Besançon

Sally Purnell, Erasmus+ student at Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon first semester 2013-14

After being introduced to the ERASMUS study placement scheme in my first year I knew I wanted to experience it for the French part of my Year Abroad. I loved the sound of the support offered, being able to experience university and student life in another country, and meeting not only French students but also fellow students of French from all over the world.  Having looked at the different ERASMUS links available within the European Languages Department, researching each one and looking at photos, I instantly fell in love with Besançon. With its picturesque scenery of forests, mountains, quaint side streets and old buildings, I knew it was the place I wanted to go to do ERASMUS. Arriving in September 2013 I was not quite sure if the town would quite live up to the photos of beautiful scenery I had seen online, but it did, in fact it went beyond them. 

As I have previously mentioned I was in Besançon as an ERASMUS, thus my first two weeks in the town were full of meetings, events, and socials with ESN (ERASMUS Social Network). Additionally to this I was also lucky enough to be given a buddy who helped me out throughout these first two weeks, whether it was showing me around the different university buildings, to helping me find the best shops, she was there.

The ESN in Besançon are amazing, without them I would have felt a lot more lost than I did. The biggest way in which they helped us all to settle in was by organising events where we would for example;  learn about each other’s cultures and languages, go on trips to chocolate, or even cider, factories, weekends away and a night together twice a week to catch up. With their help all of us international students began to become to feel like family to one and other.

 Sally Purnell

 

 

I’m going to be honest with you, Erasmus was not the way that I initially wanted to spend my year abroad. The thought of studying at a French University terrified me. However, I quickly realised that even though Erasmus would be difficult, it would also be very rewarding.
I found that it was actually very easy to settle in to life as an Erasmus student in Besançon. I was surrounded by plenty of other students going through the same experiences and there is also a fantastic student support network. At first, it took a lot of organisation to find accommodation and sort out my timetable etc, but when the classes started I realised that I could understand most of what was being said and my language has come on in leaps and bounds.
The Erasmus Team is very strong here. There are weekly events which are a great way to meet new people and talk lots of French. They have organised skiing trips to Chamonix, day trips to Lyon, Jura wine-tasting tours and so much more that I would never have organised by myself.
I now appreciate just how important the Year Abroad is for language students, and although you must be prepared for both good and bad days, it is a truly unforgettable experience!

Julie Scrivens

It's the friendly atmosphere that I like most about Aberystwyth, I’ve been away for a year and I feel as if I’ve never been from here. I went abroad as an Erasmus student, to France in the first term. It was a really good experience. I had plenty of support, because of the links there are between universities, and that was a big help.

Emma Woodhall