182 reviews
3.96 / 5 based on 182 reviews
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Elisabeth J
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
We always went to 'La Scala' or 'El Sombrero'(at least I think that was the name) and a Irish Pub. These places were good for dancing and meeting people. We havent noticed any special events in the city.
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Elisabeth J
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: With a family
Why?
I think that's the best opportunity to learn the language and the culture of the host country.
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Personal comments
It was a bit disappointing, because I wanted to improve my french and on the campus were no french people at all. The communication between the host- and the home university was also pretty bad: We took the wrong courses, the teachers didn't know anything of the arrival of foreign students, etc.
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Elisabeth J
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Government assistance
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
At home I still lived with my mother and I only had to pay her a small amount per month. Abroad I had to pay really everything myself. Travelling was a little more expensive, because in our home country you can travel for free when you're a student.
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Housing, Travel:
was more expensive than at home.
Food, Telephone, Nightlife, Overall:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Save some money before you go abroad, because you spend more money than you think and the Erasmus grant isnt very much.
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Elisabeth J
Academic
Course recommendations
At first it was very difficult to understand everything, because the teacher in France can really talk for hours and the students have to write everything down all the time, because the students only use their notes instead of books. But I don't really have recommendations, you just will get used to it.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Not really, the system is just very different of the one in my home country. But what I missed was homework (the foreign students didnt have to make any?!) and projects with the students of the host country.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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Elisabeth J
Overall
I wish I had known...
I regret that I didnt know more about the exact programme during the courses. We just listened and wrote everything down, but we didnt have to make homework or work in projects with the students of the host country. If I knew this before, I wouldnt go for half a year (in real it was just 3/4 months...) but for a whole year.
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In my opinion:
Stay home.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
Letting foreign students always work in projects with the own students so that they're more involved.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Open a savings-account in the host country: you get a own bankcard and that works much easier. (at that time you had the pay costs whenever you took money with your home bank card)
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Elisabeth J
Languages
Language of instruction: French
Was learning French a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your French?
My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
My overall language and communication experience was pretty bad. I regret that I went abroad with 3 classmates instead of by myself, because then you tend to speak your home language all the time. There wasnt really social communication in the host language with the host students, it was very hard to get in contact with them: they didnt really want to slow down when they spoke too fast or explain something in another way. Overall: my writing has improved though, because you learn more vocabulary. But I still don't really speak the host language.
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Français