My year abroad

About me

My name is Matilda and I'm 22 years old. I'm Swedish but I live and study in Edinburgh, at Edinburgh Napier Universtity. I study internation business and French. That's why I am going to spend a full academic year in Nice and study at IPAG Nice.

Why I want to study abroad

The reason I want to go and study abroad is mainly because I like too see different parts of the world, and not just as a traveller. I want to live at the same place for a long time to relly get the feel of the local culture and become one with it. I think studying abroad for a year is the perfect way to do it.

What challenges I think I will face

As I have moved abroad already, from Sweden to Scotland, I think I will be familiar with some of the challenges that comes with starting to live in another country. For example, I won't know anybody when I go there, so the first challenge will be to start making friends.

Another big challenge for me is going to be away from my friends and my boyfriend, but we have already made plans for them to come and visit me, and since it's not extremely far away, I will be able to come back to Scotland every once in a while aswell.

I also think that the academic part of the year abroad will be a big challenge, as I will have to get used to a new business school with different ways of teaching and grading etc. The good thing is though  that I am going for the full year and not only one semester. That means that I will have the first semester to get used to everything, and then in my second one I will feel more comfortable and be able to enjoy my stay in Nice even more.

The first few months, I think the French language is going to be a challenge too. Surrounding oneself in a language which is not your mother toungue can be very scary at first, but from my experience of moving to Scotland, I know that after a while you won't even think about it anymore. It will come naturally as you get used to it.

My Plan of Action for the academic and personal development

Before I go
If it's possible, I am going to try to arrange a trip to Nice before I actually move there. Perhaps in the beginning of the summer. This is to get a bit accustomed to the city and to explore the areas.
Since IPAG doesn't offer accomodation, I will also need to find a flat on beforehand. I have looked up a few websites already where flatshares a listed, so I don't think it will be a big problem.
Another important thing to do before I leave is to do as much research as possible about the business school. I would need to find out where in the city it is, how they grading system works, what courses they offer etc.

Once I'm there
Once I arrive in Nice, I am sure the best thing to do is to surround myself with the new lifestyle as soon as possible. One thing I learned when I moved to Scotland, was to say yes to every invitation you get. There is no way I can make new friends if I just sit at home, so wether I get an invitation for a movie night or a day trip, I will say yes. This will hopefully make me busy hanging out with my new friends, however, I should not forget about the studies. I believe that it's very important to keep up with the workload from the start, so that I won't fall behind the first thing I do.
Another important thing is to start speak French as soon and much as possible, and never be scared of making a mistake when talking. Mistakes are going to happen wether I worry about them or not, so the best thing is to just start talking and learn as I go.

My expectations

I expect this year to be full of new impressions. I am certain that I will learn a lot, both about France, and my academic subjects, but I also think I will learn a lot about myself. I except this year to be fun but also challenging, especially in the beginning. After some time though, I am sure I will see Nice as my second hometown I will want to go back to in the future.