Institut universitaire de technologie 1

Stoimen (Bulgarian student), Scotland

CNMS student at IUT1 Grenoble

What interested you in the CNMS at first?
Before anything has even started I was looking for a Programme offered in English in a French speaking country. At the beginning, place and people were not of great importance to me, therefore only the concept of having my courses taught in English in French environment intrigued me at first. Once I had time to learn more about the courses and CNMS as a whole (mainly from tutors from Edinburgh Napier University and through the website of the Programme)I was completely sure that CNMS will be an interesting challenge which from I will only profit.

How did you find out about it?
Occasionally, there are Introduction sessions organised in my host university (Edinburgh Napier University). I was never familiar with the concept of these so I decided to visit a couple of them and find out more about studying abroad. Actually, I already knew I wanted to continue my education in a French speaking country and with the help of Brian Davison - a great lecturer and man from there, I found out about Grenoble and the CNMS Programme as a whole. The rest was only a matter of time (administrative issues, financial support, etc.)

How many courses did you have and did you find any of them extremely hard?
During the First Semester, there were eight courses plus an academic project which took a big part of my time. Most of the courses are extremely interesting which provided me with a lot of technical and practical education. In the Second Semester (for those who planned to stay) there is a great internship opportunity. Some of my colleagues performed their internship even abroad (outside France) but my goals were also to improve my French language, therefore I decided to look for an internship in France.

What is your final opinion about the CNMS Programme?
As a whole it was a busy but extremely delightful year that I spent in France mainly because of CNMS. Most of the courses are well taught and organised with great tutors I was very lucky to meet and know. My opinion about the Programme is extremely positive!

What did you like the most? Did you find anything uninteresting and if yes what was it specifically?
I love Grenoble and did my best to stay in it. Surprisingly, even though I am not a ski person I completely admire and bow before the Mother Nature. The city of Grenoble is surrounded by massive mountains (the Alps) and the place somehow reminds me of my hometown, which I also consider a reason to get attached to the place that much. I was also happy to have awesome flatmates, to study and enjoy my time with entertaining French and International people. I made great friendships which might "open many new doors" ahead of me.

What did CNMS give you?
The Programme gave me a lot! Academically, I became more familiar with concepts I have never heard of before. Because of CNMS I gained a lot of motivation to continue my studies in the field of Computer Networks and to understand my current knowledge and be able to use it, and aim to achieve a lot more as there is so much more to learn!
It also gave me the chance to meet great people from all over the world, understand the power of a new language in general, and most importantly make strong friendships. Because of it I also had the opportunity to travel a bit around France and show some extreme French cultural specifics to my family.
Last but not least, it offered me with the great chance to taste the life of a Network Administrator and continue with my Master in France.