Languages - Reviews of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) | Switzerland

Useful | 2

Chris T

Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Physics, Undergraduate, Erasmus

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: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

Courses were in french but project was in english due to having a non-francophone supervisor. It is possible to learn french well in a year but sometimes other students communicate in english, which makes learning french harder. All professors and administration staff in EPFL also speak at least english.

Useful | 1

Felix G

Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
Computer Science / IT, Undergraduate, Erasmus

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: Did not speak it
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

The school also offers courses in English, if you don't speak the language at all. Still the courses in French are twice a week and after an intensive course before the school starts, you'll have learned a pretty good basis.

Useful | 1

Andreas F

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Graduate, Erasmus

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: Did not speak it
My level after: At ease in most situations

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

In the beginning it was quite hard to learn the language because the facilities that the university was giving were fully booked. Bit after bit, by attending the daily courses I could manage to improve my french skills.

Useful | 1

Gonzalo V

Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
Computer Science / IT, Graduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

In Lausanne they speak French, but you have not too many problems speaking English in many situations. Anyhow, I recommend to everyone coming to do an effort and to learn French, it will make your life much more easier, and you can learn it for free at the university.

Useful | 0

Helena T

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Computer Science / IT, Undergraduate, Erasmus

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: Basic phrases
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

It was an opportunity to learn french and I'm very happy I did. In the beginning, it was hard, but totally worth it!

Useful | 0

Jacob G

Linköpings Universitet, Linkoping, Sweden
Engineering, Computer, Graduate, Erasmus

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

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

I spoke mostly French at home and with teachers and assistants. Since most social activities I attended were organized specifically for exchange students, I spoke a lot of English in these situations.

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

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