ELSA Milan, law students between training, European orientation and university participation
WAI meets a Milan student reality that brings universities, legal professions and the international dimension closer together
In the listening journey promoted by Welcome Association Italy through the WAI Atlas of University Hospitality project, discussion with student associations is a key step.
Understanding the student experience also means listening to those who live the university closely every day: associations, student groups, support networks and realities capable of intercepting needs, difficulties and opportunities that do not always emerge through institutional channels.
The meeting between WAI and ELSA Milan, the Milan local section of The European Law Students’ Association, the world’s largest association of young lawyers, fits into this perspective.
ELSA Milan represents a significant reality because it combines legal education, student participation, a European dimension and connection with the professional world. His point of view allows us to observe some central aspects of the university experience in a complex and attractive city like Milan: orientation, access to information, housing, bureaucracy and internationalization.
A European network for law students
The European Law Students’ Association was founded in 1981 as an independent, nonpartisan, nongovernmental, nondenominational, and nonprofit association.
Its mission is to complete the education of students in legal subjects, helping to bridge the gap between the university world and the working world. Through a structure articulated on a local, national and international level, ELSA connects students and young law graduates within a large European network.
ELSA Milan operates in the Milan area as a local section of this network. Its activities target legal students and offer opportunities for in-depth study, discussion, personal growth and participation.
The value of a reality like ELSA Milan lies in its ability to make the university a broader space than just teaching. In fact, participating in a student association means getting in touch with experiences, skills and relationships that can enrich the academic path and bring students closer to the professional world.
Legal education and personal growth
During the meeting, ELSA Milan recounted its role within the Milanese university context.
The association was created to offer law students opportunities beyond traditional education. Through educational initiatives, moments of discussion and associative activities, ELSA Milan contributes to creating a bridge between universities, the legal professions and the European dimension.
This is especially important in a path such as law, in which theoretical preparation can be strengthened by concrete experience, organizational skills, interpersonal skills and openness to international comparison.
The associative dimension allows students to take an active role: not only to participate in initiatives, but to contribute to their construction, to compare themselves with other young people, to develop responsibilities and to acquire useful tools for their professional future as well.
Milan, an attractive but complex city
The meeting with ELSA Milan provided an insight into some of the difficulties that can affect the international student experience.
Milan is a highly attractive city. The presence of universities, educational opportunities, events, professional networks and associative realities makes the Milanese context particularly dynamic for Italian and foreign students.
At the same time, this very attractiveness can make some practical steps more complex. The issue of housing emerged as one of the most delicate aspects. For an international student, finding housing in Milan can be difficult not only because of cost and limited availability, but also because of the need to recognize reliable channels, assess city areas, and understand contractual conditions.
Added to this is the issue of housing security. Those arriving from abroad may not be familiar with the local area, neighborhoods, local practices, or the risks associated with unclear proposals. Therefore, housing is not just a logistical issue, but a central element of the university experience.
The importance of pre-arrival orientation
One of the most relevant aspects that emerged from the discussion concerns the pre-departure phase.
Before arriving in Italy, the international student must navigate through university applications, documents, deadlines, administrative procedures, language requirements, and necessary steps to properly begin their journey.
At this stage, information may be present, but it is not always easy to interpret. For those not yet familiar with the Italian university system, even a seemingly simple procedure can become complex if it is not explained in a practical and accessible way.
ELSA Milan highlighted an important point: many students seek support through other students’ experiences, social content, explanatory videos, or practical testimonials. This happens because it is often not enough to know what to do; you need to understand how to actually do it.
Operating guides, visual materials, and content produced by students for other students can thus become useful tools to reduce uncertainty, errors, and disorientation.
More accessible information for more autonomous students
Another issue that emerged concerns access to university information.
It can be difficult for an international student to locate the correct contact person, figure out which office to contact, or quickly find an up-to-date email address. The problem lies not only in the amount of information available, but in its organization and accessibility.
University sites, portals, service pages, communications and forms should also be thought of from the point of view of those who arrive from another country and are not yet familiar with Italian administrative language.
Making information about bureaucracy, courses, schedules, classrooms, deadlines, and contacts clearer means making it easier for students to enter the university system and empowering them.
Positive practices to be enhanced
In the comparison with ELSA Milan, some positive elements already present in the university context also emerged.
A first aspect concerns the presence of student associations dedicated to the initial reception of international students, such as ESN. These entities can play an important role in the initial phase, helping students get to know the university, the city and other students.
The value of university mentoring was also called out. Peer support can be particularly effective because it allows the international student to receive guidance from those who already know the university environment and can translate formal information into practical suggestions.
An additional element concerns language services. Courses in Italian and other foreign languages can strengthen student autonomy, facilitate daily communication and make it easier to participate in university life.
These tools show that useful practices already exist. The challenge is to make them increasingly visible, coordinated, and accessible, especially in the phase before arrival in Italy.
The role of student associations
ELSA Milan shows how student associations can play an important role in university pathways.
Associations do not replace institutional services, but can complement the student experience through relationships, activities, training, moments of discussion and spaces of belonging.
For a student, joining an association can mean coming out of isolation, meeting people with similar interests, developing skills and experiencing college as a more complete experience.
In the case of ELSA Milan, this function takes a specific form: law, legal education, European dimension and connection with the professional world become tools through which students can grow not only as academics, but also as future professionals.
A practice to be enhanced
In the WAI Atlas of University Hospitality journey, entities such as ELSA Milan represent important interlocutors because they allow us to observe the university from the perspective of students and the networks they build.
The association offers an example of student participation geared toward education, personal growth and the European dimension. Even when the main focus is not on welcoming international students, its contribution helps to better understand some of the cross-cutting issues of university life.
Housing, bureaucracy, access to information, and pre-departure orientation are issues that affect many students, but can have an even greater impact on those arriving from abroad.
Valuing the point of view of something like ELSA Milan therefore means recognizing the role of student associations in building a more accessible, participatory and aware university.
Toward a clearer, more accessible and international university
The university of the future will need to be increasingly able to accommodate students with diverse backgrounds, languages and paths.
This means strengthening services, making information more accessible, improving housing support, and simplifying orientation in the pre-arrival stages. It also means enhancing student associations as places for participation, discussion and growth.
ELSA Milan demonstrates how a student body can help make the university experience richer, more European and future-oriented.
For Welcome Association Italy, listening to and enhancing these experiences means strengthening the path started with the WAI Atlas of University Welcome: a project created to better understand how international students experience university in Italy and to bring out, alongside critical issues, the good practices present in academic contexts.
The meeting with ELSA Milan is therefore a further step in this journey: an opportunity to get to know a student reality active in the legal world and to value its contribution in the debate on orientation, accessibility, internationalization and university participation.
