Studying at CEU UCH’s multicultural campus has some great advantages, including the opportunity to learn about the cuisine of other countries. So, why not take part in some of the cooking workshops organized by Campus Life and find out about the most delicious side of French culture? If you’re not convinced about all that butter, then, not to worry, there are more options.
2. Listen to and speak French with native speakers
Can you speak a bit of French? If so, then you’ll be delighted to learn that there are more than 900 French-speaking students you can practise with. But there are also a whole host of other opportunities to take the plunge and learn a new language. To help you, the University has created a wonderful facility called The HUB 101, an exciting space in which students of all nationalities can come together and experience the perfect combination of fun and learning.
Apart from The HUB 101, you can also take advantage of everything The Languages Service has to offer you in the form of classroom-based and online language courses. Another dynamic and fun way to hone your language skills is by participating in our language exchange: the Tándem. Many French-speaking students take part to perfect their Spanish, so this could be the perfect opportunity to practise your French as you help them. And, of course, all the while you’ll be making friends and extending your network of contacts. Who know when that could come in handy?
3. Open the fridge and get that authentic smell of France.
If you haven’t got much time and you don’t know if you can make it to these activities, then why not share a flat with French students? It’s a great way to get real contact with French culture and, hey, a house party with a group of French people with the speakers pumping out Alors On Dance by Stromae (a Belgian artist who’s very popular in France) is unforgettable. And if you love cheese, then your flatmates will definitely be up for some raclette: a wonderful dish of melted Swiss cheese eaten with potato and other ingredients, a great meal to eat with friends and family in the winter. Of course, having flatmates who come from a country with more than 1200 varieties of cheese may mean experiencing French culture through your sense of smell every time you open your fridge.
4. Experience authentic French culture through pétanque
You may need to work off the effects of that raclette by doing some exercise. But nothing too strenuous. Although French students love participating in classic university sports such as football and basketball, you might be surprised to learn that it’s not only retired people who love to play pétanque. At our brand-new sports facilities on campus, you can experience this integral part of traditional Gallic culture – so, have a few games with some French students! To complement these sporting traditions from other countries, the University also organizes occasional demonstrations of the traditional Valencian sport pilota valenciana, so that newcomers to the region can also get the full and authentic Valencian experience.
5. Walk through the Bohemian streets of Montmartre
So, you’ve probably read that headline a couple of times and thought, “Well, I can’t do that on campus.” Of course, you’re right, but who said you can only study on campus? Every single one of our students has the opportunity to spend a period abroad, either studying or by doing an international placement in Paris, London, or New York, amongst many other possibilities.
Or maybe you and your whole class will head off for a time to France, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany or Finland. That is precisely what our Architecture undergraduates do to get a first-hand view of important contemporary architecture and what our Marketing students do when they take part in challenges in different European cities. And then some of our trainee doctors, vets and nurses pack their bags and head off to countries around the world to help those less fortunate for a period too.
As you get to know the campus better, you’ll meet students from Paris and from many other places: there are students from 75 different countries here. Why not show your international classmates and friends what a real paella is and what Fallas is really about? In exchange, maybe they’ll show you the secrets of their cities. So, you might easily ending up eating crêpes in Paris with friends you’ve made here.
But why are there so many French students at CEU UCH?
To find out the answer to this burning question, we have spoken to a few French students about why they’re here and what they most like about studying at CEU UCH’s international campus.
Antoine Petit, a veterinary student, has been at CEU UCH for a few years now. He’s very happy with his decision to come here and he told us about how accessing veterinary and physiotherapy degrees in France is different to what you see in Spain. “You have to take part in a selection process,” he told us, which takes two years to prepare for. If you pass, you’re in, but if not, you have to wait another year. Here in Spain you can study what you want from the very beginning.
Mathilde Ripert, another veterinary student, told us that, thanks to CEU UCH, “you can meet people from other countries and learn about other cultures and languages any time of the day or week”. Learning in this way “helps to you to be more open-minded.”
As you can see, whether it’s here or in Paris, life is all about having the right attitude. We’d like to encourage you to put your fears to one side, to jump in and learn about other cultures through the new friends you’ll make at the University. Today, you’re here, but where might you end up tomorrow?
