How a Moroccan Student Won the Fully Funded Erasmus Mundus Scholarship to Study a Master’s in Software Engineering Across Italy, Finland, and the Netherlands

Hi! I’m Hiba, and I am from Morocco. After graduating from high school in my home country, I pursued a bachelor’s degree in China. Being very motivated to combine higher education with my wish to explore different countries and cultures, I went there knowing that my goal was to do my bachelor’s and master’s in different countries. So when I discovered the Erasmus Mundus programs, it was the perfect opportunity for me to fulfil that wish and complete my Master’s not only in one new country, but in four of them.

Currently, I am part of the Software Engineering for Green Deal program, aka SE4GD. The program is interdisciplinary across multiple institutions, including L’Aquila University in Italy for the first semester, Lappeenranta University in Finland for the second one, and Vrije University in the Netherlands for the third one. As for the last semester, students have the choice to conduct their thesis in one of the previous main universities or other partners in different countries such as Sweden, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Malaysia, etc.

Educational Background 

I have obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering from Wuhan University in China. In addition to the country being very different than mine in every single aspect, my study path also happened to coincide with the COVID-19 outbreak period. All of this has created a lot of challenges for me to overcome, which have made me build resilience and become very ambitious and tenacious to reach my goals. I also learned to always be armed with patience and to understand that life can be very unpredictable and requires some flexibility.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship?

As my bachelor years were nearing their end, it became clear to me that my next destination would be somewhere in Europe. Obtaining a scholarship became another addition to my goal, and it got me started on a very long search into the available options and their requirement. The strongest asset I prepared for was how to write a proper CV and a strong motivation letter. Many times, the motivation would have to be recorded as a video instead, and that was another set of preparations on how to speak confidently, maintain a strong gaze, and most importantly, be your true self. Although I considered all types of scholarships, the Erasmus Mundus ones were my main goal because of their very internationalised prospects. After 25 applications, I got acceptances from 4 programs:

- CyberMACS Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree Programme in Applied Cyber Security with a full scholarship, selected among 732 applicants.

- BDMA Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree Programme in Big Data Management and Analytics as a self-funded student.

-  EIT Digital master's programme in Human Computer Interaction and Design with half a tuition fee waiver.

- SE4GD Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree Programme with a full scholarship, selected among 366 applicants.

Could You Briefly Discuss the Erasmus+ Program You Pursued and the Specific Field of Study It Focused On?

I chose the SE4GD program because it is the one that aligns the most with my software engineering background. In addition to that, the program also deeply touches on sustainability learnings, and how the IT world impacts it from different environmental, economic, social, individual, and technical aspects; a field that is increasingly becoming an important focus in today’s world. What’s nice about the program is that it not only relies on traditional learning methods, but also varies a lot from regular exams and projects to flipped classrooms, industrial learning experiences, reflective teaching, etc. Moreover, the focus switched every semester. The first semester in Italy was heavy on technical computer science learning, the second one in Finland relied on alternative teaching methods for sustainability, and the third one in the Netherlands was more research-oriented.

How Did the Cost of Living Vary Across the Countries You Studied In? Which Country Was the Most Affordable or Expensive, and How Did You Manage Financially?

If I had to rank the affordability of the three main countries, I would say that Italy was the cheapest, Finland was in the medium range, and the Netherlands was the most expensive. Overall, the subsistence costs from the scholarship are enough to manage daily life, and even spare some savings for a few short trips. The key is to learn how to save up and not splurge on unnecessary splurges. You never know when you will be surprised by unexpected expenses, especially given the nomadic nature of the program.

Did You Face Any Language Barriers, and if So, How Did You Overcome Them? Did the Language of Instruction Change From One Country to Another?

The language of instruction is always English. Apart from that, there was no significant language barrier to overcome in the institutionalized countries. Everything you need is quite forward and easy to understand, and there are always good chances that locals can speak English pretty well. But I think that it is still important to try and learn some basic communication words in the language of the countries where you will be living, and even enroll in language elective classes in the universities if you want to go one step further.

Would You Recommend the Erasmus+ Program to Others? What Advice Would You Give to Someone Considering This Scholarship?

Definitely! It is an amazing experience that goes beyond enriching you only on an academic level. I would encourage everyone to apply to the Erasmus Mundus programs and to prepare very well, in order to perfect their CV formatting and enhance their writing skills for motivation letters.

Looking Back, Would You Have Done Anything Differently During Your Time in the Program?

If I had to do something differently, I’d say I would try not to focus solely on my studies, but also make time to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to have fun, try new activities, and truly make the most of every place I visited and lived in.