and the Erasmus
  coordinator
• Sent to the receiving university for signing

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ANNEX TO THELEARNING AGREEMENT

• BASIS FOR THE CREDIT TRANSFER
• (YOUR INSURANCE POLICY between you/TUT)
• Two columns to indicate the transfer plan
• Signed by your academic adviser
• Stays in the Deans Office
• Used in the credit transfer process after your
  exchange

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STUDY LOAD

• The rule of the ERASMUS programme (applies for
  other exchange schemes) is to complete at least
  15 ECTS (EAP) credits per semester.
• You also have to follow the TUT requirements
  according to your student status
• 22.5 EAP per semester for students on RE places
• 15 EAP per semester for REV students
• NB! Finnish students
• KELA has their own requirements!
• Talk to your Deans office to make sure you
  fulfill all requirements!

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STEP 4 -SENDING OUT THE DOCUMENTS

• Documents are sent out by the
• ERASMUS COORDINATOR (not the student)
• At least a week before the application deadline
• Copies of all application documents are kept in
  the International Relations Office
• Its also a good idea to keep copies for your own
  use, please keep a separate folder for your
  Erasmus documents the Learning Agreement, the
  financial agreement, the confirmation
  letters etc.

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STEP 5 ACCEPTANCE LETTER

• In return you should get a
• CONFIRMATION OF ACCEPTANCE in the form of
• Official Acceptance Letter by mail
• Pdf copy of the official acceptance letter
• Confirmation of acceptance via e-mail
• Signed learning agreement
• The acceptance letter is a basis for signing the
  financial agreement
• If you dont receive the official acceptance
  letter, you need to present the academic calendar
  of the receiving university.

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STEP 6 FINANCIAL AGREEMENT

• Financial agreement states the amount of your
  scholarship
• Calculated according to your study months at the
  receiving university
• Dates from the acceptance letter or the academic
  calendar of the receiving university
• If your scholarship is for 5 months, you cannot
  return early, or youll pay some money back!
• Financial agreement is signed shortly before the
  beginning of the exchange
• NB! Do not wait with making travel plans, the
  money will come last minute!

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STEP 7 REGISTERING IN ÕIS

• Register in ÕIS by the red line day
• Go to Applications (Avaldused) and fill out an
  application to a VISITING STUDENT PLACE
  (KÜLALISÜLIÕPILASEKS SUUNDUMINE)
• Enter the name of the host university and the
  duration of exchange
• Some faculties require to submit a study plan,
  others dont please ask your Deans Office
• Students studying on REV places pay 64 EUR
  semester registration fee

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CONTACTSin Deans Offices

• Ehitusteaduskond Betra Leesment
• Mehaanikateaduskond Jana Saidla
• Energeetikateaduskond Ülle Valtna
• IT Merike Siidoja
• Keemia Raili Klesment/Kadri-Ann Matson
• Mat-Loodus Aili Hirvesoo
• Sotsiaalteadused Elve Vunn/Archil Chochia
• Majandusteaduskond Tiit Randla (LA)
• Kolledžid oma Erasmus koordinaator

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STEP 8 - CHANGING THE LEARNING AGREEMENT

• Within one month from the beginning of studies
• Fill out Changes to Learning Agreement form and
  its Annex
• Sign the official form and get signatures from
  the receiving university
• Send back ALL THREE
• The original Learning Agreement (sent with
  application)
• The changes to Learning Agreement
• The Annex to Learning Agreement

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STEP 9 END OF PERIOD

• CONFIRMATION of STUDY PERIOD
• Document that confirms your ACTUAL study period
• NB! Dates have to show the same amount of months
  than on your financial agreement (not the exact
  same dates, but the NUMBER OF MONTHS)
• STUDENT FINAL REPORT
• Within one month of your return

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STUDY RESULTS

• TRANSCRIPT OF RECORDS Official document will be
  sent from university to university. (Original
  belongs to the student, copies to Deans office
  and Erasmus coordinator)
• Find out WHEN the results will come
• NOTIFY YOUR DEANS OFFICE if they wont come by
  the end of June

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STEP 10 CREDIT TRANSFER

• Once you have the Official Transcript
• Fill out the credit transfer form in ÕIS
• Names of courses both in the original language
  and in English
• Print the form out
• Get a signature from your academic adviser
• Hand it in to your Deans Office along with the
  copy of your Official Transcript

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REQUIREDDOCUMENTS

• You have completed your exchange when you have
  presented five documents
• 1. Financial Agreement
• 2. Learning Agreement Changes (if needed)
• 3. Confirmation of study period
• 4. Transcript of Records
• 5. Student Report
• 6. EILC completion certificate (if applicable)

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LANGUAGE PREPARATION

• Practice your English, but also use the
  opportunities to learn the local language
• EILC - Erasmus Intensive Language and Culture
• Offered only for smaller, less spoken languages
  of Europe
• Belgium (Dutch), Bulgaria, Cyprus (Greek), Czech
  Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary,
  Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta
  (Maltese), the Netherlands (Dutch), Norway,
  Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,
  Spain (for the languages Basque, Catalan,
  Galician and Valencian), Sweden and Turkey.
• Fun and useful, great orientation, one extra
  month of scholarship, Application deadline 20.05
• Alternative methods of language learning

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LANGUAGE PREPARATION (2)

• Campus Europae Hook-up! online languague courses
  FOR FREE (A1 and A2 level)
• Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian,
  Lithuanian, Luxemborgish, Polish, Portuguese,
  Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish
• Check it out, register and take a course at
  languagelearning.campuseuropae.org
• No need to register as CE student.

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CULTURALADJUSTMENT

• Adjustment process has 5 stages
• Honeymoon
• Culture shock
• Initial adjustment
• Mental isolation
• Acceptance and integration

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STAGES

• HONEYMOON
• Initially students are fascinated and exited by
  everything new.
• The visitor is elated to be in a new culture.
• Making new friends, going out, partying
• CULTURE SHOCK
• The students are immersed in new problems
  housing, transportation, shopping and language.
• Get mentally tired from continously straining to
  express yourself in a foreign language.

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STAGES 2

• INITIAL ADJUSTMENT
• Everyday activities such as housing and moving
  around are no longer major problems
• Places, faces and study environment are getting
  more familiar
• Although students may not yet be fluent in
  English, basic ideas and feelings in the second
  language can be expressed

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STAGES 3

• MENTAL ISOLATION
• Students start missing family and friends
• Stress from not being able to express themselves
  as well as they can in their native language.
• Frustration and a loss of self-confidence.
• ACCPETANCE AND INTEGRATION
• A routine has been established.
• Acceptance with the habits, customs, foods, and
  characteristics of the people of the new culture.
  
• Students feel comfortable with new friends,
  school, and the language of the country.

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REENTRY

• READJUSTMENT just as difficult as adjustment,
  only UNEXPECTED
• Students change while theyre abroad
• New friends vs old friends who are my friends
  now?
• People at home cant understand the inner changes
  and new connections
• Home environment also changes political events,
  music, TV shows
• Students feel lost

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CHANGES

• Students become more tolerant, open-minded,
  patient, undestand different cultures better
• Widens perspectives
• Learn more about themselves
• Gain self-confidence

• Loss of friends
• Loss of position
• Loss of belonging
• Grieving process
• Life style
• Experiences
• Friends

• POSITIVE

• NEGATIVE

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INSURANCE

• REQUIRED EU Health Insurance Card
• Easier access to medical services, but it does
  not cover all medical expenses
• Additional insurance Highly recommended,
  required by lots of partner universities

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AON StudentInsurance

• To top up EU Health Insurance benefits
• www.aonstudentinsurance.com
• Offers insurance packages specially for students
• Easy online application
• Everything you need during your stay abroad
• Medical expenses
• Dental expenses (!)
• Accident insurance (Accidental death, permanent
  disablement)
• Emergency Assistance (inc. transportation home)
• Travel insurance
• Legal expenses

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Thats it, thank you!

• If you have any questions, please contact
• Mari Peets, IRO III-210
• 620 3542, mari.peets_at_ttu.ee