Students’ perspectives on Brexit ****************************************************************************************** * Students’ perspectives on Brexit and its implications for the Erasmus Programme ****************************************************************************************** Since its foundation in 1987, over 200,000 British students have studied or worked in Euro Erasmus exchange programme. The United Kingdom has also proven to be one of the most popular destinations for Erasmus receiving 31,727 students and trainees in 2016/17. Yet faced with the impending prospect o certainty of this programme has become a matter of confusion and ambiguity for the student Valeria, a Ukrainian student of English literature at Charles University, will be going on the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom this coming September, and says that the pr Brexit will potentially mean for Erasmus exchanges) is shrouded in confusion, saying she “ is going to happen”. According to the British Department of Education, the Erasmus programme should remain in p in both the case of a deal or no-deal exit. But Valeria explains that even despite assuran feels like a “black hole for everybody”. There are worries, she says, funding will run dry Despite the uncertainty, Valeria was determined to select a British university as her pref destination, in her view a guaranteed high standard of education and language possibilitie “I am studying English so I think it's really important to apply to English-speaking count makes sense. I am also really interested in the type of educational system they have in th it differs from other European education systems, I hear a lot (about it) and want to expe myself”. Another incentive for Valeria was the potential career prospects from the experience, “I a get more employment opportunities in the UK or US if I will have already studied in the UK For Alice and Dan, two British students currently on Erasmus at Charles University, Brexit threat to a popular scheme hosting a wide range of benefits. Having currently spent over s Erasmus in Prague, what the program has given them is an exposure to new experiences and p supported this process through financial means. “It's one thing to live in a different city in your own country, but it's another to live city in a different country where everything is different: the language, the culture even customs” Dan says, “I just think it’s a great opportunity and everyone should just go”. Alice agrees: “It's definitely given me the confidence that I could live abroad, because y moving country but it’s an easier process, like the Czech language course offered to us, a into situations where you’re going to meet new people. So I think it's like a stepping sto While the EU has ensured current Erasmus exchanges will not be affected by Brexit, the pro may have an impact on the program and students’ decisions in relation to it. “I haven’t sp directly in that situation (selecting Erasmus destinations), but how could it not put peop “I think it will push people outside of Europe” says Dan, “I think if I was applying now t more anxiety which itself puts people off doing it anyway. Like, will I get funding? But w no questioning what was going to happen”. For Alice, the experience itself is still worth it even in the potential future absence of support within the Erasmus program. “I would say I would do it without the grant, the gran but at the end of the day I think it would be doable [even] without it”. From a broader perspective, Brexit raises numerous concerns for students, such as accessib programmes: “In terms of masters I’d like to go abroad to Europe to do one, but I think it be possible” says Alice, although she is confident that “the universities are doing their situation. Sussex, my university for example set up a Brexit part of their webpage to help As Brexit looms, it is impossible to escape the feeling of being in uncharted territory: i government delivers a hard or soft Brexit is still an open question, as are the possible e effects on a programme that has proven to be pivotal in the lives of hundreds of thousands Universities themselves are struggling with the question although they reassure students t being at least that no negative impact will be felt. About the author: Molly Fergus is an Erasmus program student writing for iForum Article edited by: Jan Velinger Photo on main page: Shutterstock.