Today, I was lucky enough to interview my friend, Audrey, who I met last year on my year abroad in Paris. This year, she is on her year abroad in England, so I decided to interview her about her experiences so far!
What has your experience as an Erasmus student been so far? Have you enjoyed it?
It’s been the best time of my life and it’s not even over yet! I’m loving this new independence that Erasmus has allowed me to have. I’ve also met incredible people from all over Europe and… my English boyfriend! Really Erasmus has been a busy, exciting, amazing year for me. This is why I’ve actually applied for a post-graduate MA English next year. I really don’t want to go home!
Whereabouts do you come from in France?
I come from Villepinte, a city in the Parisian suburbs. Although my university is in Paris so I spend more time in Paris than at home.
What are the main differences between the French and English university systems? Which do you prefer?
There are so many differences. First of all, my university doesn’t have a proper campus so being in Reading, which was voted one of the UK’s best green spaces by Green Flag People’s Choice Award for a fifth consecutive year makes me very happy. Then, I have to mention that in France we don’t have halls accommodation which is quite sad because living in halls this year made me realise that it’s quite “normal” for UK students. Kind of like a tradition, isn’t it? Also, the number of super cool societies! UK universities really make an effort for students to feel included and have fun… In France, university is for…well, studying and that’s it… I love that in the UK, University is more a place for student life as a whole and not just for studying. Last but not least, studying and working itself is different. The way university and degrees are organised is very different in France because we have class and modules which are imposed and we don’t get to choose which modules we’d like to study. It’s also more pluri-disciplinary in France. For instance, with my degree in France I have modules of grammar, linguistic, phonetics, history, translation and literature whereas in England those are in different degrees. Even the exams and assessments are different, in France we have exams for the first term modules at the end of the first term (usually before or after Christmas break) and then we have exams for the second term modules at the end of the second term (usually after spring break). We also have coursework within the year with assessed homework or smaller occasional exams.
What is your favourite memory of your year abroad so far?
It’s too hard to pick! So much has happened, I’ve travelled more in a year than in my whole life. I’ve been to Oxford, Bath, Cambridge, Edinburgh… and it doesn’t stop here because I’m going to be spending 2 weeks in June in Northern England around Chester! I’ll even swing by Liverpool and Manchester. I’m building a lot of unforgettable memories with amazing people.
What is your favourite typically British habit?
Going to the pub with my friends after a long day of studying! And also… tea time!