Details

• France
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

In my personal experince there was not much preparation needed. Bordeaux is one of the easier spots to get. Although it is good to have arguments for why you want to go to this particular university and city.

2. Accommodation

Unfurtunately I had to make the experience by getting scammed for the first time, which does happen quite often in France. Make sure to book through an agency or through Pierre Marzat (marzatp@yahoo.fr) - he has a lot of student apartments within Bordeaux. His apartments are very simple and sometimes difficult with heating or something broken, but he is always helpful, and his prices are super low for Bordeaux.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is located outside of Bordeaux but is very well connected. It is quite new, which is nice. The academic experience, on the other hand, was by far the weirdest I have ever had. KEDGE has a lot of international students, therefore, the English-taught courses are mostly attended by other internationals. The French grading system is quite different compared to the Austrian one, as they almost never award more than 18/20 points (90%). Even after asking for feedback, professors often simply said that this was the maximum grade they give. In my classes, 40% of the final grade came from group work. We had many presentations in all classes throughout the semester, which were not particularly difficult, but still required a lot of work. PS: Choose your group wisely.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport was easy to use, but I mainly used it to get to university. Bordeaux itself is very walkable since it is not that big. I generally felt quite safe, but you still have to be careful at night if you don’t know the area, like in any other city, I guess. I personally did not participate in many social activities because I had a lot of work to do. I also wrote my bachelor’s thesis during my exchange (not recommended). Sports activities offered by KEDGE are not recommendable if you don’t speak French.

6. Testimonial

I really enjoyed Bordeaux as a city. I loved going to Cap Ferret; it is one of my favorite places. I loved the food and the French lifestyle. I would definitely recommend going to local markets (like Marché des Capucins). There are many activities you can do, and the vineyards are beautiful (especially Saint-Émilion). For weekend trips, I recommend San Sebastián, Biarritz, and Paris. Make sure to try lots of different boulangeries, Boulangerie Saint-Michel was my favorite.