Part 2: During the Year Abroad

The deadline is fast approaching for second-year students to decide on their Year Abroad destinations, so hopefully here I can convince you what a great opportunity it is!

If you didn’t know already, last year, I was on a study exchange at Université Grenoble-Alpes in the French Alps. Grenoble’s not the most well-known place in France but I definitely found that to be one of the most enticing factors about living there.

Skiing at Les Deux Alpes

The university

First and foremost, university life was completely different in France compared to here. For example, there were several different campuses, with mine on the outskirts of the city. For Erasmus students, the process was daunting at first as you’re suddenly thrust into two-hour lectures in French alongside native students and then you have to organise your own timetable. We only needed to achieve 30 credits for the year, translating to 5 / 6 classes a week so, naturally, I left Monday and Friday free to catch up on work or explore more.

The stereotype is that French administration is arduous and inefficient – something I can definitely vouch for! However, I found it useful to experience another education system and it certainly helped my organisational skills.

Me in Avignon (credit: Trott Shots Photography)

Speaking the language

Undoubtedly the main reason for going abroad is to speak the language as much as possible. This can be a challenge as most students of other nationalities wanted to improve their English but at the same time, gaining fluency in the foreign language is very rewarding.

I tried buying magazines or newspapers to enhance my vocabulary outside of class. Otherwise, joining a club, participating in language exchanges or doing some sort of voluntary work (like for a food bank) are all valuable additions to any CV as well as to your own personal development.

That didn’t stop me making some embarrassing linguistic mistakes though – many French words only have minor nuances in pronunciation, as I found to my cost on several occasions!

Up Mont Blanc

Opportunities

Living and studying at the heart of the French Alps was a real treat, in terms of travelling to places like Lyon or Annecy or even going over to Switzerland and Geneva. Fortunately, Southern Rail’s network doesn’t stretch quite that far! Likewise, I couldn’t refuse the chance to go skiing and for a very reasonable price too with a student card.

Furthermore, although there wasn’t the same emphasis on societies, there were so many opportunities to play sports for credits or as a hobby, as I did with tennis in my first semester.

Visiting Lyon's new stadium

The UN building in Geneva

Taking in an ice hockey match 

Finance

As a student, it’s natural to be concerned about the fees of it all. As language students, the year abroad was an obligatory part of our degree but for other subjects, the opportunity is often there without people even knowing it.

However, the reality is much more optimistic – the fees for the year are just over the £1000 mark, but when you factor in extra finance from Student Finance plus a 300 euro monthly Erasmus grant, a year abroad does not have to be unaffordable nor inaccessible.

Paul