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Reasons why you should choose Erasmus in Nice, France
To begin with, let’s have a little explanation of what Erasmus is…
The Erasmus Programme is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme. There’s also Erasmus+ which is the newer programme combining all the EU’s current schemes for education, training, youth and sport. It allows students to study and/or do an internship abroad for one year.
And what better an education than combining your studies with learning a new language, culture and meeting new people.
Spain, Germany and France are the most popular destinations for students…and Nice welcomes thousands of students each year to enjoy the heat of the Mediterranean sun.
Moving abroad for Erasmus is meant to be a challenge, but a fun challenge. Challenge yourself to visit a million cliché landmarks, meet tons of people, and successfully find your way home in your new city after a night of partying.
Whilst there are over 32 countries to choose from, we’re here to tell you why Erasmus in Nice should be your number one option.
The University Sophia Antipolis, Nice (UNS)v
Sophia Antipolis is a large, recognised university with a great reputation. Not only is the university ranked among the world’s top 3%, it also offers more than 275 courses within five main areas of study:
- Law, Economics, Management
- Arts, Letters, Languages
- Human and Social Sciences
- Science, Technology, Health Care
- Science and Technology of Physical Activity and Sports
Being very researched focused, the university boasts 47 labs that are associated with large institutions such as: CNRS, INSERM, INRIA, INRA, CRD and OCA.
You won’t be the only exchange student, UNS welcomes more than 5,000 foreign students with over 130 nationalities represented. It’ll be more than the French culture you’ll be discovering.
You’ll become fluent in French
It’s probably wise to know a little French before leaving the motherland for a new life on the French Riviera. Despite many French learning English at school, they prefer not to speak it. Now, for some this may be a little frustrating, but for others it can be seen an interesting challenge.
Being pushed into speaking a language helps you learn it much faster. You’ll find yourself ordering your morning coffee with ease, popping to the bakery just like a local and even having a chat with the bartender at the local pub in no time!
Learning French can be difficult, but what better way to learn than to surround yourself with the language and culture, daily.
Having a foreign language under your belt looks very appealing for future employers, it’ll make you stand out in a pool of CVs from similar graduates applying for the same role.
The lifestyle
Now let’s get to the fun stuff! Despite all the studying you’ll be doing (of course), you’ll also be discovering a brand new city full of history, culture and incredible restaurants. You’ll be doing this with a bunch of brand new friends from around the world – can it get anymore exciting!?
The sea
Nice is famous for its beautiful promenade (Promenade des Anglais) that curves almost five miles around the bay and sits parallel to the deep blue of the Mediterranean sea. Here you’ll find dozens of bars and restaurants providing the perfect view for lunch by the water…albeit a little expensive, but we’ve all got to treat ourselves sometimes.
What’s most exciting about living by the Mediterranean sea is that only is it the most gorgeous shade of blue, the water starts heating up around the end of May and feels like stepping straight into warm bath water by early-July.
You’ll find yourself sunbathing with friends almost every weekend, and not everyone can say that! Especially those studying in the UK!
The Bakery (or boulangerie as the French say)
France is famous for its fresh bread and amazing pastries. And trust us, you’ll find an incredible bakery on almost every corner of Nice.
Imagine this…waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread wafting from the bakery, down the street and straight into your bedroom window. If anything’s going to get you out of bed, we’re pretty sure that will.
When in Nice you can delve into a brand new world of French pastries, discovering delights such as Pissaladière ( tart topped with onions, olives and anchovies), Le Pan Bagnat (a bun stuff with Niçoise salad) and Socca (a chickpea pancake). And of course you’ll want to gorge on croissants, pain au chocolat and baguettes!
Okay, so not so fabulous for the waistline…but you’re only in Nice for one year. Enjoy it and worry about that later.
Location on the French Riviera
Nice is the ideal place to live on the French Riviera. It’s centrally located making it really easy to discover other amazing cities in the South of France, such as Cannes or Monaco.
The trains are incredibly cheap, somewhat reliable but can take you to so many places you wouldn’t even think of going.
Fancy a day in Italy? Well, you can be in Vintimille (Italy) in around an hours time from Nice Ville station. The perfect place to enjoy a plate of fresh pasta for half the price and stock up on multiple bottles of Prosecco (essential for post essay celebrations).
The Night Life
The chapter you’ve been waiting for…no university or erasmus experience is complete without a super lively social life.
Now you’ve got your clan of international students, it’s time to take the city of Nice by storm. You’ll find many a happy hour around the city, attracting both locals and tourists looking to take advantage of the cheaper drinks.
If you’re a fan of a margarita or two, then take you and your new best friends to La Lupita on a Tuesday night when it’s 2-4-1 on this Mexican speciality!
You’ll find most bars in the Old Town will run at least 3 hours of happy hour, so you can get yourself fairly tipsy even before you start the real night on the town!
The perfect welcome party for New Erasmus students in Nice France
When you first come here, it can be a bit daunting finding your favourite new bar in town…but that’s where we come in. Join us on our Nice Pub Crawl and not only will you meet a bunch of great people, you’ll also discover new bars to take your brand new international friends too. The perfect welcome for a new Erasmus student!
Now with all this in mind…guess we’ll be seeing you in Nice? The best place to study, travel and party all rolled into one.
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