Testimonials / Témoignages

Sarah L3

Outgoing student

1 semestre Erasmus en Espagne

Grenade - Espagne

J’ai souhaité partir en Erasmus car j’ai souvent vu des étudiants autour de moi le faire et je les ai toujours enviés. J’ai choisi l’Espagne parce que j’ai toujours adoré la langue et la culture et le climat est idéal !

En hiver, il ne fait pas très froid et nous avons la chance à Grenade d’avoir la Sierra Nevada sur laquelle nous pouvons skier à partir du mois de novembre.

J'avais  4 heures de cours par semaine pour chaque matière. Les horaires varient en fonction de la classe mais en général, chaque classe a un jour de libre sans cours dans la semaine, pour ma part c’était le lundi.
Les professeurs sont sympathiques, certains considèrent les étudiants Erasmus+ comme des élèves « normaux », ils n’iront donc pas vous demander si vous rencontrez des difficultés ou s’ils doivent ralentir le rythme. D’autres seront plus compréhensifs. Mais tout cela ne m’a pas vraiment dérangé car tous les cours étaient sur diaporama auxquels on avait accès, donc il était facile de se concentrer sur l’écoute, puisqu’il ne fallait pas écrire.
Les examens étaient sous forme de QCM ce qui, pour moi, a été un peu difficile n’étant pas habituée à ce genre d’évaluation.

L’expérience Erasmus+ permet d’apprendre beaucoup sur nous-même, cela m’a permis d’être plus autonome et plus responsable. J’ai rencontré des personnes exceptionnelles que je pense revoir prochainement.
Le programme Erasmus+ permet de créer des liens entre les nations. J’en reviens avec des souvenirs plein la tête. Ce séjour a été formidable, ce fut une expérience très enrichissante et je ne regretterai jamais de mettre lancée dans l’aventure.

COLLIN

Incoming student

I am originally from the Boston; The most populous city in the New England region of the United States. I wanted to study abroad to learn more about French culture — Travelling at a young age, especially the way that I have (applying for a student visa, applying to a French university, teaching myself French) presents to future employers a sense of seriousness and self-determination that can set you apart from the rest.

Saint-Étienne is an inexpensive city that is in the middle of a great transition from the late industrial era to the modern age of information. The city center has seen heavy investment as of late, population growth has returned, and the city is very well equipped for university students with affordable restaurants and entertainment. Proximity to Lyon and Geneva, as well as Paris via the TGV, is also favorable to students looking for new places to explore.

I am at the IAE of Saint-Étienne; The business school. I have courses in management, accounting, law, mathematics, and economics.

I live in an apartment with a friend in the city center.

Finishing my first year with a 13 average. I proved to myself that I could survive in a foreign country without the influence of my parents, and that my French skills are more than sufficient to attend college in France.

The entire year was difficult. I have trouble paying attention in class and it’s an even greater challenge in French. My 2nd language is like a secondary operating system for my brain and, ‘learning to learn’ in French is a skill that I am still developing. Fortunately, the university works with final year students to offer tutoring free of charge!

I understand 95% of what is said, I retain probably about 75% of this (attention problems). The only French I don’t understand would come from cultural references/turns-of-phrase with which I’m not familiar.

I have made friends outside of the school — I have difficulty separating work/play. However, everyone on campus is very friendly and eager to help! The Stéphanois are very accommodating!

Year 2 I would like to find an internship somewhere at a bank; my motivations for studying being finance/banking related.

Going abroad keeps you a cut above the rest. One’s cultural understanding of a foreign country and their ability to speak a second language can very well become the reason YOU are chosen for a role, project, or promotion, above others. A note to any Americans reading this: I HIGHLY recommend leaving the United States. Not only because France is significantly less expensive than the United States (you won’t find anywhere more expensive than Paris, and the cost of living there would be comparable to any urban area in the Northeastern United States.) We Americans, often lack a comprehensive understanding of the world because we have very little reason to leave the nation, be it the sheer size of the country or the availability of opportunities. Coming from the most politically and culturally influential country on Earth, we have a moral responsibility to better understand world affairs and our place in them. The U.S. is hardly penetrated by non-anglophone culture, at the level that American culture penetrates all nations across the world. The true nature of France, her people and culture, are unknowable from our side of the Atlantic. Living in France redefined how I thought my early adult life would be. In the United States it always feels like the country/everyone is out to get you.. In France, the state is so much more accommodating for the people.

stefano

Incoming student

For me, choosing to study abroad has been primarily centered around living in autonomy/independence and testing myself as a young adult, as well as learning a new culture and its people.

I chose St Etienne due to the IAE. The fact that all classes are done in small-sized groups, together with its international aspect (in the 'International Track', that i'm in, half of the classes are taught in English) is really what separated St Etienne's IAE from all the other IAE's nation-wide and more so traditional universities.

The main subjects in my curriculum are economics, management and law.

I live in a private student residence near the south part of the city.

The high point of the year was when I got my final results in June. After this challenging first year of adaptation, I felt like my work had been rewarded and I could take a break, before attacking again in September.

Personally the first semester was the most difficult. Not knowing what to expect, not only because it was my first time taking university classes but also due to the fact that it was my first contact with the french way of teaching/expectations, led me to a challenging first few months. As soon as I got the feel of it, I became more efficient and way less stressed.

French has been difficult mostly in law, where very precise vocabulary has to be used. Other than that, leaving highschool with a C1 in french has been adequate for me. Not to mention that as a foreign student, my level of french constantly increases and hence it only gets easier from here.

Yes, I have a small french friend group. In the second semester, I got more involved with the Erasmus community and found that most of them are very open and friendly, therefore making friends with them is easy and fun.

Next year i will stay at the IAE and probably choose the 'Economics' or 'Management' specializations. Finding an internship in an enterprise during the summer would be ideal for me since I'd love to work with people in this kind of environment.

I'd recommend going abroad because it really is life-changing. Leaving your home country at such a young age does make you more responsible, mature, independent etc. However, this does not mean that all of a sudden you become an overstressed adult. Fun/balance is there if you know where to look. Not to mention the value that studying abroad gives to a students resume. It shows adaptability, curiosity, the will to make sacrifices and courage. Studying in a foreign language surely puts you at some sort of a disadvantage, given the fact that most of your competitors are native speakers. Your will to struggle more is what separates you and simply shows that you are more motivated.