A year abroad studying at the University of Lausanne

Originally published on https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/myslc/year-abroad/preparing-for-a-ya/blogs/france/2023-24

Due to being a languages student at the university of Sheffield, I knew from the moment I was accepted that I would in the future do a year abroad, but that didn’t stop me from being nervous about it. My feelings towards it changed as the years went by, going from ‘that’s so far away in the future I’m not even going to think about it’, to excitement, to even a bit of dread as the time to leave approached. Yet, I’m so glad I had this opportunity, and even more that it was compulsory for my degree, so if I got cold feet I wouldn’t be able to back out.

I chose to attend UNIL- the University of Lausanne, located by the shore of the Geneva Lake, in the French speaking part of Switzerland (Swiss Romande) because of the location. My past French studies at school took me almost all over France with various trips and cultural exchanges, but I had only been to Switzerland, mainly Geneva, once, as a day trip, during one of those exchanges to Lyon. I thought this could be my chance at seeing more of a barely visited country (by me). 

I don’t have many bad experiences from my time abroad. Finding housing was a struggle, I was only able to start looking in May, and managed to find one free room and book it in July, barely two months before my departure. UNIL shares their official accommodations, known as FMEL, with the other local university EPFL, so even if you are an exchange student you are not guaranteed a room, as it would happen in other universities. For anyone going thought this process I would recommend signing up to FMEL on you own, without waiting for your host university to nominate you. Chances are they will not do it as you won’t be chosen to be one of the few students who are nominated.

Another thing, but that I would consider more as a culture shock, is cost of living.  Pretty much everything here is more expensive than back home, than anywhere I imagine as Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. From buying groceries at the shops, to grabbing a drink at a bar, to public transportation, it will be more expensive. Even though I have almost spent seven months here, I still get shocked at the difference in price. It is true that salaries tend to be higher, with minimum wage, depending on the canton, being of around 20 francs, which would be around 17 pounds.

Lausanne is beautiful, in my opinion. Which charming fondue restaurants that have been open since the seventeenth century, spots where you can sit by the lake and enjoy the rare sunshine, snow-capped mountains in the distance which I never fail to point out to my friend whenever we are on a train. I believe there is truly something for everyone: museums and theatres, nightclubs and bars, restaurants and shops. The city centre is only around twenty minutes away from the university by metro.

Speaking French can be hard. I often feel like I’m messing up and that the locals won’t understand me, and even though there have been a few times when I initiated a conversation in French, only to be met with English as the other person could tell it wasn’t my first language, everyone I’ve met has been incredibly kind and patient. One thing to keep in mind when considering to study in Switzerland, is that swiss French is different from the French spoken in France. From the pronunciation, such as the enunciation differing in words, for example, in the word ‘vélo’. Someone from France would enunciate the first part, swiss people emphasise the second syllable. Differences in words include when thanking someone, you will be met with a ‘je vous en prie’, rather than a ‘de rien’, which I have always heard in France.

The city is also well connected, by trains, metro, buses, trolleybuses, and even the ferry, which in half an hour can take you to Evian-les-Bains, a small French city on the other side of the Lac Leman, also known in English as the lake Geneva.

I personally took a trip to Evian during my reading week in the autumn semester. I visited the Palais de Lumière, town hall, the archives, and concluded my day by eating at a little café that specialised in crepes and gallettes.

There have been other trips I was able to take part in thanks to the Erasmus student network,  a student organisation for exchange students. They organise all sorts of activities, from a hike to the Oeschinensee lake, which I took part in, to club nights, pottery lessons, fondue dinners.

The Oeschinensee hike was not my usual kind of activity, I have to admit I am not a sporty person, but it did allow me to see some beautiful places. We took a train to a small town called Kandersteg, near Bern, the capital. The train ride was beautiful, going past lakes, grassy hills, mountains, it truly felt like those photos you see of Switzerland on magazines such as lonely planet. I returned home from the hike exhausted and with aching legs, but I’m so glad I went. Thanks to ESN I was able to take the trip paying a quarter of what I would have spent if I had decided to go by myself.

Overall, I am so glad I had this experience. My year here is far from over and I look forward to many more adventured. To anyone who is considering studying abroad I would a hundred percent recommend it. There are some struggles and adjusting can be hard at the beginning, but it is so worth it.