My international exchange experience in Epitech – Interview with Dorijan
On a professional level, what I liked most about my exchange in Epitech, was being surrounded by hard working motivated people which made me want to work harder on my own programming skills and that helped me become more productive. On the other hand, and on a personal level, this experience gave me the chance to explore the beautiful city of Paris as well as to meet some amazing people and make friendships for a lifetime. For someone who’s always wanted to visit Paris and potentially live in it, it gave me an opportunity that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
About Dorijan
Dorijan is 20 years old and he comes from Croatia. He’s currently studying computer science at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organisation and Informatics (FOI) based in Varazdin. He’s doing a major specialized in Artificial Intelligence being very passioned about this field.
In his 3rd year, Dorijan had the opportunity to do a study exchange abroad. After doing a lot of research regarding which university would be the perfect match for him, he chose to come study in Epitech Paris, because in his opinion, it had the best course catalogue. And he did not regret the choice he’s made. During his exchange experience in Epitech, Dorian had a great time learning new things and meeting lots of wonderful people. We had the chance to talk with him and learn more about his international exchange experience in Epitech. Here below, is the full interview of Dorijan:
Why did you choose to study in Epitech?
I was planning for a long time to follow a semester or a year exchange abroad. I first heard about Epitech through the Erasmus program at my university. I checked out their universities catalogue and the moment I saw France and more precisely Paris, I was right away interested. I always wanted to live in this city at some point in my life so I knew I had to explore this option. There was a few schools I could choose in Paris but Epitech had the best course catalogue in my opinion. The moment I saw they had some A.I. related courses I already made my mind.
What are the biggest differences between education in your home university and Epitech’ learning methodologies?
Well for starters, my home university has a system like most other universities, meaning there are normal lectures, seminars and obviously exams. Unlike most universities, Epitech doesn’t work like that, but instead is all about learning through completing various projects. This is fundamentally the biggest difference because it also means we have no exams, no teachers and not the same educational system we are used to.
I personally really like this different system because I think learning through completing different projects is by far the best way to learn. My home university offers as well projects based on practical work for students who want to learn better and most classes have their own projects but they are quite different from the ones I’ve encountered at Epitech. It’s hard to say which I prefer better, but needles to say during my last few months here at Epitech I’ve fallen in love with the flexibility of the projects and that’s something I value very much.
What did you enjoy the most during your study exchange in Epitech? (on a professional & personal level)
On a professional level, what I liked most about my exchange in Epitech, was being surrounded by hard working motivated people which made me want to work harder on my own programming skills and that helped me become more productive. On the other hand, and on a personal level, this experience gave me the chance to explore the beautiful city of Paris as well as to meet some amazing people and make friendships for a lifetime. For someone who’s always wanted to visit Paris and potentially live in it, it gave me an opportunity that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
Do you have a funny story to share with us regarding the cultural differences between France and your home country?
On a cultural level people from Croatia and France aren’t that different. I see many similarities in behaviour and how they interact with one another, but I do have to say that I absolutely love the amount of different cultures in this country and specifically Paris. The fact that I can go out and easily meet a lot of new people from all over the world with their own different backgrounds and stories isn’t something I’m very used to back in Croatia, and it’s something I adore here.
If you could give some advice to our future international students who will study in Epitech, what would that be?
If you are doing the Cpool, good luck! Even though it might not be as hard as everyone says or how you imagine it, I think everyone will be shocked at first by the experience in one way or another specially because of the amount of hours and work that needs to be put in. After the pool things get a LOT better and you’ll absolutely be grateful that you did go through the experience as you will see a massive improvement in your coding skills and time management skills in general. Besides that, make sure to make friends with as many people in the school as possible as it will make the entire experience much more enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Everyone’s gone through the same experience, so they are more than willing to help you out; especially the Aztecs and of course all all the other students who did the pool in the previous years.
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