“A well-spent semester in Dijon, France University of Burgundy”

About the University of Burgundy, Dijon

Located in Burgundy between Paris and Lyon, the city of Dijon is home to uB’s main campus, with several others spread across the region.

It offers 400 different degrees across all levels (Bachelor, Master, and PhD), employs 3,000 staff members, and enrols 34,000 students, among whom more than 2,900 are international.

Most programmes are taught in French, but a growing number are taught in English. Students and teachers can attend tuition classes, intensive courses or evening classes at the Centre for French Studies to improve their language skills, and over 1,500 do so each year. There is also a strong international community with over 200 partner universities.

The University of Burgundy is part of the Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté community. Over the past 20 years, five other campuses have been created all across Burgundy. Each one of them contributes to making uB the leading higher education and research institution in the region.

An exchange student’s experience in the University of Burgundy

I am Romnea Leng, or you can call me “Ploy”. I am a fresh graduate student with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, majoring in Monetary Economics and Public Finance in the Faculty of Economics, Kasetsart University. In the academic year 2020, I have been selected to join the exchange program at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France from January to June 2020. This exchange program was fully supported by The Capacity Building of KU Students on Internationalization Program: KUCSI.

I chose to join this exchange program in Dijon, France for many reasons. Firstly, as an economics student, I believe that this opportunity will prove not only an unforgettable experience but also an invaluable opportunity to learn about different cultures and have international exposure. Secondly, I realized that I could fulfill my dreams of travelling and exploring another part of the world while continuing my education. Lastly, studying economics in France would help me learn from the curriculum that overseas economic students are aware of. Additionally, I can learn with people from diverse backgrounds, create networks, fill my knowledge gaps, and improve my French language since language acquisition is achieved through practical immersion.

Being an exchange student for 6 months in France was one of the most beneficial experiences I ever had. I got an opportunity to see the world. What I meant is, by studying abroad, I experienced a brand-new country in Europe with incredible new outlooks, customs and activities. Above that, during my study abroad, I discovered myself while gaining an understanding of a different culture. Being in a new place all by yourself can be overwhelming at times, because you have to solve all problems on your own and this can test your ability to adapt to diverse situations as well. However, the COVID-19 has spread in France in late February 2020 and I could only go to classes for the first 2 months. All universities were ordered to close until further notice. Therefore, I had to take online classes for the rest of the course until late May 2020. It was unfortunate but I felt so warm and appreciated for the fact that even in that situation, I received a lot of help from the student association and staff at the dormitory.

I will recommend to those of you reading this article who want to apply to study abroad to just go for it. You never know how it works unless you experience it yourself. It is the thing that you have to experience once in your lifetime. Trust me!