Experience in Rouen, France by Jose

Why did you choose to go to Rouen, France?

I chose to study in Rouen because it offered a great opportunity to learn a new language like French as well as to improve my English, given that almost all the classes are taught in English. Also, the closeness to Paris was a factor that influenced my decision because even though Rouen is quite a small city, you can travel 90 min by train and find everything you may need in a huge and beautiful city like Paris.

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

I studied in Rouen for 1 academic year. I didn't get any scholarship given that I'm not an European citizen. But what I heard from some other friends that received Erasmus+ Scholarships, they got between 200/300 euros, depending on where they come from.

What is the student lifestyle like in Rouen?

Personally, I studied in Rouen Business School which is now named NEOMA Business School and the life there was incredible. In my case, I didn't get to meet lots of French people because I lived in a residence close to school and most of the people that lived there were international students also.

However, French students from RBS were usually really friendly, given that they are used to international students. A great way to meet them is to sign up for the "Running Dinners" that the school offers, in which you go to the house of other French people and eat in their house and spend around an hour with them, then go to other house and continues like this and at the end everyone meets in a bar and hangs out together.

Besides this, the school offers plenty of trips for a really good price. For example, there are trips to Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, and some other close places in France, such as Mont Saint Michel, D-Day landing beaches and others.

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

I highly recommend the city, it's beautiful and not too expensive compared to Paris. In the case of Rouen Business School (from now on NEOMA Business School), the classes are not really hard to pass.

The only problem you can have is that if you don't have a sufficient English proficiency level to explain what you want to say in the exams or presentations. However, the teachers are usually really helpful and don't complicate too much, if you have some mistakes.

Mainly you just need to go to same classes and do the tasks on time and you will pass for sure.

Also the university is really well recognised in France and Europe. I believe that the Master Grande École program was ranked 21 in all Europe as Rouen Business School in the year 2012 and 39 in 2013 as Neoma Business School (after the fusion with Reims).

What is the food like?

French food is amazing. If you love cheeses and wine, you are going to have an amazing time in Rouen. A local cheese that everyone must try is called Neufchatel. Other french food to try is Raclette and, of course,

Crepes.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Rouen?

Rouen business School helped me to find the accommodation and it was very easy. I stayed in a residence that is called Pleiade, which is one of the best ones, but it did not have a lot of social life given that they were too many buildings and they were too spread out.

One of the best residences to party in 2012 was Ango, which is where most of the international students were staying at but the rooms are usually quite small. However, I heard that during 2013 there are not many parties in Ango and they are moving to Pleiade.

One of the residences that you should never but never apply for is Bois. The rooms are super small, smells really bad and there is no social life on it.

How much does it cost to live in Rouen?

I spent around 900 euros per month, of which 200/250 were for the residence and the rest for living expenses. I know some people that spent less but with 900/1000 you can live quite well, party and travel sometimes.

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

The school offers French courses and are a great opportunity to meet other international students. Normally, it's not really necessary to speak French to be able to live in Rouen because as the school is full of international students, you can do almost everything in English.

Also, I often faced the issue that I was planning to speak in French to local students and they really wanted to speak to me in English and/or Spanish and ended up speaking the languages I knew so don’t worry if you don’t speak French.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Rouen from your city?

It depends from where you live but most of the cases the best and easiest way to get to Rouen is to take a train from your place to Rouen (usually stops in Paris). It is not the cheapest one and not the shortest one either, but you will not have to worry and stress about your luggage and stuff.

The cheapest way to travel is probably taking RyanAir to Beauvais airport, which is like an hour away from Rouen. If you are travelling without many bags, a good option is to do "covoiturage" (carpooling) from the airport to the city and then take a taxi or pay a little more, if they can drive you to your place.

The probably shortest and most comfortable way (also the most expensive one) is to take a plane to one of the main airports in Paris and then take a shared cab to Rouen. I used this mean of transport, guys, which takes you from Rouen to any airport and it's cheaper than a regular taxi.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Rouen?

There are not many great places to go out in Rouen but, usually, all the international students go together to the same place, so it's not important the place because you will always have a great time. We usually went to Chesters, D3, La Luna, Highlands and Vicompte.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Rouen?

I didn’t get to enjoy any “amazing” restaurant in Rouen, so I don’t have much experience to recommend you local restaurants. Also, most of the students didn’t spend much money in restaurants, but instead we cooked at home with some friends and made great dinners with lots of alcohol for the same money than we would spend at a restaurant.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

The most typical place to visit is the Clock in the main street (Gross Horloge), also the Jeanne D’arc monument, The Rouen Cathedral (Notre dame the Rouen) and finally, Vieux Marché.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Rouen in the future?

If you are going to Rouen, you will have an amazing time for sure. Try to party the most you can and meet a lot of people. If you do so, you will have the best year of your life and will never forget it.

Also, be open to meet people from other cultures because learning about other cultures and countries is one of the best things about going to study abroad. Don't stay in your rooms when you don’t have classes, go out to discover the city and meet local people.

Have fun and drink lots of shots for me!

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