Days 7 and 8 of my ISEP France Site Visits - Université de Caen
Things are feeling a little bittersweet right now as I write this post. My first ever ISEP site visits have come to an end. This trip has been incredible. Other than the fact that I’ve learned so much, this trip has ignited a passion that I didn’t realize I had for international education and for the promotion of ISEP programs for so many reasons: affordability, fostering independence, global awareness, the importance of learning a language other than English and so much more! I could go on and on, but let’s talk about Uni-Caen instead.
Getting to Caen was a little bit tricky from Chambéry. You have to first take a train to Paris (Gare de Lyon), then take the M14 (Metro) to Gare Saint-Lazare to catch a different train. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to figure it out, but I did it with time to spare. I arrived in rainy Caen (go figure) and was met by Cédric, the ever-so-friendly ISEP coordinator. My Airbnb wasn’t quite ready, so I went to the campus to take myself on a little tour. My initial impression was that I was on a U.S. campus! With a quad and tons of green space, I felt like I was home. The campus is really nice. Unfortunately, the original campus was completely destroyed during WWII, so you won’t get the charming old city feel; however, the old downtown area and the castle you have to walk through to get to campus reminds you that you are in France.
The campus sits right on top of a hill, with magnificent views of Caen. At the base of the campus is an old castle and museums. You actually have to cross a drawbridge and moat and walk through the castle gates to get from the old city to campus. Pretty neat!
After I toured the campus a bit, it was finally time to move into my Airbnb for the evening. I have to say, I think I made the best choice ever going with the Airbnb. It was right in the old city on the top floor of the most French looking building. I loved it! This was my view:
The next day was the official site visit day, with an official campus tour and meetings. I got to meet the excellent staff that work with the international students and learned more about the great programs Uni Caen offers (Language & Culture semester, summer, full year and regular university courses in both French in English). The university has a brand new building for the Language & Culture program right in the center of the campus. I must say, this campus may have been my favorite of the three that I visited. It was conveniently situated, open, green and picturesque.
Uni Caen has a great sports complex! Students only have to pay 36 Euros for the year.
As you can see, the sun finally came out! I definitely took the most photos at Uni Caen simply because it wasn’t raining. The campus had great views and buildings as well.
Uni Caen offers a wide variety of programs. You can find more information on the [Uni Caen ISEP page]. I’m done with site visits (for now!) and headed to Paris for a couple of days. Hoping to learn even more before I go, so that I can better advise students. Feel free to reach out to via email or Facebook if you have questions about studying in France.
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