FUJITA Yoshihiro

College of International Management

Program

Overseas Student Exchange Program

Key Information

Program Location/Partner University	France, Neoma Business School
Year of Participation	September 2019
Program Length	Approx. 6 months

Experiences unique to your host country/university

My exchange experience in France is my best memory so far. I met many people with great personalities and visited places that I had never been to before.
NEOMA has many international students studying there. In particular, there are a lot of students from European countries and Asian countries. Students are encouraged to be active both during and after class. If you ever have a chance to study at NEOMA, I highly recommend that you attend the parties held by other students. I was quite nervous in the beginning, but it was a good chance to meet new friends. You might even get a chance to have dinner at their home! The school life at NEOMA is great and APU students might find it similar to life at APU.
During the holidays, I always took TGV (a local train) to the places surrounding Rouen (where the campus was located). For example, I visited Paris. I also went to an old port city near Rouen, called Honfleur. It was such a beautiful little town, and you can really feel what an old European town is like. In Honfleur, I had delicious oysters and shrimp, and I had the chance to get on a boat that takes you around the ocean. Before I returned to APU, I planned a 20-day trip that started in Paris and went through Germany, Switzerland, Italy (Venezia and Rome), Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) and the UK. By using Airbnb, you can make bookings and stay at local people’s houses. I remember staying at a house with two cute dogs!

Words of advice/encouragement for students who want to go on exchange in the future.

Overseas exchange is a beneficial program that allows you to experience things that you may have never thought about before. If you are planning to go on exchange, you should research the university and the country you want to go to, and make a list of the things you want to experience there. You might worry about many things before going there, but as long as you encourage yourself and follow the correct steps, you will be fine. I recommend that you take advantage of this chance while you have the time. Please enjoy your overseas experience!