Hello! My name is Jodie and I have just returned from my year abroad in France where I studied maths in the Université de Lille from August 2023 until May 2024.
My year abroad was an incredible experience where I was able to meet international friends and improve my French language skills. Lille was a beautiful town with so many activities that I enjoyed, be it taking myself out for a coffee or meeting up with my friends in a local board game cafe. There wasn’t a single dull moment.
As somebody who struggles with mental health, my obligatory year abroad was something that I was quite worried about considering it would be the furthest I have ever been from home. However, I was able to learn to be more independent and I found things that I liked to do to look after my mental well being. For me, the best thing was taking myself to Erasmus events. Since all of the other international students are in the exact same boat, they understand everything that you are going through and they are all so welcoming and friendly. Another great thing was that the Eurostar goes directly from London to the Lille city centre and vice versa so it was super easy to get home.
I lived in a house with seven other international students who were all very welcoming and kind, coming from many different countries, covering all continents. Because of this, it was easy to socialise whilst also having the opportunity to have some time to myself. The house was a perfect middle between the city centre and the university so it was easy to get around.
In terms of studies, I was a full time second year maths student whilst also doing my year abroad research project. This was definitely a challenge and I did sometimes feel overwhelmed but I had so much support from both the French university and the university at home. Whilst it was difficult, I managed my time well enough to get everything done. I also liked how the YARP gave me a great opportunity to have varied studies. During my maths classes (which were all conducted entirely in French) I studied topics including calculus, linear algebra, statistics etc. but whilst I was completing my YARP I was researching the ethics behind dog ownership in France. It gave me a great opportunity to learn a variety of things and branch into a whole new area of knowledge which I have not tackled before.
My favourite thing about the year abroad was learning all sorts of things about other cultures. My three best friends that I made were from the Netherlands, Lebanon and Spain and we would always talk about ways in which our lives are different and I learned so much about their countries. A year abroad is where you will meet friends for life!
I would definitely recommend a year abroad to anybody considering it! My language has massively improved and I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself. It’s something that I never thought I’d be able to do so it has allowed me to feel a lot of pride in myself and it has given me skills and opportunities I would not have been able to experience elsewhere. Being able to live life in another European country is an incredible honour and I cannot put into words how great of an experience it really was.
