Erasmus Experience in Geneva, Switzerland by Andrea

Why did you choose to go to Geneva, Switzerland?

I chose it because it's a multicultural city and because I wasn't really looking for a typical Erasmus city. I wanted something more laid-back.

How long was your scholarship? How much financial aid did you receive?

Since a year ago, Switzerland is not longer part of the Erasmus grant, there was a referendum and the people voted against it, they didn't want Erasmus. The Swiss government has created its own grant.

The grant that I got was €2, 000 for a semester.

What is the student life like in Geneva?

It's not a university city. But if you know where to go, you'll always be able to find a good atmosphere. There are young people who want to have a good time and an international environment.

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

Honestly, I think that before you choose Geneva as the city for your Erasmus experience, you have to understand that it's a very calm city.

I had the image of Erasmus in my head of the students we had in my class in Barcelona, they almost never came to class and they were given easier things to do. Here in Geneva, it's no use playing the Erasmus student card. At least in my experience, the same was asked of us as was asked of the rest of the class. I only needed 10 credits and they made me come to class from 8:30 to 17:30. Besides, the Swiss are very hardworking, I was amazed when, on some days, they used their lunch break to keep working on their projects. I go to the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD).

I don't actually know very much about how it is at the University of Geneva (UniGe), but I don't think they're as strict and you have less class hours.

What is the food like there?

If you really like cheese and chocolate, this is the place for you. The most amazing dishes are fondue and raclette. However, the prices are very high. They also have something very similar to embutido (Spanish cured, dry sausage), that they call dry meat.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Geneva?

It's very complicated to find accommodation in Geneva. If you've chosen to come to this city I recommend that you move very quickly and ask for a place in the Cité, which is a huge university residence that isn't very expensive (€500 a month), you have to be on the ball and find out when the time for applications is.

I didn't know if I wanted to be in a residence or not, so I waited and I started to look for a room in a shared flat and when I realised how difficult it was to find something, I then wanted to apply for a place in the residence but the application period had ended.

I drove myself mad looking for something from Spain, in the end I didn't find anything. So I had to go to Geneva without anywhere to stay. I decided to stay in a hostel because it was the cheapest option (€37 a night). I met a lot of Erasmus students who were in the same position as me, they had also had to come here without anywhere to stay.

The only web page to find accommodation there that really works is glocals.com.

My first 3 days in the city felt like an eternity, I went to visit some 10 flats and houses.

You've got to be careful because there are people who take advantage of the accommodation issue there. They ask for €1, 000 a month for a room. I was desperate to find somewhere and I ended up considering paying that much.

But on the third day I went to visit a room in a Swiss Colombian couple's house and I was really lucky because they gave me the room and for a reasonable price (€600 a month). And now that I've been here for a while I don't think I could've got a better place. Everyone says that I've been very lucky. When I told the guy at the hostel reception that I was leaving because I'd found a room, he couldn't believe that I'd found somewhere so quickly. He told me to be careful and to make sure that it wasn't a scam.

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How much does it cost to live in Geneva?

A lot. But less than I thought it did before I came here.

I pay €650 for rent and I go food shopping in France because it's not far from where I live and it costs less than half as much to shop there. I spend €100 a month on food but many days I eat the food made by the people who own the house that I live in.

You need €1, 000 a month, but that's quite extravagant, accounting for nights out, rent and food.

How did you manage with the language? Did you go to any courses at the university?

Before I went on my Erasmus to Geneva, I took 90 hours of French on an intensive course. So I went with some idea and I was really keen to learn the language. But when I got there I found that I could speak English to everybody (bus drivers, cashiers, professors, classmates). So I didn't practice my French very much. I understand it perfectly because all of my classes are in French but I hardly ever speak it.

Here in Geneva, I signed myself up at a language school that costs €100 for the whole semester, with 3 hours of classes a week. (http://www.upcge.ch/), but only because the free classes that were offered to me by my university (HEAD) clashed with my normal classes.

I think that UniGe offers a lot more French classes.

What is the most affordable way to get to Geneva from your city?

I'm from Barcelona. I'm lucky that it's very cheap to fly from there with Easyjet.

It costs about €40 for a return ticket. My friends came for a weekend for €26.

But if you want to go home for Christmas, take precautions and buy your ticket very early. I bought mine two months before and I paid only €160 for the flight.

If you're from other cities in Spain, I know people from the north who use Blablacar to get home.

Where would you recommend for a night out in Geneva?

I much prefer the pubs because the clubs are so expensive and when you're inside, you can't even get a drink because they're so expensive as well. There's a square called Planpalais that is full of pubs. A favourite of a lot of the locals and of mine is L'Eléphant dans la Canette. But if you make any Erasmus friends, you'll find out about loads of parties in the city through events made on Facebook.

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And to eat in Geneva? What are some of your favourite places?

My absolute favourite place is Bains des Pâquis. It's a place that is very popular with the people of Geneva. In summer, it has a kind of natural swimming pool in the lake (it's 2 CHF to get in) and during the winter it has a sauna, hammam and Turkish baths (20 CHF for the whole day). It's also a restaurant and you can get the daily special for normally around 12 CHF. In the evening, it's very common to eat fondue (you have to book in advance because the restaurants are always so full) and it's 23 CHF for fondue for one person. I always get one fondue between two because they're really big portions.

In summer, they put on concerts at dawn and people go for breakfast while watching the sunrise.

The Café Remor, is another typical place to go with reasonable prices. You can get a pretty big sandwich for 10 CHF. Bearing in mind that something from the menu costs 14 CHF, it's a really good deal. It's a very pretty, welcoming place and the food is very good.

The restaurant in the Hotel Les Armures, it's in the old town and they serve traditional Swiss dishes. It's not very expensive. I would recommend it for taking parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles when they come to visit you. It's a much more elegant place than the others. You should book in advance, too, as it's usually always full. I took my dad and dinner for two was 70 CHF. It looks expensive, but I assure you that it's good value.

Le Bateau-Lavoir is a wooden boat on the lake, the food is great and it's not too expensive.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

The Red Cross museum (€15 entry).

The art museum.

There's a very famous street market from Thursday to Sunday in Planpalais. It's like a flea market. It's not really my kind of thing but it's good for a wander around.

I went to the opera when the music school were putting on a Bach concert and they gave invitations to all the students.

Coming from Barcelona, I felt like the city didn't have much to offer, culturally speaking, it seemed like there was nothing ever going on.

Travelling by train in Switzerland is very expensive. Geneva to Lausanne, which takes half an hour, costs 44 CHF.

If you're planning to travel a lot in Switzerland, there's a pass that, for €100, gets you half price tickets.

There's also the Swisspass, which lets you travel anywhere in Switzerland for a few days.

I bought a one country interrail pass, because, being under 25, it's a lot cheaper than the Swisspass.

Do you have any advice for future students in Geneva?

Sometimes it can seem like you haven't made the best choice because it's an expensive city and there's not a lot of partying.

But it all depends on your attitude and the benefits of experiencing a different way of life.

Everyone does their Erasmus in a way that suits them. If you want to go out every day, you'll go out everyday. If you want to get together with people from other countries to practice your English, you will. If you want to learn a lot, you'll learn a lot. If you don't want to go to class very often you won't go.

I don't think the place defines your experience, you decide for yourself how it's going to turn out.