Hi, I’m Beniamin, a LANDSAM International Relations master degree’s student in NMBU. I took part in an Erasmus exchange program as part of my studies, here’s a little recap for those of you who wish to do the same!
The exchange took place in Rennes, the capital city of Brittany,
France, with a population of 215k.
The number of student accommodation rooms was very limited, therefore
the university created a sort of competition; I had to apply and include
information such as my income, country of residence, a motivational message and
how long I'm going to stay in the city. I got declined, and received a message
that due to a low number of rooms, students with lower incomes were prioritized
(mine was definitely a student's income, meaning rather low). So a side note;
be mindful of what you write in the application form.
My next option was renting a room in an apartment; however, that
required a deposit, and a guarantor, a person who takes responsibility if I
ruin the place. The trick is, the guarantor has to live in France, which makes
it rather difficult to find one if you don't have any relatives there. There
are companies acting as a guarantor, but they take a rather hefty price for it.
Eventually, I decided to use Airbnb; I booked 3 different accommodations for
the 4 month period. Sometimes, booking a room for 32 days is a lot less
expensive than 30 days, since some discounts get applied. The solution was a
lot more expensive than student accommodation; I paid a total of 31.638,76kr
for accommodation during my stay. But, I a lot more space than tiny student
rooms, didn't need to pay a deposit or think of a guarantor. I do however
advise to find a way of getting into student accommodation.
About the university
Science Po Rennes (Institut d'Études Politiques de
Rennes) is one of 7 Sciences Po universities, the main campus being in Paris.
It has a rather long history, which, if you're interested in it, I'd recommend
going through their website or Wikipedia to see all the details; you’ll learn a
lot better than from reading my copy-and-pastery.
Language skills
When it comes to learning French, Sciences Po provided us with an
intensive language course. All exchange students were provided with a leveling
test and were divided into 4 groups; from beginner's level to advanced. The
pace was very fast, and we covered a lot of material. It's definitely necessary
to revise and study along each class, in order to build foundation for next
topics.
An aspect helping me learn French was that nobody outside of my
group spoke any English at all; that includes all other students, employees,
teachers, or anyone I've met in the city. The only way to socialize was to
speak french, or have a friend who speaks french around.
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Did you need a VISA?
As a European citizen, I didn't need a student visa to France.
Was it difficult to be assigned for the subjects
you were interested in?
There was only one set of subjects I could enroll in as an exchange
student, there were no other choices. I was aware of that before applying, so
it was my choice to enroll.
Were all the subjects and credits accepted by your
home university?
Yes, credit compatibility was ensured before the beginning of the
exchange.
Are you satisfied with the quality of teaching in
the host university?
I took a program in English, which included the following courses, 6
credits each:
French language (customized to my language skills),
Introduction to contemporary anglophone literature,
French history,
Enlarging the international authority of cities,
Modern political radicalism.
Being honest, the quality of teaching in Science Po was mediocre/low.
Most, if not all students in my group share that opinion. The French way of
teaching is very old-school, meaning
the teachers acted as if they were giving us a favor by being there,
treated us as high schoolers and get offended if we gave a suggestion on
revising a subject or giving us materials.
In other words, teachers were absolute kings, and students shouldn't
have anything to say when it comes to way of teaching or vocalizing an opinion.
From what I've experienced, the teachers aren't there to teach us something;
they are there because it is their job to speak in front of us. But maybe I am
just spoiled by the Norwegian and Polish way of teaching, where the teaching
methods actually adjust and evolve into what works best for the students.
If the entire group has trouble with a particular course, and everyone
feels like they can't understand anything, I believe a teacher should perhaps
consider if it's partially their fault as well; Instead, our lecturer would
simply seem amused that nobody knew an answer for one example test question we
were provided with.
There were a couple of lecturers of non-french nationalities, whose
ways of teaching were different. They leaned towards explaining the material,
rather than just presenting it. Even if a course was not related to political
sciences whatsoever, the teacher would still try to make it interesting and
even at times fun. As opposed to the French attitude, they were there for the
students, not just for themselves. I’m mentioning this to compare the french
perception of education with those of other nations, not to compare the
teachers themselves as individuals.
All teachers spoke good english (one being American), so there were no
issues with understanding the content.
What's interesting is that Sciences Po is private for French
citizens, and is considered one of the best ones in France. Me and my peers
were told by numerous French students that education in France is generally
bad; it's just a fact one needs to expect and accept.
As for the internet, Eduroam wasn't available, and we were told that
"the university Wi-fi should work, but it usually doesn't, so just use
your phone data".
How long did the stipend you were given last for?
I paid for my accommodation up front, the stipend covered around half
of it. Keep in mind that the stay would have been significantly less expensive
had I been accepted to student accommodation (roughly €250/2900kr per month),
so the grant would normally cover the entire accommodation cost.
Erasmus is known for paying out the funds extremely late, sometimes
months after you’re already on exchange. To avoid this, NMBU sent me the funds
from their own budget, and then waited for Erasmus to pay it out to them. That
way, I was guaranteed financial support on time and didn’t need to reach out to
Erasmus in case of any delays.
Was your student exchange experience what you had
expected it to be?
As I mentioned before, the academic aspect of the exchange was poor,
but bad experiences are still of value; now I get to appreciate that I get
higher quality of education at my home university.
When it comes to the cultural, and basically any other aspect of the
trip, it was definitely fun and worth it. My expectations were very general,
meaning getting to know a new culture, hear new languages and meet new people.
I did become familiar with the French culture, earned some of their language
and discovered new areas on the map. I made new friends, both withing and
outside of the program, who I spent most of my time with. We took advantage of
a week off, and rented an old-school camper to visit towns nearby, went to
Paris a few times, got to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, and just had heaps of fun
together.
Most cities are connected with railway, which makes it really easy to
travel; there are also FlixBus lines, allowing you to travel to Saint Malo
(charming town by the Ocean) for as little as €4. One bus even had Wi-fi for a
couple of minutes.
As I believe the cultural part of Erasmus is just as much, if not more
important than the academic part, I’d say the exchange experience was 60/70% of
what I expected it to be.
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Are you happy with your stay abroad, and would you
recommend going on exchange to other students?
Full disclosure, unless you're very passionate about France and French
history, I would suggest choosing Science Po only if no other option works out.
I believe going abroad is definitely worth it, even if you're not very lucky when it comes to the institution, you'll still get to see the world. If you come across a negative experience, it's still valuable. Go and see for yourself! Just maybe not to Rennes.
«Stikkord: Frankrike, Sciences Po Rennes,
politiske studier, mastergrad, international relations»
«Keywords: France, Rennes, Science Po Rennes,
political studies, international relations, master, master degree, English,
exchange»
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