Questions I Had Before Going on Erasmus (and the Answers I Found) – Emily Stafford

Q: What’s it like living in Montpellier?
A: It’s one of France’s biggest student cities with around 80,000 students, so there’s always something happening – cafés, markets, beach trips, and events. The weather is lovely most of the year and even during the colder months we still enjoyed plenty of sunshine. Being in the
south of France, life has a slightly slower pace but the city itself remains vibrant and full of energy, making it both relaxing and lively at the same time.

Q: Is it difficult to study through French?
A: I wouldn’t say it was difficult, but it was definitely a bit daunting at first, especially being the only international students in our class and having to follow everything in French. However, our lecturers were incredibly kind and understanding – they knew we were international students and really looked after us. Having the classes in French actually became one of the most useful parts of the experience. Our French teacher revised lots of grammar with us and even taught us new concepts we hadn’t covered in Ireland. You really don’t need to worry about your level of French – you pick up so much naturally throughout the year without even realising it.

Q: What’s Montpellier Business School (MBS) like?
A: MBS is a Grande École, so it has a more intimate and welcoming campus feel, which makes it easy to navigate and not overwhelming. It’s also highly international – around 60% of students come from abroad – so the atmosphere is incredibly open and inclusive. Most of the staff speak excellent English and are genuinely happy to help, making it a supportive environment for international students.

Q: Is there much to do outside of classes?
A: Absolutely. There’s always something to get involved in outside of classes. I joined the MBS cheer team, and we even travelled to Bordeaux to compete in Challenge Ecricome, which was one of the highlights of my year abroad. I had never danced before, so it was completely new to
me – your Erasmus year is the perfect opportunity to try something different and pick up new skills.

Outside of that, we spent a lot of time with friends in cafés, going on nights out and attending events organised by Erasmus groups, so there was always something happening whenever we were free. Montpellier also has two major shopping centres – one in the city centre and another just outside (accessible by tram). The are lots of lovely beaches, also reachable by tram. There’s an excellent selection of restaurants, a beautiful park and the whole city is very walkable, making it easy and enjoyable to explore.

Q: Is travel easy and affordable?
A: Very! Montpellier is extremely well-connected – you can easily take Flixbus or trains to visit cities like Toulouse, Nice, Cannes, Monaco, or even Barcelona, making it affordable and convenient to explore both France and neighbouring countries. One of the biggest advantages
of living in Montpellier is that public transport is completely free for residents. We had unlimited access to all trams and buses throughout the entire year, for free. This was a huge benefit and something that many other Erasmus destinations do not offer – it saved us a significant amount of money and made getting around extremely easy.

Q: What about accommodation?
A: There are lots of options – we stayed in an apartment, but plenty of other international students chose student accomodation. Both work well depending on what you prefer. My biggest piece of advice is to start looking early. As soon as you find out your Erasmus destination, begin casually checking housing websites once a week for about 20 minutes. Don’t worry if nothing appears at first as it might be too early, but it’s helpful to keep an eye on what’s available, so you’re ready to act when something suitable comes up.

Another important tip is to stay flexible. Try not to limit yourself too soon by only considering one type of accommodation, such as insisting on having your own apartment. Being too specific early on can make it harder to secure something later. Keeping your options open will give you a much better chance of finding a great place. A useful website to use is Studapart, where you can browse listings and contact landlords directly.