Erasmus Experience in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium by Daniela

Why did you choose to go to Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium?

I chose Belgium as it is the heart of Europe. It is perfect for people, who don't feel that adventurous to go to exotic countries and the lifestyle is very similar as in other Western Europe countries. Moreover, you can travel almost everywhere from Belgium, amazing cities such as Paris, London or Amsterdam are just around the corner!

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

I got 400€/month. The scholarship is proportional to the number of days spend in the country abroad.

What is the student lifestyle like in Louvain-la-Neuve?

The town is full of students during the week, but in the weekend the town is empty. Students are enjoing their student years a lot. The beginning of the semester is very wild and parties are everywhere! At the end, the frequency goes down, but there is always something to do during the evenings. Students also have a lot of team project and they meet a lot in group work rooms, libraries or just hang out with coffee.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Louvain-la-Neuve to other students?

I would definitely recommend it as I enjoyed it so much. But I think it is important to stress out, that the city is not for everybody. If you want to enjoy the buzz of big city, LLN is definitely not the right choice for you. The town is very small, pedestrian and you can walk everywhere within 15 minutes. For me it was perfect, as I was close to all my friends, school and everything I needed. Also, there is a great sport centre, which used to be one of the biggest in Europe. All the kinds of sport actvities can be done there.

What is the food like?

Belgiums have a lot of stands with take away food. You can buy huge sandwiches everywhere, which usually cost less than 3€. Also, you can buy a take away pasta, burgers and of course ubiquitous french fries. There is a university canteen as well, where you can buy a food of a day, soups, salads, pasta and some snack. There are some very nice restaurants as well, including Italian, Chinese or English pubs.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Louvain-la-Neuve?

Yes. I wasn't fast enough to get the university accommodation and I needed to find something on my own. But it is quite challenging, as everybody wants to rent a room only for the whole year, which is impossible for Erasmus students. Hence, I needed to look for the accommodation on the internet, and eventually I found a really cool room in shared apartment via Facebook. There are some pages dedicated to renting a rooms in LLN.

How much does it cost to live in Louvain-la-Neuve?

I pay for my room 28O€/month. The price usually goes from 250-350€ per room and it is about to 500€ if you want to rent a private studio. If I go shopping for the week, it usually costs around 20€, but I often eat out, especially the lunches, which are around 3€/sandwich.

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

The LLN speaks French. I don't speak French at all, but it is feasible to survive some people struggle with English a lot, so if you do not speak French you may have problem to speak for example with your roommates.

The Uni offers language courses in all levels, but the French for begginers is quite demanding, as you need to attend 6 hours of regular class a week and complement it with 6 hours a week of self-study. But other levels are usually only 3 hours a week.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Louvain-la-Neuve from your city?

It really depends on where you live, but usually you need to go through Brussel anyway. Hence, the cheapest way is probably to take a bus or a train (but only if you book in advance) and then continue to LLN by train. Of course the most comfortable way is to flight. Here you have two possibilities - either to go to Brussel national airport or Brussel Charleroi. Both airports are quite close from LLN and you can travel by train then.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Louvain-la-Neuve?

If you want to experience the LLN spirit, you should definitely go to student association party place called Casa. But be careful, it is really wild and kinda dirty. There are some many student places, e. g. Cesec, also run by students. If you want to go to more "classy" place, try Beckets, an Irish bar at the main square. There are also numerous place for a beer, such as Vintage Bar or Beer Bar.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Louvain-la-Neuve?

Depends on your needs. You can find a really cheap take away food all around the university. If you want to go to proper restaurant, a really good one is "Il Dove", an italian place close to the main square. There is also a really good Chinese close to Place des Wallons.

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What good cultural sites are there to visit?

In LLN, there is nothing special that has to be seen, but Belgium in general is really rich for cultural sites. Personally, I love Gent and Brugge. Leuven is also awesome and you can even visit the sea, which is particularly great in spring semester.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Louvain-la-Neuve in the future?

If you want to get university accommodation, you need to sign up for it as soon as possible (my advice is do it straight after they wrote you), otherwise you won't get it.