Semester abroad at the École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Marseille - Bachelor of Architecture and Urban Design

The decision

I had long wanted to move to France and learn the language better. The Erasmus programme offered me the opportunity to get to know the culture and the language, while continuing my studies and learning about new approaches.

Marseille was the most interesting city for me, as it is located in the south of France and is the perfect centre between a big city and tranquillity, with easy access to the beautiful nature of the beaches and the Calanques.

The preparations

The application process was very pleasant. I only had to send a few documents to the universities and was able to prepare myself well for the next two semesters with my school French and an adult education course.

There was also a compulsory French B1 course at the university itself, which was attended by many other Erasmus students from many different countries.

The accommodation

I lived in two different shared flats and moved once during the two semesters. For me, it was more important to live in a shared flat with French people than in a hall of residence in order to have a complete experience and possibly gain more access to everyday life in Marseille.
I highly recommend this, as people who have lived in halls of residence and made friends there tend to get stuck in these Erasmus bubbles. This can also have its advantages, as you can get to know people from all over the world and see different perspectives, but it didn't match my personal expectations.

Good sites to find flatshares or flats in France are CartedesColocs, Le Bon Coin and Facebook pages. Find out about neighbourhoods and infrastructure!

You can also easily find halls of residence via the CROUS pages (Centres regionaux des oeuvres universitaires et scolaires).

Studying at the university

At the beginning of the semester, there was an Erasmus event with all international students and then a "Semaine Intensive" ("Intensive Week"). These were a few days during which you focussed on the upcoming design topic.

I mainly chose the courses where you could learn a lot and which sounded interesting, as well as creative courses, especially to learn how design is done in another country and to learn how to prioritise it. However, I mainly skipped the courses that you can't pass with a B1 level - i.e. history or construction courses and those that are very country-specific, such as construction law.

For me, the university experience in Marseille was very similar to that in Potsdam, but overall more academic and with a slightly different focus in the approach, but very similar in terms of structures.

Everyday life and free time

In Marseille, most people pay a rent of 350 - 550 euros per room, depending on where you move to. Many sports activities are free and you can quickly find many hobby opportunities. Every kind of water sport is on offer here and the universities often offer leisure activities too. In addition to sports, Ensa Marseille also offers clubs that you can join: BDE (party club), BDS (sports club) and BDA (art club).

All the clubs organise events, such as the sports club's "Archipiades" (Olympiades d'architects), a major sports competition. The party club then always plans parties in the university itself or sometimes in bars in the city and the art club focuses a lot on different arts and sometimes exhibits them, always accompanied by a band where anyone who wants to can play music.

Conclusion and tips

My stay abroad was very enriching and I grew a lot because you have to get out of your comfort zone.

My tip is to prepare a little, to know what to expect before your stay and to be open to new situations.

There are lots of Erasmus groups you can join if you can't make friends and events you can take part in.

You should also always prioritise that sometimes it's more about the experience than the studies.