Corentin Trimolé and Julien Perron Share Their Story on Coming to Iceland
INSA-Strasbourg Exchange Students Share Their Experience
REYKJAVIK, 9 March - Originally from France, Corentin Trimolé (left) and Julien Perron (right) are Master Candidates in HVAC and Energy Engineering at INSA-Strasbourg (National Institute of Applied Sciences). As a partial fulfilment of their degrees, the INSA-Strasbourg HVAC and Energy Engineering specialisation requires students to spend a semester abroad. INSA-Strasbourg has exchange agreement with Reykjavik University and according to Corentin and Julien, ISE is one of the most popular destinations among students. Currently in their final years, Corentin and Julien were the two students accepted at this competitive exchange program.
For Corentin, he saw the opportunity to study and live in Iceland as a chance to break away from the monotony of his daily life. When he was offered a choice for various exchange destinations, Iceland was on top of his list. ISE has previously hosted several exchange students from INSA-Strasbourg and during their four months studying at Iceland, they had pictures to show. Coronation explained,
I had friends coming for exchange to ISE last year and seeing their pictures really made me jealous. So of course, I had to come and see it myself!” Julien added, “I was bored of my routine in France and saw this exchange program as a way to test myself in another country. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and live more independently.
When he first arrived in Iceland, Corentin shared that he really did not know what he was supposed to expect, since it was his first experience going abroad for an exchange. Julien agreed. However, two months into his exchange, both of them are definitely enjoying their time here and making a lot of new connections. Julien elaborated,
Everyone here does their best to help and make you feel comfortable. What makes it even easier is that if you are able to speak basic English, you would be able to communicate with other students, as well as the Icelanders!
What they love about living in Iceland is the fact that it feels like home. On weekends, they would do day trips or tours and they were definitely intrigued by all the beautiful places they were able to visit. According to Corentin,
Apart from the weather, which can be quite extreme sometimes, I feel like I am starting to get familiar with living here. As a student, I think that Iceland is a really cool place to study, especially when you are in the field of energy.
We could not agree more. Being in an exchange program far away from home has also changed both their perspectives. For Corentin, he felt that this experience has definitely broadened his view on life. He was particularly surprised by how close the professors and students are:
This made it so much easier to interact with the professors, ask about any questions I have and really changed my way of approaching difficult materials.
For Julien, the main reason he wanted to pursue an exchange was to meet people from other countries. He wanted to get to know various people, immerse himself in the culture, and most importantly, better understand how people from very different backgrounds and with seemingly nothing in common can interact together. Julien added that as an energy engineering student, there is no place better than learning from Iceland’s extensive experience, especially in the field of geothermal energy.
When asked about advice for future students who plan on participating in an exchange program, Corentin said,
Don’t stress too much about going abroad. Socialise and make friends! That’s the best part of an exchange program. Just keep calm, relax and enjoy everything that Iceland has to offer. You won’t regret it.
As for future plans, both Corentin and Julien are faced with various options. Upon returning to their home country, they have another year to complete course works and an internship program. Afterwards, they could either extend their education to obtain a business degree or integrate directly into the working force. No matter what they eventually choose, we wish Corentin and Julien all the best, and enjoy the remaining of the exchange program!