What was your motivation to go to Montpellier in France ?

As I've been learning French for about 7 years, I've always been close to French culture. I wanted to try a different warmer setting haha, where I could practise my French with locals and Montpellier seemed like the ideal city.

Did you have any expectations before leaving?

Expectations are always bad so I only thought of what could go wrong haha.

Administration

Did you find the application procedure difficult? Do you have any tips?

The procedure is complicated because you have to fill in documents for both your home university and your host university. The most stressful part is indicating which courses you are taking, as this changes on arrival when you receive a timetable that you didn't have before you arrived. When clueless, I recommend contacting a study advisor or someone who has already taken part in an exchange programme in your destination country.

What were the requirements for doing your semester abroad in that country and university?

Motivation letter and at least B1 proficiency in French.

Were there any initiatives supporting Erasmus/international students throughout their stay?

Definitely, I mainly participated in the events of ESN Montpellier which organizes a welcome meeting, pub crawls or trips. There is also parrainage international (mentor program) which helps students at the beginning to adapt.

Studies

What did/do you think of the university?

When people ask me about my exchange, university is usually the weakest link. Compared to

RUG, it does not offer high-quality courses or classrooms.

- The location? The buildings?

The location was good because it was close to my campus, but the buildings were in

poor condition as during the summer it was super hot while in the winter it was super

cold in the classrooms and they were often old.

- The study programme?

I had a mix of courses I cooked from separate programmes. Sadly, I did not have a lot

of courses connected to my home programme, therefore I enjoyed a few courses.

- The teachers?

Some teachers had very good presentation skills, but it also depended on the course. In

general, they were really nice and receptive.Did you like the way of teaching and studying?

It depends on the course. I've had two courses where the teachers were very good despite the

lack of resources at university. What's more, university relies on heavy, memorization-type

exams, which I don't necessarily prefer. Nevertheless, thanks to this, you have a lot of free

time during your studies because you don't have any homework.

How was the workload compared to IRIO?

During your studies, the workload is absent lol, as you only attend lectures. However, you're

supposed to catch up on everything during the exam period. That's when it gets difficult.

Culture

Points of interest (not so many <-> lots of museums etc.) 8

Food (only local food <-> great variety of restaurants) 8

Nature (none <-> several natural parks/recreational parks) 7

Recreation/Sports (limited <-> many options/extra courses) 8

Social Activities (limited <-> many theatres/cinemas/pubs 7

Study

Size of the University (small <-> big) 7

Relationship students-professors (informal <-> formal) 7

Language requirements (English suffices <-> Official Language) 8

The study programme (easy <-> difficult/intense) 7

Internationality (few international students <-> many int. students) 5

Students from Dutch universities (few <-> a lot) 5

Location of the University (hard to reach <-> close by) 8

Finances

Are there any other things you’d like to share?

Funds (difficult to acquire <-> very easy to acquire) 7

Accomodation (difficult to find & expensive <-> easy & affordable) 8

Food (expensive <-> cheap) 8

Public transport (expensive <-> cheap)

10