When I began choosing the exams to take during my Erasmus at Goethe University in Frankfurt, I did not start by browsing the course catalogue for whatever looked easiest or most interesting. I did exactly the opposite: I started with my degree at Ca’ Foscari and the exams I still needed to complete it, then looked for courses in Frankfurt with a genuine connection to what I would otherwise have taken in Italy. This was particularly important because my Erasmus falls almost at the end of my bachelor's degree. I therefore had no interest in assembling a semester of random exams simply to earn credits: I wanted to use my months in Germany to make concrete progress towards graduation while choosing subjects that could add something to my background in economics and finance. Ultimately, I built my selection around four elements: exam recognition, personal interest, future usefulness and a manageable semester.
I started with the exams I still needed, not the courses available
My starting point was fairly clear. The exams I still needed included Introduction to Econometrics, Monetary and Financial Economics and other electives. This immediately narrowed the field. Instead of opening Goethe University's catalogue and simply asking “What would I like to study?”, I looked for courses that could reasonably correspond to those areas. For me, the Learning Agreement was therefore not a bureaucratic document to complete after choosing my exams: it was effectively the framework around which I built the entire semester. The question I asked was: “If I need to take these final exams anyway, which Frankfurt courses will allow me to do so while studying something that genuinely makes sense for me?” This made the choice much simpler.
Money and Banking was an almost natural choice
Monetary and Financial Economics was among the subjects I still needed to take. When I found Money and Banking, the connection was fairly immediate. Naturally, I did not stop at the title. I looked at the course content and the topics covered, because two subjects can have similar names and completely different syllabuses. In this case, however, the fit with my degree was clear: money, the banking system, monetary policy and the functioning of financial markets are precisely the topics that complement a degree in Economics and Commerce. For me, it was therefore a course that solved two problems at once: obtaining recognition for an outstanding exam and studying a subject I actually consider useful.
I chose Risk Management because I wanted something beyond compulsory exams
Once I had covered the exams most directly linked to my study plan, I did not want to use all my electives simply to find the easiest available subjects. One course that particularly interested me was Risk Management. The reason also relates to what I study and the activities I pursue outside university. Risk comes up constantly: in investment, corporate financial management, lending and statutory auditing. Studying how risk is identified, measured and managed in a more structured way therefore seemed much more useful than choosing a subject entirely disconnected from the rest of my degree. It is the kind of exam I would probably have found interesting even without Erasmus. That was precisely one of my criteria: if I am going to spend weeks on a subject, I want something to remain afterwards beyond the grade on my academic record.
Artificial Intelligence in Finance stems from a more recent interest
Another course I chose is Artificial Intelligence in Finance. This choice is less directly linked to any single compulsory Italian exam and much more to the direction in which I believe economics, finance and work are heading. In recent years, artificial intelligence has become increasingly part of my everyday life, and I want to understand not only how to use these tools, but also their practical applications in economics and finance. The opportunity to include a course combining AI and finance in my degree therefore seemed particularly interesting. This is also one of the things that, in my view, make Erasmus genuinely useful: instead of having to replicate exactly what you would have studied at home, you can use electives to add skills your degree may cover less extensively.
Banking Law also had a clear rationale
My choices also included a course related to banking law. At first glance, it might seem less connected to the others, but for me it is not at all. I have already taken several law exams during my degree, and commercial law is one of the subjects that interests me most. Studying banking from a legal perspective therefore lets me connect two areas I had previously approached mainly separately: economics and finance on one side, and law on the other. Here too, the rationale was not simply to find “an elective”. I wanted the overall selection to be coherent. Looking at it as a whole, the main themes are quite clear: money, banks, risk, finance, law and new technologies.
For me, electives are not really “just any exams”
I have always found the expression “elective exams” a little misleading, because it can make them sound like credits that simply need filling. I tried to use them differently. If I can freely choose three subjects, I prefer them to create a recognisable direction together. In my case, I tried to stay mainly within economics and finance while adding elements of law and technology. This does not mean every student should do the same. Some may use electives to explore completely new topics. Personally, though, I prefer my study plan as a whole to reveal which areas interest me most.
I looked beyond syllabuses: I also had to fit the timetables together
Naturally, a selection that looks perfect on paper can become impossible as soon as timetables are published. Course compatibility was therefore one of the things I checked. I did not want to construct a theoretically excellent Learning Agreement, then discover in Frankfurt that two compulsory courses ran at exactly the same time. In the end, the overlaps I identified were limited and concentrated, so the plan remained manageable. This is something I think is worth checking well before departure: it is not enough for five courses to qualify for recognition; you must actually be able to attend them in the same semester. You also need to consider not just lectures, but any tutorials, presentations, group work and exam dates.
I tried to build a semester that was neither too easy nor unrealistic
Another balance I sought concerned difficulty. On the one hand, I did not want to choose five courses simply because they were considered easy. That would have been a rather limited use of six months at a foreign university. On the other, selecting five of the faculty's hardest courses and ending up with an unmanageable semester would have made no sense, especially while also adapting to a new university, a new city and a different teaching method. I therefore looked for a combination that genuinely interested me but remained manageable. For me, it follows much the same logic I use when preparing for exams in Italy: the aim is not to prove I can choose the hardest possible path, but to build a programme that lets me learn well and complete what I planned.
Language was another filter
The courses I chose are in English, and that mattered to me. Studying a university subject in a foreign language is not simply about understanding everyday conversation. You need to read technical material, follow lectures, understand exam questions and use economic, financial or legal terminology correctly. I therefore preferred subjects in English, a language in which tackling an entire academic semester is far more realistic for me. German naturally remains an important part of the Erasmus experience, and I want to improve it by living in Germany. However, choosing a complex technical exam directly in German before reaching the necessary level would have turned the language from an opportunity into an obstacle.
The Learning Agreement gave me some peace of mind before leaving
One thing I wanted to avoid was leaving for six months without a clear picture of what would happen to my exams on my return. Having an approved Learning Agreement allowed me to leave already knowing the rationale for recognition. Naturally, courses, timetables or other conditions may change during Erasmus, and the Learning Agreement can be amended through the prescribed procedures. But there is an enormous difference between leaving with an approved plan and leaving hoping that some exams will be recognised afterwards. This was particularly important because I am close to finishing my degree. I did not want Erasmus to extend my studies unnecessarily.
I tried to align Erasmus with finishing my bachelor's degree
In my case, choosing exams therefore also had a strategic dimension. The aim was not simply to take five exams in Frankfurt. It was to use those five exams to complete as much as possible of what remained of my bachelor's degree. That changes the choice considerably. Had I gone in my first year, I would probably have had more freedom to experiment. Going near the end of my degree means each recognised exam matters more. My question was therefore: “How can I return from Erasmus having had an important experience while also being materially closer to graduating?” The exam plan was built primarily around that question.
But I did not want to sacrifice future usefulness
What I tried to avoid was turning this strategy into a purely bureaucratic exercise. I could probably have found combinations of recognisable exams that were much less interesting. Instead, I preferred courses such as Money and Banking, Risk Management and Artificial Intelligence in Finance precisely because they address the credit requirement while building skills I consider useful for the future. I do not yet know exactly which topics I will use most professionally. But I know these areas fit what I already study and what interests me. For me, that is enough to make them sensible choices.
My method was therefore fairly simple
If I were to reconstruct the process I followed, it would look like this. First, I listed the exams I still needed at Ca’ Foscari. Then I searched Goethe University's catalogue for courses with compatible syllabuses. After identifying possible equivalences, I used electives to include subjects that genuinely interested me. At that point, I checked ECTS credits, language, difficulty, prerequisites and timetables. Finally, I obtained approval through the Learning Agreement. I did not start with fifty courses and try to decide which looked best. I started with my objectives and gradually narrowed the choice. Naturally, Erasmus is not only about exams. It also means living in another country for several months, meeting new people, using another language and experiencing a different university.
But precisely because it is such a broad experience, I see no reason to regard the academic component as secondary. If I am going to spend months attending lectures and preparing for exams, I want those subjects to make sense together. In my case, I want to return from Germany having developed my knowledge particularly of monetary economics, finance, risk management, banking law and applications of artificial intelligence in finance. I see this group of subjects as coherent with the path I am building.
Conclusion
When choosing my Erasmus exams, I did not simply ask which were easiest or try to fill five spaces in the Learning Agreement. I started with what I still needed to complete my degree and looked for courses that could sensibly replace it. Once that requirement was met, I used electives to deepen the areas that interest me most. The final logic was therefore:
For me, this is the most useful way to approach exams during Erasmus. Not simply choosing subjects abroad, but building a semester that, on returning home, has added something concrete to the path I had already begun in Italy.
Note: the section on course selection describes my personal experience. Recognition procedures, available courses and requirements vary by university, faculty and academic year.