Jamshid – IESEG School of Management Lille – France
Semester 2, 2022 – Semester 1, 2023
BS08 Bachelor of Business
If you’re anything like me, the idea of travelling abroad is a daunting and yet thoroughly exciting prospect. Spending a year abroad in Lille, France, for a double-degree exchange program gave me all I hoped for, and perhaps a little more.
Naturally then, I am here to impart onto you my now infinite wisdom. While I could go on about how the exchange was the greatest year of my life and so on, I will instead offer helpful tips and tricks which I would have liked to have known before I left.
Departing Australia: dos and don’ts
By now, you’ve probably convinced yourself to take the plunge and commence on exchange. I really don’t have too many recommendations. QUT offers great tools for this step. French administration is notoriously slow, so I would only truly recommend being steadfast and responsive in your applications.
Travel
I can recommend flying Emirates internationally and making use of their student discounts. This allowed me to take 40kg worth of luggage for what I considered to be good value tickets.
Within Europe, I made great use of the budget airlines. Namely, Ryanair and Easyjet. I would err on the side of caution in your choice of carryon; they can be scrupulous with this. I simply brought a backpack with me.
Other than airlines, I took advantage of the bus and train systems when travelling to other countries. Flixbus and Blablacar will soon be your best friends. For this, I recommend downloading Omio. I was able to organise trips to Brussels, Amsterdam, and London for as little as 20 euros. The train system when travelling within Europe is great, albeit a little expensive. As such, I recommend booking these trips in advance.
Study
I studied as IÉSEG School of Management. I can only highly recommend that you do too if you are looking at the double-degree option. French students, while initially shy, are extremely friendly once you break down their numerous barriers. They will speak English, as much as it might annoy them. Whilst at IÉSEG, you will also meet other international students from all over the world. Many of these people became very good friends during my year abroad. While each exchange is different, South American students were always the most approachable.
Studying at IÉSEG is very different to QUT. It is more closely linked to high school, where units are taught in 3-hour classes with the same people in each semester. This provides a great opportunity to make close friends, as you will see them every day of the school week.
Assessment at IÉSEG is almost always group work. Again, this ties back to my previous point about making close friends. Furthermore, unlike QUT where full-time study is 4 units, at IÉSEG it is 12-14 units. Don’t worry about this too much though, as again, the assessment is mainly group work and therefore manageable.
Attendance is marked as part of your final grade in classes, so I would recommend finding student accommodation close to the campus – a mistake I had to endure for the better part of a year.
Culture and language
Don’t be like me. Learn as much French as you can before you leave. I was naïve and ignorant in thinking that the French will speak English. Even a basic understanding of greetings, and how to order in a restaurant will help you enormously. The French speak extremely quickly and have their own slang, so don’t think you can just pick it up.
In terms of culture, Lille is a truly remarkable city. It is quiet in its scale compared to Paris, but loud in its beauty. Leaving it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I can’t say much more other than be careful – you will fall in love with it all.
Recommendations and surprises
Be prepared to feel alone. I lived in a studio apartment for the full year and amidst all the partying and studying, there will be times where coming home to an empty apartment crashes down on you. For this, I recommend drinking hard liquors. Joking. In these times, it is important to remind yourself of where you are and what you’re striving towards. This helped me.
Make full use of the Erasmus program whilst studying anywhere in Europe. It is an organisation comprised of European international students. They organise trips, parties, and day activities. I made my closest friends whilst attending these events. If I can recommend only one thing, it is this.
Budget wisely. Living abroad is expensive. I was lucky have had enough funds saved to cover my exchange and still be able to travel extensively. If you wish to do the same, I recommend bringing more than what QUT recommends.
Brace for the cold. During my exchange, there was an entire week where it was -13 degrees. Despite this cold weather, it failed to snow. I highly recommend buying thermal clothes. Pack lightly when leaving Australia as you will buy clothes when overseas. Shopping overseas is much better anyway.
Final remarks
I could honestly go on forever about my exchange, but I will suffice it to say that it was the greatest year of my life. I can only envy you as you have not yet done it and I am finished mine. You will never get a better opportunity to both study and travel. As daunting as it all may be, I can’t recommend it enough.
The world is big. Go and explore it.
Find out how you can apply for exchange via the QUT Student Exchange website.
