Laura's Erasmus experience in Bern, Switzerland

Why did you choose to go to Bern, Switzerland?

I liked it as a destination because it's in Central Europe, and because of the unique characteristics Switzerland has thanks to being right in the centre and combining different cultures and languages.

Source

How long does the grant last? How much money do you receive?

In my case the grant lasted 5 months. I received the grant from the University of Bern itself (around 1, 500 francs), because the financial aid from the Erasmus programme was minimal and very disappointing since, as it's not an EU country, they didn't offer the same grant as they do for some of the other destinations. The problem is that they didn't tell me about that when I chose Switzerland as a destination.

What is the student atmosphere like in Bern?

It's peaceful and it's all quite well-organised.

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

Yes. It's not a big city, but the atmosphere is very nice and the city is beautiful. My experience with the University was good in general and, with regards to the city, it offered more calming activities as well as places to go out which were quite good.

What is the country's food like?

I'm not too interested in gastronomy, but I did discover the rösti, which is delicious, and of course, chocolate.

Source

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Bern?

A little. They told me very late on that there was no space for me on campus and in the end I found shared accommodation through a few of the University's adverts, about two or three months before I had to leave.

How much does it cost to live in Bern?

Accommodation is the most expensive thing, so that's what you'll have to save up for most. Transport is almost unnecessary because, as the city isn't very big you can move about on foot or by bike, so you can save a lot that way. Regarding the food, you simply have to know how to shop around and, aside from certain products, there's not much difference compared with Spain.

What's the language like? Did you take any courses at the University?

I took an intensive German class in the first week and it was quite good, but you have to have a certain level of knowledge already (I had studied German before). Even so, Swiss German is quite unusual and difficult to understand and, in the end, I mainly spoke English for everything.

Source

What's the cheapest way to get to Bern from your city?

Mine was to take a flight from Alicante to Basel with easyJet and from there take a train to Bern.

Which places in Bern would you recommend for going out?

At the moment I only remember the name of one place, Aqua, which was in the centre. It was small, but it was okay.

And what about for eating? Can you name your favourite places?

I didn't go out to eat much because it was quite expensive, so my plan if I met up with someone and we went out was to make food ourselves and then go somewhere near the river bank, usually.

And what is Bern like for culture?

It has a few interesting museums, such as the Einstein House or the Natural History Museum of Bern, or simply walking around the city centre is worth doing as a cultural activity because everything still has that old-fashioned look.

Source

Is there any advice you'd like to give to future students in Bern?

I would advise they make sure they know which grants they are eligible for. I don't know if they've changed the situation now, but as I said before I wasn't told until the last minute that I wouldn't be receiving anything from the Erasmus programme and, what I received from the University of Bern aside, I had to save the rest myself in order to afford it.