Erasmus Experience in Dijon France

Dijon reminded me very much of Galway. Although it is a city it felt very relaxed. The streets were never too busy, and everyone had a very friendly attitude.  

I never felt unsafe, and I knew that if I ever had an issue the International Relation officers in BSB would always be there to talk to. 

The accommodation I lived in was full of students which also made me feel relaxed. The building I lived in was a new building, so it had great security and cameras everywhere inside, so I never felt at risk at home either.  

Similarly, the main shopping street reminded me of Galway’s shop street – as it had a very relaxing vibe about it.  

I felt that the University student portal was very well organised. It gave you the option to look at the website in English so that was certainly a help! The International Relation officers were very good at responding to emails and queries quickly. I would recommend talking to the other Irish students who are going to Dijon too – and picking the same subjects. It is much easier to settle into a new environment when you have someone from home with you.  

The class sizes are much smaller than Ireland and attendance is taken very seriously. Classes are 2 hours long, and some can start at 8am! However, you may only have one or two classes a day – so it is very manageable.  

Exams are done by continuous assessment, so this is very helpful as you have no pressure at the end of the semester. This also encourages you to go to class to pick up some marks by simply participating in class. For example, we did many presentations that were worth 40% of the overall grade.  

I can honestly say I didn’t feel too pressured to pass exams as I knew if I attended class and did the in-class tests I would gather enough marks to pass overall.  

The lecturers were very encouraging and wanted the students to succeed.  

The pass rate in France is 50%.  

• Dijon didn’t have a great sporting facility - but they did have a free gym on campus. I often seen students going there as it was very well equipped! 

• My accommodation residence Drapeau had its own gym so I would go there instead of the one on campus.  

• There is a society called the Melting Pots that organise events regularly. They try to aim the events at exchange students as a way of bonding! They also look out for Erasmus student – for example they organised a free pick up at Dijon Train Station at the beginning of orientation week to ensured we all reached our accommodation safely. 

• BSB also organised trips for us to bond with the other Erasmus students which I found excellent. For example, we went for a trip to the mustard factory, a winery and a gingerbread factory. This was an excellent opportunity for us to explore some French culture.  

  • I would love to do it again. Due to the coronavirus my semester was cut short at 9 weeks, however I still had a blast from the beginning. I really enjoyed being away from Ireland and being away from your family and friends from home. It gives you a great opportunity to grow as an individual and forget about a lot of the things you worry about at home that aren’t important.  

  • I really enjoyed the time I spent making new friends. The other Erasmus students become your best friends as they are going through the exact same experience as you.  

  • I also enjoyed the French culture as I learned French in secondary school, so it was a great experience to be able to use the French language.  

  • I also loved the fact that everything was continuous assessment as this took away so much pressure of having final exams. Marks were easily picked up by doing mini projects and speeches in class.