41 reviews
4.29 / 5 based on 41 reviews
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Edward J
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel, Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
The St Michel district of Paris was a highlight. Known as the Latin quarter of Paris it has plenty of bars and cafes for students and tourists alike, not to mention for the locals. The area also has the Notre Dame Cathedral as a backdrop.
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Edward J
Housing
Type of housing: Student accomodation off campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
More independence
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Personal comments
Very enjoyable experience in a very spacious room when compared to UK University accomodation with excellent gym facilities and a "games room".
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Edward J
Languages
Language of instruction: French
Was learning French a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my French
How much did you improve your French?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
The year abroad greatly improved my language and communication skills. With every course taught in French we were given every opportunity to practise and improve our language skills. Furthermore, the various social and sporting events enabled me to interact with local students, many of whom I still keep in touch with which allowed me to pick up on various slang phrases. On top of this interaction with the other ERASMUS students proved more than useful. As well as forging great friendships, I was able to work on my Spanish.
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Edward J
Academic
My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
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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Edward J
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
As I was based in Paris, food and drink is generally more expensive than in my host university (Cardiff) which is a much cheaper City to live in. At home I did not travel during the academic year, whereas on the ERASMUS exchange the general trend was to travel around Europe as we were based in a prime central European location.
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Housing, Overall, Nightlife, Food, Travel:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
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Edward J
Overall
I wish I had known...
Due to the location of the halls of residence (10 minute train journey from the university and 40 minutes from central Paris) if a train or tube strike was taking place I was often stranded in the halls of residence.
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In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
The staff and local students are very welcoming and strive to ensure that exchange students have a fulfilling and rewarding experience. There are plenty of sporting and social activities organised by the BDE (student union), and obviously the location being in Paris was a major bonus as I fully explored the city.
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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
The year in Paris was without doubt the best year of my life an I can safely say the same for the vast majority of other exchange students on the ERASMUS exchange. The extra money added onto the student loan for the year and the ERASMUS grant enable travel around Europe. I recommend going Interrailing around Europe during the half term breaks and booking the tickets earlier saves a lot of money.
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