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From Paris to Cardiff: experiences of studying abroad in the UK
From coq au vin and merlot to leek soup and Brains beer, QS TopUniversities speaks with Auriane Sacoman, a French student studying abroad in Wales.
Every Sunday morning Auriane Sacoman plays the organ at a Roman Catholic Church in Cardiff. Not exactly the experience she was expecting when she embarked on her year studying abroad in Wales. “I’ve never played the organ before, I’m a pianist, but you have to be flexible sometimes,” she says.
Originally from Paris, Auriane is studying for her undergraduate degree in politics at Sciences Po, Paris Institute of Political Studies. Her year in Cardiff is part of an Erasmus study abroad year before she heads home to begin her masters degree in finance. “Cardiff isn't a bad university, and I already knew the city quite well. The cost of living there is lower than in London too. In fact, I was guided by personal and material reasons: my boyfriend lives in Cardiff so I can live with him, which means my monthly costs are considerably diminished.”
Auriane says the highlights of studying abroad as an international student is the time one has ‘to do some sightseeing, sleep, go out and enjoy oneself.’ The list of challenges, however, is slightly longer. “The English and the British! I mean, the language and the people. Some teachers can speak really fast and it can therefore be quite challenging to focus 100 per cent for an entire lesson. Though of course, this problem goes away with time.”
As for the people, Auriane says she finds it hard to integrate herself because most of her classes are shared with first and second year undergraduate students. “Believe it or not, there is a big gap between a 18 year old English boy and a 20 year old French girl (lack of maturity and a sort of unconscious fear of the ‘older, opposite sex and foreigner’). With the girls, it is perhaps more: oh the bloody French rivals! It’s difficult to explain, but sometimes I’m very lonely, although I do take part in all sorts of things. Some people will be really kind to you but nothing more. You can't approach them easily and they certainly won't come to you.”
These challenges haven’t stopped Auriane from enjoying herself though and she would recommend the study abroad experience to any other undergraduate student. “Reason number one is always the same: for the language. Then also because it is a big change from anything we've done so far in our country. For example, what I like best is that I have twenty times more free time than at Sciences Po and I'm not stressed out about work, papers and exams 24-7. The study abroad experience is very personal. For some it's going to be about money, for others it's going to be about getting as far away as possible from home.”
Auriane has also encountered a few cultural differences during her time in the UK. “Students take part in all aspects of life at uni. They participate more in class when the teacher asks something and invest a lot of time in organizing nights out or the running of the students' union. People in general are much more relaxed than in France.
“I don't miss home because I have found so many ‘extra curricular’ activities to be involved in, although I do miss Paris - the city itself. Cardiff can be a bit boring at times, even when you know where to go. And I confess I have a landline phone with free calls to France so I speak to my mum and dad every day. Who said some English students were immature?” she laughs.
Auriane will return to Paris to give a concert before she returns to study. Her weekly organ recital doubles as practice for the BBC Chorus of Wales, which she will perform in her home city during the summer. “Studying abroad is all about what you make your life be as an Erasmus student. If you choose to stay in your halls of residence moaning and complaining about the weather, the Welsh or how much you miss French cuisine, then I guess you might not enjoy your year abroad as much as I do!”
And when summer rolls around, the Roman Catholic Church down the road will have to keep their fingers crossed another student studying abroad is as musical as Auriane.
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