Mobility specification

Country:France

Institution:University of Burgundy

City:Dijon

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2022/2023

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Economics and Administration

Study level abroad:Master

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?manageable

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?In FR, it is basically assumed that you choose one "parcour" and study that, so if you like courses from more than one discipline, you sometimes have to discuss it with more than one person (unfortunately I don't remember the details, but you only have one academic Erasmus coordinator, he will help you with that).
I was surprised by the early start of classes (early September for fall, early January for spring), but this can vary by discipline.
The actual teaching was similar to ours - lectures and seminars/exercises with ongoing assignments/tests.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?I don't know about anything specific for international students (I preferred to avoid Erasmus events because I wanted to learn French, not to harden my skills), but it offers perfect stuff:
1) There is a cultural center on campus called Atheneum, where there are all kinds of cultural programs going on, but you can also go there just to warm up your prepared lunch, play xbox, chess, have coffee or wine (it's a university institution, so you don't have to buy anything, you can really just go play that xbox). Amazing space.
2) Unités d'enseignement transversales - this is a special group of courses that you can enroll in and they are kind of specific. One, for example, involves volunteering for an organization (I originally intended to do this with the Dijon Observatory, but ended up choosing another UET because of the distance from campus). The UET Culture that I ended up taking was focused on modern dance and math, for example, so we rehearsed a modern dance performance (with a final performance at the Athenaeum) and had lectures from a math prof regarding the movement of bodies. Of course these subjects are somehow not taught, but you have to attend. From my own experience it was great, I made friends there.
3) CROUS holds various events on campus, it's worth keeping an eye on the bulletin boards. For example, through the CROUS event Invitez le monde a votre table, I got to have Sunday lunch with the Dijon family, or take part in a table football tournament, or an evening with the Galettes des Rois.
4) Sports - the university has a super policy when it comes to sports. You can have two free PE classes a week and you can alternate them, so you can try anything. Top for me. They even do some weekend getaways occasionally (I wasn't), or ski trips to Jura (I wasn't either, it was often cancelled due to lack of snow), or special courses (e.g. Shiatsu).

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:30000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?Fortunately, no. My expenses are otherwise probably higher than average, I also travelled to Paris quite a bit and didn't save any extra.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?CROUS is organizing some distribution alimentaire on campus for those in need. But you have to register and probably prove that you need it. I've heard, but haven't verified, that perhaps you can get CROUS lunches/dinners for €1 (normally they cost €3,30).
Otherwise, of course it's great to live on campus, I was paying €258 a month for a single room.
If you have the nerve, you could try claiming the CAF accommodation allowance, but be prepared that it won't work out soon (they'll still want you to supply something else and more, like an officially translated birth certificate).
There is a sort of bazaar - LA RECYCLADE - where you can buy some equipment cheaply.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?neutral

How does public transport work in the city?neutral

And what about transport outside the city?neutral

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Public transport in Dijon is run by Divia, which has an app where you can search for connections. If you buy a ticket, you can recharge and use it afterwards. I didn't travel that far though, as the school was on campus and it was a nice 30-45 minute walk into town, which was fine. The public transport isn't what we're used to in Brno, but there are two stops on campus for the shuttle that goes into town and to the station. There is then a second line.
Intercity transport ok. If you plan to travel more than one TER, it might be worth buying a discount card (if you're under 26 you might get fine prices without it, I don't know).
Anyway, transport wasn't some kind of a bummer. Otherwise, I found the Flixbus Prague - Besancon and then the train to Dijon quite good.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Chouette de Dijon, (view of) Mont Blanc from the Talant district (must be good weather), Dijon booze, Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin (a bit overpriced, but nice to walk there at least and there are also interesting events sometimes - e.g. I tried (for free) to make mustard), the whole city centre, the markets (the one in the centre, where I recommend sitting in Buvette for a drink and tasting snails, and the "immigrant" Marché des Grésilles), the Opera (offers discounted tickets for students), the canal, the Parc de la Colombière, the cemetery under the campus. It's worth taking advantage of the shared bikes and exploring the city.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Dijon is in the Cote D'or, which is the most developed wine region in the world. It's well worth a walk in the vineyards (especially in autumn, when the colours are vibrant and there may be leftovers from the vintage that you can gently pick off). A short drive from Dijon is the village of Vosne Romanée, home to the famous Romanée Conti vineyard, with wines costing thousands of euros a bottle. If you go in the fall, it's possible to attend a vintage, make a little money, make friends and have an experience (like the final La Paulée - I don't know if every winery does this, but ours invited those of us who attended the vintage to a dinner where there was karaoke, their wines, food, entertainment).
Definitely don't miss Beaune, which is the winemaking heart of the Cote d'Or. It's especially worth going the third weekend in November when it's alive with end-of-vintage celebrations, the highlight of which is the Sunday auction of wines from the Hospices de Beaune winery (Hospices de Beaune is otherwise Beaune's main must-see).
It's quite easy to take a trip to Lyon, for example - the drive takes about 2 hours, so you can basically take a detour.

Share your best experience:The best experience for me was the vintage, especially the final celebration of La Paulée with the other participants.
But it was also great to participate in UET Culture, where we prepared a modern dance performance, which for me as a dancing wood was called stepping out of my comfort zone :-D.
It was also cool to attend the 300th anniversary celebration of the Université de Bourgogne, or to go to a French family for lunch.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Bus

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?If you're thinking of applying for a housing allowance from CAF, probably take your birth certificate with you.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Immerse yourself in French culture, language and history in an iconic region and in a university environment with a compact campus offering great student activities (Atheneum, UETs, sports).