Christophe, student from the Katholieke Hogeschool of Leuven in Belgium, in international exchange program at EMLV

Christophe, 22, from the Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven, Belgium is studying marketing in EMLV through the Erasmus program.

My name is Christophe Boeckx, from Belgium and I’m 22 years old. I’m from the Katholieke Hogeschool of Leuven, close to Brussels. I wanted to undertake an Erasmus year because it’s a great opportunity to study abroad, to meet other Erasmus students from countries all over the world.

I wanted to study in France, especially Paris. The campus of EMLV is situated in the business district “La Défense” which is ideal when studying business. Hundreds of companies have their headquarters there and you can therefore network with a lot of business people, which is a great asset for your professional career.

I chose EMLV for the academic excellence of its management department. As I also study marketing and management in Belgium, EMLV was the perfect school that matched my original courses.

I live in Paris at Pythagore. It’s a student residence only 4 to 5 minute-walk away from the university. The student life is thoroughly enjoyable there and I met other students from EMLV in the residence.

One of the things that surprised me most here in Paris was the city itself. Paris is a really beautiful city. The living costs are also quite different from Belgium.

My favourite thing about EMLV is how people interact with each other. All of the Erasmus students are really close but we are also in contact with some French students. You get to know about Paris, La Défense and the university by really reaching out to all of the students.

I would advise to students who are coming to Paris and to EMLV to start looking for a room ahead of time. Everyone knows that the prices in Paris are quite high comparing to other European countries, but you can find rooms at a reasonable price if you start looking up front.

I would also advise to students to get involved with the Erasmus community. You get to meet in EMLV really interesting students from all over the world. If you want to go out, go have drinks in all the famous places of Paris such as le Sacré Coeur, the Eiffel Tower. With the Erasmus and the EMLV students, you will get the best time of your life !