Student Exchange Office
Victoria International
Room 229, Level 2 Rutherford House,
Pipitea Campus
[email protected]
Ph: (04) 463 5667 / 6794
Student Evaluation Form
A. Student Information
Degree(s) enrolled in at VUW
Major(s)
Exchange Institution
VUW Trimester(s) and Year of Exchange
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws
Chinese, Law
University of La Rochelle
Trimester 2, 2010
B. Finances
Please provide an estimate on how much you spent on your exchange (in your host country’s
currency).
Food & personal spending
Accommodation
Airfare, local travel
Books, misc. levies (e.g. student
association)
Visa, insurance
Other (please specify) Social Security
450 euros
600 euros
3000 euros
60 euros
500 euros
200 euros
Total = 4,810 euros
How did your financial expenses compare to what you originally expected to spend?
Some things were cheaper than expected and others were more expensive. For example,
accommodation ended up being cheaper because we were entitled to money from the government
(CAF) which made our monthly rent about 50% cheaper (for the months of October, November and
December). However, there were a lot of unexpected costs like having to pay more for our long stay
visas, having to pay for social security and also having to pay for things like bedding, crockery,
kitchen equipment, etc.
By what means did you maintain your finances? (Credit card, foreign bank account, travelers
checks, etc)?
I used a National Bank Eurocard for the most part, because it could be used just like an Eftpos card in
most places and the transaction fee was not as great as it can be for other types of travel cards or
credit cards. I was also required by my student residence to get a French bank account, so I had a
bank card with the BNP Paribas bank as well. As a back up, I also had my New Zealand credit card.
What financial advice would you give students attending the same university as you?
La Rochelle is an expensive town, even by French standards. You could do things more cheaply than
I did if you ate every meal at a university restaurant and didn't spend much on entertainment,
however in order to enjoy the exchange experience properly, you will probably be going out a lot with
friends and traveling, so expect to spend quite a lot. Organise CAF (the financial assistance you can
get from the government) early on. Also, if you are not too busy with university work you could try and
get a few hours of work babysitting which will help.
Please submit your completed Evaluation form, photos and Consent form to the Exchange
Office via email ([email protected]).
C. Academics
Which courses did you take while on exchange? Please rate the difficulty of each course (1-5,
1 = Very Easy & 5 = Extremely Difficult) and leave any comments you may have.
Course Title
Rating (1-5)
Comments
Culture Shock
1
English-taught
course,
some
interesting topics but not very
intellectually challenging. N.b
the exam was slightly more
difficult than expected given the
level of learning during the
semester.
Case Study Meetings
1
English-taught course. Easy if
you prepare, but interesting and
fun as well. Lots of interaction
with other students.
Media, Image and
3
Communications.
The content itself wasn't difficult
to understand, but this course
was
poorly
organised
and
taught and therefore it was very
difficult to know what we were
meant to do for homework tasks
as well as assignments. In
particular, the group assignment
was not well organised.
French Literature
3
The literature we studied was
quite
interesting,
and
the
assessment was good for this.
Understanding the lecturer was
very difficult.
European Institutions
4
Lecturer was very good. Spoke
clearly and had well-organised
lectures. The content was quite
difficult and there was a lot of it.
If doing this course, it'd be a
good idea to find a French
student whose lecture notes
you can borrow.
Please submit your completed Evaluation form, photos and Consent form to the Exchange
Office via email ([email protected]).
CUFLE (French for Foreigners)
2
Good revision, a lot of grammar
and
listening
comprehension
practice. Very little speaking
practice (although this differed
depending on what class you
were in). The French theatre
and poetry option was not wellorganised or well-examined –
the balance between theory and
practical work was not welldone.
How did you find the teachers at your exchange university?
It varied. Two of the teachers I had were very good - they were clear and organised. However the rest
were not as good as I would have hoped. Organisation of courses was not great and the
communication between teachers and students wasn't either.
How did your academic experience differ from your time spend at Victoria?
The administration and organisation of everything is very, very different. It is harder to get things done
at the university than it is at Victoria, especially with much shorter office hours and a a more relaxed
attitude to communicating deadlines, class changes, etc. There is much less teacher/student
interaction in classes compared with at Victoria.
How did your academic experiences differ from what you expected?
The university was not as well-run as I had expected, I had higher hopes for the course options
available to me and for the teaching. However, the university definitely takes exchange students'
needs into consideration and many courses offered slightly different assessment options for
exchange students which was very helpful.
Please submit your completed Evaluation form, photos and Consent form to the Exchange
Office via email ([email protected]).
D. Accommodation
What form of accommodation did you stay in?
A university residence (Cité Universitaire Antinéa)
What were the pros and cons of this form of accommodation?
Pros: Cheap, very close to all campuses, close to a university restaurant, privacy.
Cons: The shared kitchen was very small and always dirty, often it was locked. Rooms are very small.
You need to buy all the crockery, linens, etc yourself.
What accommodation would you recommend to future students?
Staying in university residence like I did. For one semester, Antinéa would be absolutely fine.
However, if I were staying a full year or were more concerned with having friends over, I would have
preferred to be in another residence (perhaps the Ville en Bois) because the rooms were quite a bit
bigger.
F. Culture
What were some of the hardest cultural differences you faced while abroad?
The language barrier and the generally relaxed attitude to everything. It was very difficult to get
anything done.
How would you recommend students to prepare for these differences?
Try and brush up on your French before going – either at the Alliance Française or with a French
buddy who you can practise with. When you get there, try and find a French person you can meet
with for coffee or something who you can practise with (and help them with their English). Also, don't
expect administrative things to happen quickly, just be patient, do whatever you can do and try not to
stress about the things which are out of your control.
Did you face any issues regarding discrimination in your host country? What were they, and
what advice would you give to future students?
No I didn't.
Please submit your completed Evaluation form, photos and Consent form to the Exchange
Office via email ([email protected]).