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

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

In my case is only 6 months and I will recieve some grants from my own country (not so many). However it, the prices are quite good because it's an university village!

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

It's like a continuous party and activity everywhere and each night there are 'cercles' open just for fun, drink beer and know people.

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

Yes! It's very difficult to find accomodation... I recommend to find by the university accomodation (they will send you the information once you are enrolled on april). In case that you're here for a semester it's even more difficult (no one want students for one semester). I recommend you to find by facebook in the typical groups for accomodation in the city and try to find just one student that will do an erasmus as well and need a person to rent his room.

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

It depens on basically of your accommodation: an studio costs 500-600 euros, a kot it's around 300 euros and there are other options like rooms in private houses only for 250 euros (my case). With the food, you can survive with only 150-200 euros (Aldi or Delhaize are the best options for supermarkets) buying cheep food and eating the expensive one in the university restaurants (3. 20 le plat du jour)

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

It's not easy to make some friends and connect with the people if you don't know french... but there is a center (ILV) where there are free french courses for erasmus students and a lot of activities done by kap's (kots à projet).

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

From Barcelona: by plane and once you're in Bruxelles, by train. If you're able to buy the plane tickets in advance it's very cheap (20 euros only).

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

A cercle!

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