Mobility specification

Country:France

Institution:University of Franche-Comté

City:Besançon

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts / Department of Romance Languages and Literatures - French

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?The school system is different from the one at MUNI - the classes are always back to back so it may happen that you have to study for several hours without a break. And there is no exam period - all exams take place in one week (sometimes two).

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?There is an ESN organization, and volunteer opportunities, but I think most of the interesting welcome events happen at the beginning of the first semester, and I missed it in the second semester (when I traveled).

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

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:16200 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?It wasn't totally unexpected, but there are always more things to buy than one thinks at the beginning of a stay (everything from cleaning supplies to kitchen stuff). However, I was surprised that we didn't get duvets in the dorms, so I had to get those myself.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?It's definitely worth taking the opportunity to go and pick up a food basket from the solidarity collections for students - there are several organisations in France that allow such food distributions for students and it's great. The Too Good To Go app is also worth it, especially in bigger cities.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?with gestures

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?There's a pretty good system in Besançon (Ginko) where you can buy a monthly ticket for a reasonable price. And you can get to towns in the area by MobiGo buses where each ride costs 2 €, or by train.

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?Citadel, Musée du Temps, walk along the Doubs embankment and walk up to the Brégille and Chaudanne forts on the hills just outside the town.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Lyon was probably the most beautiful trip of the stay, you can do it in a day, but the whole weekend is definitely more interesting. In addition, there are beautiful natural sites - the village of Château-Chalon and the waterfall behind Baumes-les-Messieurs, the Saut du Doubs waterfall. Then there's the museum of the former Saline Royale salt factory in Arc-et-Senans and the town of Dole.

Share your best experience:A trip to Lyon - it's a truly beautiful city - it harbours a historic Renaissance quarter, a church or cathedral on every corner, typically French squares and the Croix-Rousse district is full of hidden art in the form of large and small murals and painted staircases.

💅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 staying in local dorms - be prepared that there are no duvets (just a really awful blanket) so a sleeping bag/blanket/duvet of your own will do. Same with kitchen equipment - a lot of things can be gradually picked up at the local student second-hand shop, but as a precautionary measure, taking at least a spoon and knife is a plus. And just a warning - if you're coming to France on a Sunday, pack the essentials to survive until Monday - most shops close at 12 noon on Sundays.

🥳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?It was my second Erasmus and in many ways it was different from the previous one. However, I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to discover a new part of the world and meet new people again (and who could resist the chance to have a fresh pastry from a French bakery when they have the opportunity ;)).