My Erasmus in Nice

My Erasmus in Nice: an unforgettable experience

Why did you choose to go to Nice, France?

That is a difficult question to answer because there is no specific reason. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to go and study in a French-speaking country where I could stay for just one semester (because I had already thought about going to the US the year after and I didn't want to go away for two full years in a row).

After taking all of that into consideration, I was left with around five or six possible destinations, so all that was left to do was to choose one. I remember some of the other options they gave me were Marseille, Nantes and Bordeaux but out of all of these options, in the end I chose Nice.

I was looking at what the university was like, (I studied at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, by the way) the reviews that I read painted a good picture of it.

Also, whenever I am looking for somewhere I can go, I try to find a place that has good weather and Nice happens to have really good temperatures all year round.

So to summarise my reasons for choosing to go to Nice, I would say that it was due to the quality of the University, the weather and the fact that it is a French-speaking country.

How long does the grant last and how much support money do they give you?

So as you can guess, I went to Nice for the semester with the Erasmus grant from my university, and if I remember correctly, they gave me around three hundred euros a month during the five months that I was there. From what I understand, when you leave for a whole year the scholarship still only lasts seven months maximum - but don't take my word for that.

Are there other grants available aside from the Erasmus one?

Yes. When you go to France, as well as the Erasmus grant, you can apply for the CAF grant, which is money that they give you to help you pay for your accommodation, however there is no fixed amount for this grant as it depends on what you pay for your accommodation.

The application for this grant is slightly time consuming, however I do recommend that you spend the time on it because it is definitely worth it. I remember that they gave me around eighty euros a month, which is quite good considering that I did not pay much at my accommodation.

How does finding accommodation work in Nice?

Well, to live in Nice there is more than one option as you can either choose to rent a room in an apartment, or simply apply for university accommodation.

The apartment option is usually quite a bit more expensive, as they cost a lot of money in Nice so for a single room in a shared house, it could cost you more or less four to five hundred euros.

As for the uni accommodations there are two types: public and private. Obviously, the private ones are more expensive than the public ones, and I honestly do not think they are worth it because for what you'll be paying to go private, you may as well just look for a house.

I know a lot more about public accommodation, because that's the type of accommodation that I lived in. These residences are managed by CROUS, which is an organisation that handles everything to do with student accommodation. The quality of the public residences varies massively from one to the other, but they are usually very small rooms (about 9m²) with a tiny bathroom. I do have to admit however that mine, which was called Jean Médecin, did not have a toilet in the room, only a shower and a sink. Although at first it bothered me a bit, I got used to it in the end.

Would you recommend the Jean-Médecin accommodation?

That is a very difficult question to answer because although I was happy, I do have to admit that the residence did not have a lot to offer (to say the least). For example, I didn't even have a refrigerator to store food, so I lived a whole semester without a fridge. I got by because what I did was buy a microwave and I managed to cook using that but the rest of the time I just ate at the university.

In general, as I said it's not a residence that has a lot to offer, so if you are a bit fussy I would not recommend living here.

However, I hardly spent time there and only really used it for sleeping, showering and other basic needs, so It didn't bother me that it wasn't very good. Also, with all the money that I saved on accommodation, I was able to travel and go out a lot (I don't know if I have said this already but these residences cost between two and three hundred euros, and mine was actually the cheapest).

What would you prefer: an apartment or uni accommodation?

Well, to be honest I went to Nice thinking that living in uni accommodation was going to be amazing because I thought I was going to make some really good friends and always going to have someone to eat with... nothing could be further from the truth. In Nice the uni accommodation is not like it is in Spain, everyone just does their own thing so I wasn't even able to experience the one part of uni accommodation that I thought I'd like the most.

Also, I would have to say that after my experience in Nice, if I were to do it all again in a similar city, I would choose to live in an apartment. They do tend to be more expensive, but if you look for one on the outskirts of the city, it shouldn't be too badly priced.

What is public transport like in Nice?

In regard to transport, it's great. The student card costs around twenty euros a month and the busses travel to almost every area of the city. The downside would be that they do stop running at one o'clock in the morning which means that if you want to go out and party you will have to find a taxi or an Uber to get back home, but apart from that and the fact that they sometimes don't arrive on time, I can't really fault the public transport in Nice.

What is the university like there?

The university that I attended was a public university and the system there is so different to the Spanish system because they hardly have any coursework to do unless you choose to take the TD class, which is a daily class with tutor guidance, but that counts as a different subject all together.

To be able to pass the exams you have to learn to work in the way that they do which is mainly through essay writing and you have to learn how to do it in a short period of time because if not, it will be almost impossible to pass. To learn how to work that way I would recommend that you take a first year TD class because they often explain it all there.

Is the university difficult?

To be honest, the university it's self is not really difficult but you do have to sit the same exams as the French students which means that you have to work quite hard.

What level of French are you required to have to study at that university?

At that particular university, they ask that you have a B2 in French, however there is no need to sit an actual exam to prove it, you just need to have done one at your home university that shows your level.

Is there the option to take French classes there?

Yes. The University of Nice offers free French classes for all levels, so it is a good opportunity to practice. However in my opinion, is that the best way to learn the language is to speak, speak and speak again as often as possible.

How does the grade conversion to Spanish work?

The truth is that as Spanish students we are at an advantage. It is really difficult to get the highest grade in France, at least in Law which is what I went there to study and normally the highest grade is seventeen (maximum eighteen) out of twenty. Therefore, what they do at my university is consider any grade above fifteen as a ten which is then classed as a pass.

What does the University of Nice have to offer?

At the university, there is a gym (which you have to pay separately for), a huge library which is really quite good, loads of green spaces outside and also a restaurant that I would one hundred percent recommend. The restaurant is also managed by CROUS (the association that I've already mentioned) and the Lunch Menu which includes a starter, a main, a dessert and a drink, only costs three euros twenty cents.

What is the student atmosphere like in Nice?

There are loads of students in Nice and there is also a society called ESN that organises all of the student events. There are quite a lot of parties but you do have to adapt to their timings because they go out at nine o'clock at night and their parties end at two in the morning, but other that that it is quite good.

Every Thursday, they go out to the same place which is called Le Sansas, where there are lots of bars that are great for having a drink and dancing a little. Personally I would recommend a bar called Wayne's which is where a lot of international students go because they play well-known music and believe it or not, you can dance on the tables there too!

With regard to nightclubs, there aren't many there to be honest but the most famous on is probably High Club Nice which is found directly on the seafront.

What is the French food like?

The food is quite similar to Spanish food and they also have the same supermarkets in France that we have in Spain (there are a lot of Carrefour's), which is good because you already know more or less what to buy without having to keep trying new brands.

Restaurant wise, there is a big Italian influence there so there are many Italian restaurants to choose from. As you can imagine, the food there is amazing but you to have to take into account that it will be expensive to eat out in Nice.

Which restaurant would you recommend?

My favourite restaurant is definitely Acqua and Farina, a Neapolitan restaurant that makes delicious pizzas, but Les Trois Diables is also great if you're wanting a burger and chips.

How much does it cost to live in Nice?

Nice is not a cheap city and things like eating out are definitely more expensive when compared to the cost in Spain because a meal out for example would cost around seventeen to twenty euros.

In regard to accommodation costs, as I said before it depends how far in advance you start looking and what you are happy to settle with.

How did you get to Nice from your city?

I live in Madrid so the only way to get to Nice is by plane. What I did though was fly to Marseille because it was a lot cheaper than flying to Nice and meant that I could also take advantage of spending a few days there on the way.

What is Nice like in terms of travelling?

There are lots of places near to Nice to go and visit such as cities like Saint-Tropez, Cannes, San Remo and Aix-en-Provence and this is because it is located directly on the Côte d'Azure.

Also, they have the Flixbus which just in case you don't know what it is, is a bus service that offers super cheap journeys. Because of the Flixbus, it is cheap and easy to move around France and it even goes to Italy (I used it a couple of times to go to Italy).

In terms of travelling by plane, RyanAir (the most famous low-cost airline) doesn't go to the Nice airport so it is not easy to find cheap flights from Nice itself. However Marseille is only a couple of hours away and there you will be able to find flights for around thirty to forty euros.

What is there to visit in Nice?

There are lots of beautiful things to see in Nice, but what sticks out the most for me is the promenade and the beach. Nice is a coastal city and the promenade runs along the whole city from one end to the other so you can imagine how long it is.

Place Massena, the Negresco hotel, the port, and the castle area at the side of the famous "I love Nice" statue are all sights that you don't want to miss in Nice.

What advice would you give to any future Erasmus students who go to Nice?

Nice is an amazing city and the five months that I spent there were the best months of my life up to this point. I would recommend that they go with an open mind, a desire to learn and meet new people, and being full of excitement because that is the key to really enjoying Erasmus. To be honest I don't have much to say other than, enjoy it as much as you can because it will be an experience that you remember for the rest of your life.