Update to Bienvenue à Rennes 1997/98
The following notes, which update Bienvenue à Rennes
by Julia Cogan, were supplied by a student who attended Rennes in 1997/8 and taking the following courses:
| Subject | Lectures (hours) | Tutorials (hours) | Laboratory (hours) | ECTS credits |
|---|
| Electromagnetisme (MIAS 2, 2110) | 21 | 18 | | 5 |
| Thermodynamique (SM2, 2002) | 18 | 15 | | 4 |
| Laboratory (MIAS 2) | | | 6 | 1 |
| Mathematiques (SM2, 2004) | 60 | 66 | | 15 |
| Introduction a la Physique Moderne (MIAS3, 2209) | 42 | 30 | | 10 |
| Laboratory (MIAS 3, 2209) | | | 12 | 2 |
| Optique (DEUG 1) | 13.5 | 15 | | 3 |
| Francais | 96 | | | 20 |
Finance and Grants
The cost of living is slightly higher than in the UK. However, the French government does subsidize university accommodation to a very large extent, such that accommodation costs were about a quarter of what they would have been otherwise. In addition, the European Commission gives all students on the Erasmus/Socrates scheme a grant for travel to and from the country concerned, which is usually sufficient as the amount given is calculated as a function of distance to travel. Those students who receive a Local Education Authority grant will also receive a supplement for their year abroad.
Rail and ferry reductions
Ferry reductions are available on presentation of a student card from Frantours (opposite Republique - the post office). Railcards can be brought for around 300F and will give up to 50% discounts (Decouverte 12-25).
Halls
All accommodation is mixed except for building A, no.33 which is for males.
Kitchens, showers and toilets are cleaned daily and rooms approximately monthly.
Sheets can be changed once a month at specific times only. It is possible to cook
in the kitchens, although there are only 4 gas rings between 30 people.
Refrigerators have been installed this year.
Academic
Mariko Dunseath-Terao is responsible for foreign students. She can be found in
building 11B (or B11)?. She speaks fluent English and is extremely helpful with
everything.
The term dates for the year 1997/8 went from 29 September 1997 to 28 June 1998,
although the exams were finished two weeks before the end of term. There are
two-week holidays at Christmas and at Easter. Also there is a one-week holiday
in February, and a Bank holiday almost every weekend in May.
Courses
For each course there is a lecture, a problems class (travaux dirigés or
TD) and a practical class (travaux practiques or TP), except for maths. For the
problems class, question sheets are given out the week before and solutions are
given on the board during the class. For the practical class relatively short
reports are expected to be written and given in.
Electromagnetism (Semester 1)
This course was quite hard as it was quite theoretical, although the lecturer
was very good and all the lecture notes were written on the board clearly. The
problem classes were very helpful for understanding the theory. Some of the
material I had already covered in Exeter.
Optics (Semester 1)
This course was part of a first-year option. It was therefore not too difficult
and useful to do as I hadn't been able to take the optics course in the second
year at Exeter. A half-hour lecture was followed by a one and a half hour
practical class. The problems class was useful for understanding the theory.
Maths (all year)
I found this course was very hard. It was very theoretical and lasted for three
hours. This year a separate problems class was held for the students from the
Exeter maths department, as there were a large number of them and they followed
the same course as me. This was very helpful and in general the questions were
easier than the lectures.
Quantum Mechanics (Semester 2)
This course was also very hard. It was very mathematical. Although some of the
material had been covered here, it was more difficult and taught very
differently. But the lecturer was good and the problems class helped to
understand the theory, even though we couldn't answer a single question. An
English text book was followed for the easy, repeated beginning of the course
only.
Relativity and an Introduction to Nuclear Physics (Semester 2)
This was a relatively easy part of the same course as quantum physics. It was
similar to the Exeter course as it covered only special relativity.
Thermodynamics (Semester 2)
This course was difficult, even for the French students. The lecturer wrote only
occasionally on the board and started dictating without any warning. He was
difficult to understand for everybody. Some of the course content is similar to
that at Exeter. The problems classes were again very helpful for understanding
the lecture notes.
French
There is a two week intensive French course available before term starts which I
found helpful to attend. It is necessary to pass a test a few days before. Also
during the year it is possible to follow classes in the evening at the other
campus (CIREFE at campus de Villejean).
Entertainment
Going out in Rennes is impossible without going in to the city centre. Most
places stay open quite late although the last bus back to Beaulieu is at 0030hrs.
Every Monday evening there was a meeting for the Erasmus students in a bar (Bar
St Michel).
See also: Year 3 of Programmes with Study Abroad
Bienvenue à Rennes