Erasmus Experience in Angers, France by Kirtee

Why did you choose to go to Angers, France?

I didn't have much of a choice

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I have to study abroad for a whole year. I get an irish grant every month called SUSI which increased because I was studying abroad, I also get the erasmus grant but I'm not sure of the exact amount that I am going to get. You can also get part of your rent subsidized through a grant called CAF.

What is the student lifestyle like in Angers?

It is very much a student town, so a lot of going out and people constantly travelling.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Angers to other students?

The town is very small so if you're planning on staying for the whole year you have to remember that as you might get a bit bored in the second semester. The town is also in the middle of nowhere so travelling can be hard and expensive.
I personally didn't go to University of Angers but rather ESSCA and I have really enjoyed my time here they have a good international crowd and it's a relatively small college so you will know most people they also have an orientation week for internationals to get a chance to get to know each other.

What is the food like?

The food is fine, it wasn't a drastic change for me, I do miss some Irish foods though. When shopping for food look around in the different shops to get the best price for things.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Angers?

It didn't me ESSCA sends you a list of places you can apply for and in my case they even handled most of the paperwork, and I only had to send some documents. They even collected my keys for me so I didn't really have to do anything.

How much does it cost to live in Angers?

It really depends on where you are living, the going out does get very expensive and as I mentioned if you are planning on travelling it can get very expensive as most likely youre going to have to get a train. I would suggest investing in a Carte de jeune or get the TGV Max which is €80 a month if you're planning on travelling a lot.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

I study French back home so it wasn't to hard for me to get grips with the language. ESSCA offers a number of french language classes at different levels such as beginners and intermediate.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Angers from your city?

For Dublin it is easier for me to fly from Dublin to Nantes with ryanair and then from Nantes airport get a shuttle bus to the train station and get a train to Angers. Ryanair flights can be very cheap and the train is usually no more than 15€ and the shuttle bus is 9€.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Angers?

Theres only a number of bars but my favorites are Delirium and le Maestro

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Angers?

Pittaya, Le Pub

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

The castle