How to study abroad and why study in Spain?

Traditionally, the United Kingdom is a popular destination for students.
The English universities are renowned and, above all, the courses and daily life are in English.
The objective is often to leave bilingual in English with a recognized diploma in your pocket.

But the Brexit has reshuffled the deck:

• The quality of the studies will certainly not be affected
• but the recognition of your diploma can be. Because once outside the European Union, the United Kingdom will no longer be part of the European agreements that guarantee recognition of diplomas.
• What will your degree earned in the UK be worth once the Brexit happens? That's the question, and right now, nothing is clear.
• With the Brexit not yet consummated, answers about the validity of studying in England are still unknown.
• But one thing is certain, you will not enjoy the benefits of studying in a European Union country. The UK is therefore currently an uncertain destination for a short, medium or long term study abroad project.

Did you ever think of studying in Belgium?

• It is also a border country and offers a significant advantage: French is spoken there.
• But beware, Flemish is also spoken in the other half of the country.
• The other advantage of studying in Belgium is that the universities are public and therefore financed by the Belgian state!
• Studying in Belgium is therefore very popular among French students.
• On the other hand, the Belgians are less and less happy with the situation. There is a saturation of French students in certain courses, particularly in the health sciences.
• Belgium has implemented quotas for French and a lottery to access the desired studies.
• And even once admitted, not everything is so easy for French students in the Belgian university system:
  • There is a selection process from the first year onwards and very strict criteria to be able to continue studying in Belgium.
  • Many French students, delighted to have been drawn at random, have been disappointed in their first, second or third year of medical, dental or veterinary studies.
  • You can also count on a certain animosity from Belgian students and the university community towards French students who come to "take the places" of Belgian students.

You still have the Eastern countries, mainly in the field of health studies.

• Romania is the leading country for health studies in Eastern Europe for French students.
• The newspaper "Le Monde" publishes again on April 23, 2019 an article on the more than one thousand French students who leave "to make medicine" in Romania.
• The main attraction of Romania is the language because the courses are given in French and the price which is much lower than in Western Europe.

But Romania is not the only country in the East that is in demand by the French. Students who speak English also go to Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and even Croatia.

• Be aware of one thing: even if the courses are in English, you will be living in a country where you often do not speak the language well.
• And learning Hungarian is not so easy. And you will often need it for your practical training where you will not speak English!

As for the quality of studies in Romania or in other Eastern European countries:

• Ask the professionals in France what they think of it before hiring you, they are the ones who welcome them back and are therefore in the best position to tell you about it.
• Beware also of the facilities available to students, which are not comparable with those in Western European countries.

If you are going to study abroad, you will have to interact with the locals, and speaking their language well is often the best way to integrate and fully benefit from the experience.

• If you go to countries belonging to the European Union, you will obtain a diploma that is recognized in the other countries of the European Union, even for regulated professions such asarchitect, veterinarian, dentist, physiotherapist, engineer....
• If you are leaving the European Union (Canada, USA, Morocco, Switzerland...), make sure that your diploma will allow you to work in France afterwards.
• And beware of the UK! Once the Brexit is implemented, your degrees won't be recognized in France so easily.

In France, a large part of the education is free (mainly in universities).
But university systems abroad are often different and public systems, if they exist, are more difficult to access for international students.
On the other hand, there are private universities of high quality.

Before launching your project, check that you can finance your studies and life there.

With a accompanying organizationYou will save time, you will have an interlocutor who speaks French and who in principle knows well the country in which you want to study.
Be careful, however, not all accompaniment organizations are the same:

• Check their seriousness by looking at their social networks and comments: few or no comments, many negative comments that are repeated over time are indicators that should make you wonder...
• Look at the periodicity of the information posted on the Facebook pages or the blog: just during the admission period to attract you or throughout the year to give you the information you need when you need it?
• Talk about your project around you and you will surely have parents and students who can tell you about this or that organization
• Visit the websites and see if there is any quality content indicating a real knowledge of the field and of the actors of education in the country you are interested in...
• Check to see if an organization's Facebook page offers only or primarily posts to entice you to sign up for coaching or if it focuses primarily on information that students need throughout their project.

In short, examine the publications to see if they are in the interest of the organization that wants to sell you its services or in the interest of you and your project.
Also beware of the miracle solutions that are put forward to prepare you, the results are not always those hoped for.

Some people choose to leave but remain as close as possible to France.
Studying abroad is a great adventure which has many positive points but which will confront you with important challenges.
The distance is one of the obstacles to an experience abroad.
However, if you have decided to go, your number one selection criterion should always be quality. This is what will make the difference on your CV and in your experience.

If you decide to go to a university in a non-French-speaking country, do not choose a program "in French" because "it is easier". It is better to stay in France. These are often the most expensive courses and their quality can sometimes be less good as well, due to the lack of professors who have a good enough command of the French language and because many of the students in these courses are those who choose the easy way.

You will spend 4 or 5 years in this country. Even if the best university in the world is in Norway and you hate the cold, the ski, and the snow, it is better to go to the one that is in an environment that is more conducive to your personal growth.
It is very important to feel comfortable in the country where you are going to study because you will spend many years (or short years!) there.

Many programs at internationally renowned universities are created from scratch for international students, at a much higher price. You won't find a single local student taking a different course.
This makes it extremely difficult for you to get to know local students, and it's hard to fit in and like the city where you're studying.
You could end up being "ghettoized" abroad, which is no fun at all.

You are not going to study for 6 months in ERASMUS.
You are going to study a complete course of study and it is well worth a little return flight to be sure of your choice.
Websites are beautiful, reality is sometimes less so.
Make sure that this reality suits you and meets your expectations.

It is obviously difficult to get to know all the universities, but by talking to the university staff, you will be able to see how responsive they are and how they treat you.
It is important to feel comfortable in the university where you will be going because it will be a bit like your new family too.
And trust the organization that is accompanying you. They are there to guide you.