Ukrainian students at ISA Lille: France without illusions

    For two years in a row, master students majoring in marketing are studying under the double degree master program at ISA Lille (France). This year, NUBiP is represented by Daryna Myrhorodska and Serhiy Pryymachuk, who have shared their impressions of studying in France.

   ‘For more than a month, we've been living thousands of miles away from our home,’ Daryna says. ‘At first glance, it may seem that most of our time in France is dedicated to travelling. Of course, we enjoy it a lot, but our main goal is to receive European education. Although we have been studying here for a relatively short period of time, we can already share our impressions. This year Ukraine at ISA Lille is represented by ten students from different cities. We call it our own small diaspora.’

    ‘Sometimes it seems that you are home, and, most importantly, you never feel lonely,’ Serhiy adds. ‘But I want to talk more about our training. There exists a special course for exchange students here at ISA Lille, which prepares you for further training. We had disciplines that helped us to adapt to current environment and easily survive culture shock. We studied how to properly use information, how to deal with documentation when writing reports and projects. After completing this course, we took exams and passed reports. I cannot say that it was easy, but most importantly, it had an extremely positive effect.’

    ‘I think of Ukrainian classes every day,’ shares Daryna. ‘One class in France lasts at least 4 hours. Yes-yes! The only thing that helps is 2-3 or 5-minute breaks. All training is in English. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the material because of the different pronunciation and accents, but the teachers are loyal and ready to help.’
     ‘Also, I’d love to highlight ISA's readiness to co-work with the student body. The university has allocated a room for conducting various events. Every week there are thematic parties, attended not only by students, but also by teachers. It is very cool when you can talk to your teacher on a daily basis in an informal setting and not to think that you will be taking an exam in a couple of days.’

      We hope that this opportunity will give our NUBiP students even more positive experiences.

Associate Professor of the
Department of Marketing and International Trade,
Olena Chetveryk