Ervaring Uitwisseling
International Office
Lyon – Université Lumière II
2015 – 2016
Report 1
faculty/college
level
name study programme
Universiteit Utrecht
bachelor’s
master’s
PhD
Language and Culture Studies
PREPARATION
exchange application process
The Erasmus application is a lot of work for every university and there are a lot of documents to fill in, send, get
back and send again. Most of the time, the university of Lyon sent me an email back when I had questions. Don't
worry if you don't hear from the university for a long time, as they have a lot of applications going on.
Once you arrive in Lyon, this is more difficult. You will have to go to the International Office for question and
documents with long waiting lines. At least it is clear which documents you need, so that's not a problem.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
Utrecht University is always fast with responding to emails and filling in documents (and they can scan them
instead of documents on paper). There are special meetings where you get all the information you need, so
make sure you attend those.
academic preparation
I chose subjects in my field of studies (political science and french), so I didn't need extra preparational courses.
language preparation
Before I went to Lyon, I already had 6 years of french on secondary school and one year of French in my first
year of university (until T3). I still wanted to prepare a bit more, so I took the language course PRUNE two
weeks before the courses started. Of course you can't learn a lot in two weeks, but I got used to speaking
French again and learned a lot about the city.
finances
Lyon is more expensive than the Netherlands, but there are a lot of things that can help you out. Especially in
the beginning, there are a lot of expensive things to do (public transport is 30 euros a month, insurances,
deposits, etc.). Make sure you get a CAF (a lot of money each month for students, that helps you pay your rent).
Rent is much more expensive (400/500 euros is normal).
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
The university has a lot of study programmes to offer. In the beginning they tell you how to apply for courses,
which is really difficult (search the time table at the secretary, go to the course, get a signature of the teacher,
bring it to the international office and get their signature, etc.). Once you've done that, it gets easier and you
are just like the other students. There are also courses just for erasmus students, they are a bit easier and
sometimes in English.
academic quality of education activities
Compared to the Netherlands, the courses are more like secondary school. The teacher speaks, you listen and
make as many notes as possible (sometimes there is no powerpoint). At the end of the semester you have a
test or you have to write a papers, and in between there are sometimes small assignments with a note. The
Ervaring Uitwisseling
International Office
Lyon – Université Lumière II
quality is quite good, but it is not much work, not a lot of homework and you don't have to pay for books
sometimes.
counselling & support at receiving university abroad
Make sure you're patient. Really patient. There are always long cues at the international office and they don't
respond to emails. Once you're there, make sure you have everything on paper and not on a USB-stick. When
you want their signature, be early because it takes at least a week until you get your documents back.
Furthermore, they lose your documents sometimes, so: be early and patient.
transfer of credits
At my uni, most of the courses were worth 5 credits and when I sent my courses to my home university, they
agreed on that. I get my grades at the end of february (they say, but maybe later), so they are really slow in
France.
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
There is a meeting in the beginning where you get a few information books and they explain how to apply for
courses, really important. Then you have a few other meetings which they plan all at the same time, so if you
have any questions: just wait in the cue at the international office or ask other students.
accommodation
It is really difficult to find an accommodation in Lyon and very expensive. Make sure you don't have to pay in
advance, because there are a lot of fake houses. Also, when you're in Lyon 2 university, keep in mind that there
are two campusses (one is in Bron, a bit further out of the city), so make sure you're a bit in between the two.
leisure & culture
Lyon is enormous and there are a LOT of things to do. A lot of cinemas, museums, parks, etc.. Erasmus
organises a lot of parties and there are also a lot of clubs in Lyon (but very expensive sometimes, so search for
new things, always) Make sure you visit other cities around Lyon to, because it is really cheap to travel by bus
there.
suggestions/tips
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
Of course! It is a great way to learn french, you learn to live in a really big city and of course to be independent
because of the slow bureaucracy. There are so many nice things to do, and the quality of the courses is quite
good.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
2014-2015
Report 1
faculty/college
Humanities
Ervaring Uitwisseling
International Office
Lyon – Université Lumière II
level
name study programme
bachelor’s
master’s
PhD
Taal- en Cultuurstudies
PREPARATION
exchange application process
The application process was quite hectic for me as I only found out at the end of May that I had to go abroad
already in my second year of my studies for organisational reasons in my studyprogram. Therefore I was not able
anymore to attend the information sessions and had to find out everything by my self in a really short amount of
time. Fortunately, the study councelers and professors helped me a lot by answering all my questions.
Unfortunately after three months of waiting for an acceptance letter and emailing Lyon 2 I found out that all my
papers had been lost and I had to send everything again. This time they accepted me scanning and emailing
everything to them in stead of sending everything by mail, and finally I was accepted. In short, I have gone
through every possible difficulty in the application process.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
I have had a lot of support of the university. Especially because I had to arrange everything in such a short
amount of time. I have send at least over a hundred of emails and everyone answered really fast and was really
helpful.
academic preparation
In my first year I have followed three French grammar courses and one French culture course
language preparation
, and just before my departure I was able to sit as an auditor in another French class to prepare myself for my
period abroad, because I was going to follow all my courses in Lyon in French.
finances
By working two ful days a week I was able to safe a good amount of money for my stay abroad. In combination
with the Erasmus grant and some support of my parents I was able to live without problems. Nevertheless i had
to borrow some extra money to be able to pay the summer school I am going to follow in Lyon this summer
after the normal semester.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
The system for choosing your courses is quite handy as the Erasmusstudents can attend all courses they are
interested in, in the first three weeks. At the end of the third week you have to fill in all the courses you are
going to follow on your "contrat pedagogique" and let your teachers sign it. This is really useful as most of the
courses don't have a good course description and you can find out the difficulty of the courses. In this way I also
changed some courses in my learning agreemend because the actual content did not match the short
description and in one course I just could not understand the teacher at all. Though this system might sound
pretty good the organisation of the university is not that good. They almost don't use the internet, so
eventhough they do have a website and even a student portal, they put almost nothing on those sites. So if the
classroom changes or the teacher is not present, they don't tell you and if you are lucky you can read it written
on a note at the door of the secretary of your department. Furthermore, eventhough we do give them our
emailadresses and wright it on our "contrat pedagogique" for all the professors, the secretary refuses to put us
in their system and we never receive the emails the other students of the courses receive.
Ervaring Uitwisseling
International Office
Lyon – Université Lumière II
academic quality of education activities
The way of teaching in France is completely different compared to Holland. They do not have breaks and the
system is really hierarchical. The French students have already been trained from highschool on to always take
notes at every course. This way they are prepared for university where the way of teaching could simply be
described as the following: The teacher talks and you write down everything he or she says. Most teachers
don't use powerpoints and at most courses you also do not have additional lecture, so you have to pay a lot of
attention for two hours long. This way of teaching is almost the opposite of the Dutch way, which is very
interactive and where lectures are used to give additional information and explain the material you already
read and prepared. Therefore the French way of teaching is really intense and pretty hard for exchange
students who might not understand everything the teacher says immediately. I followed all my classes in French
with the other French students, so in the beginning this was really difficult for me and I really had to get used to
it. Nevertheless compared to the Dutch system all the students pay a lot more attention during class.
counselling & support at receiving university abroad
The support of Lyon 2 was okay. Mostly the first week of school, before the actual courses started, the
university gave a lot of information and support, and organised different information meetings. During the
normal schoolweeks they responded slower and were a lot of times absent.
transfer of credits
In France they also work with ECTS, but the courses normally contain 5 ECTS instead of 7,5 what we have at
Utrecht University. So instead of four courses per semester, I followed six courses. The grading system in France
goes till 20, but the value of the grades is a bit different compared to Holland. Teachers normally never give
grades higher then 17 or 18, so a 15 is already really high and could be considered as an 8-9 in the Dutch
grading system. This way in France you already pass your tests with a 10 out of 20, which in Holland has to be at
least an 5,5 out of 10. I hope this difference is known in Holland and will be included in the transferring of my
grades. My grades are not transferred yet.
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
The first week of school was an introduction week with a lot of useful information meetings. The "Alter Ego"
organisation of the university organised a lot of fun meetings, tours, trips and parties for the international
students to meet eachother and to get to know the city and the arounding cities better.
accommodation
I was really lucky to find my own accomodation just in between the two campusses, where I lived on
"collocation" in a newly renovated house with five other international students from all over the world. The
rent in Lyon is higher than in Utrecht, so for a normal room you have to think about a rent around 400-500
euros per month. The accomodation of the university is much cheaper, around 250 euros per month for the
cheapest rooms, but the location is not that good and pretty far from the campus Porte des Alpes.
leisure & culture
Lyon is a cultural city with a lot of good museums and is very well known for its food. It is also called the capital
of the gastronomy, so you definately have to try the food at their famous "bouchons". At least every couple of
weeks they organise cultural festivals, like food, vintage, litterature, dance and music festivals. In the summer
months they even give performances in the ruins of the Roman amphitheaters. The night life in Lyon is okay,
but not very big. They prefere small bars over big dancing clubs, but they do have amazing cocktailbars and the
Erasmusparties (mostly in the beginning of the semester) are also pretty good. Lyon is very well located, nearby
Italy, Switserland, the Alpes and the popular city's in the south of France, and with the "Carte Jeune", a
Ervaring Uitwisseling
International Office
Lyon – Université Lumière II
reduction card for youth from 12-25, traveling within France is also afordable.
suggestions/tips
Try out the bouchons and for the touristical attractions; go to the Fourvière cathedral, the Roman
amphitheaters and Vieux Lyon. For all your questions and to meet other international students search groups
on facebook! For example: "Erasmus and international students Lyon 2014-2015" and "Erasmus & étudiants
internationaux" are two really helpful facebooks, where people post informations about parties, free
accomodations, help with housing aid etc. For housing: I can really recommend to find a room in a
studenthouse. This way you will already know some people, you can discover the city together, help eachother
and also get more in contact with the French people.
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
Yes. Lyon is a really nice city, with a lot of things to do. It is really well located, big, but not as touristic as for
example Paris. There are a lot of things organised for exchange students and this way you can find eachother
really easily. However, you have to keep in mind that the French system is pretty inefficient and slow compared
to the Dutch system and the French study system is also very chaotic and hierarchical. But it is also interesting
to see such a difference in organisation and it is a good way to appreciate our super organized and efficient
little country.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Try to participate in as much activities organized as possible. They are really fun and this way you will meet a lot
of other international students in a really short amount of time, who are all on their own in a new place. You
can help eachother out, discover the city together and you will have a great time!
2012-2013
Verslag 1
preparation
exchange/placement application process
The application process was quite clear for Utrecht, but for Lyon it was a bit a mess. For
exemple making my studyprogram was hard, because they don't have a good summary
of the courses. In the end, it took me a lot of time to applicated.
counselling/support at home university
The support in Utrecht was ok, but they couldn't help me with my problems with Lyon.
They have a lot of partnerships and a lot of students who need help. Sometimes it took a
while before they answered me.
academic preparation
I didn't prepare myself academically for my semester abroad. My purpose was to follow
film courses like in Utrecht.
language preparation
In France, almost every course is teached in French. At my first year I already knew that
I wanted to do an exchange in France, so I took several language courses in Utrecht in
my first and second year. To refresh my French, I decided to follow a language course at
Alliance Française just before leaving. At Lyon, before the semester started, I followed a
special course for exchange students to get familiar with the university language.
finances
Before my departure, I worked a lot to have some savings for my semester abroad. This
Ervaring Uitwisseling
International Office
Lyon – Université Lumière II
money in combination with my normal grant and the Erasmus grant were enough to
'survive' the semester.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
The first weeks in Lyon were filled with making my study programme. Unfortunately, the
French system is less developped then the Dutch system. Instead of a website with all
the courses, we had to go to every department to see the time schedules. Course
descriptions weren't helpfull, so I had to guess which course was interesting. There is also
a difference in the way you can inscribe yourself. The first three weeks you can try every
course before you choose a couple of them. I tried several courses and in the end, I
choose seven of them (one extra because I couldn't choose).
academic quality of education/placement activities
The French education system is also different. It's less pedagogical than our system.
Normally the professor talks for two hours. Unfortunately, there is no time for discussion.
Besides there is a bibliography for each course, but it is not obligatory. For me, especially
the language was a challenge. I followed all my courses in French, I wrote all my papers
in French, I made all my exams in French. The first month it was hard to follow so I read
a lot of the bibliography.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The internation office of my host institution was not really good. They couldn't answer a
lot of questions and they weren't really friendly. However, they arranged for every
student a meeting with a professor in our fields to discuss our study programme.
transfer of credits
There is no ECTS problem between France and the Netherlands, so this transfer will be
ok. However, I'm a bit afraid for the transfer of my grades. In France, they work with a
system from 0 till 20, but normally they don't give grades higher then 17. So for example
a 14 isn't really a 7, it is a bit higher. My grades aren't transfered yet, so I will see.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
I started my semester with a course 'pré-universitair' to get used to academical French.
This was really nice, because I met a lot of international students.
accommodation
Instead of a university residence, I chose to live in an appartment with French
roommates. This was the best decision ever! It is easy to only keep in contact with other
internationals. However, because of my roommates I met a lot of French people, learned
French words for kitchen stuff etc, and had a really 'French' experience. I found them
easily at the internet; there are a lot of good websites to find a so called 'colocation'.
leisure/culture
Lyon is a wonderful city. Every weekend there is at least one festival. There are a lot of
cultural activities, a lot of nice places to drink coffee, a lot of wonderful markets. Besides,
it is really easy to travel. Lyon has a good train network to the South and to the North.
Also Swiss and Italy are near!
suggestions/tips
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Yes! Lyon is a really nice city because it is big but also surveyable. The people are less
pressed than for exemple Paris and it is easy to feel yourself at home. There are lot of
things to do, in summer and in winter. Despite the chaotic French system, Lyon 2 is a
nice university with a lot of interesting courses. When you try a lot the first weeks, you
can make a good study program. And don't forget to look at the program of Science Po
(institute for political science). All those courses are open for Lyon 2 students!
do you have any additional advice or comments?
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Ervaring Uitwisseling
Lyon – Université Lumière II
International Office