I studied in France for six months in a small town called Angers. I’ve studied French since secondary school and so going to France and being able to practice was a great way to communicate and test my language skills. The partner university was quite small compared to most UK universities, so the classes were much smaller groups. It was very interesting to see the difference in teaching styles.

One of the highlights of my time in France was going to Paris every so often. The first time I went I completely fell in love with the city. It was a supernatural feeling because the day was glorious; the sun was shining, and everything just seemed perfect, and it was. The food was also a highlight – crepes are my all-time favourite! When it came to studying, I really liked the fact that they didn’t separate the international students from the French students; everybody was mixed and so I got the chance to make French friends.

Overall, it was an amazing experience that I will always value. I learnt so much about myself as a person, improved many different skills such as communication, adaptability, independence, time management and more, and got to make new friends and learn about a different culture. I would do it all over again If I could!

After France, I travelled to Germany. I had a really good time and it was a very different experience. I lived in Germany’s most multicultural city, Cologne, which was very different to France and much more like the way lecturers teach in the UK. The highlights of my experience in Cologne would have to be the Christmas markets which were beautiful, Cologne Carnival, and the way I got to see first-hand how Germans value and look after their environment with lots of open spaces.