Earlier this year a friend of mine was applying for Erasmus. He had it all figured out. After checking Shanghai’s world university ranking, he compared our university with exchange partners based on their respective ranks. Options placed below 500 had to go while options placed above 500 were considered. It seemed completely logical to me, since that’s how I came to walk down these halls and classrooms. We all strive to attend the best school we can, that’s an undisputable fact.

While preparing for this piece I didn’t expect any interesting answers. Nevertheless, I put my reporter hat on, and went around asking “why did you chose to study in Rennes?”. The responses were quite unexpected ….

« Rennes is a dynamic, beautiful city with numerous faculties and schools covering all study fields.” – Amandine, Business school student.

“The city is neither too small nor to big, near the woods and the sea.” – Hamza, engineering school.

“It is the closest big city to my hometown and family, plus the faculties provide recognised diplomas.” – Maxime, faculty of economics student.

“Well at first I chose Rennes because my best friend lived here. However, it is the easy-going, vibrant yet calm ways of the city that made me stay.” – Meriem, social studies student.

Listening to my friends’ answers was a revelation. Certainly, I chose Rennes for its quality education, but I stayed for its wonder.

People get attached to his city – and that’s the reason behind news headlines such as “Study in Rennes: the city where all students are happy” or “Rennes in the top 10 of cities where it’s good to study”. Today, earning a degree takes a lot of hard work and drains our energy. The stress of studies may be a heavy burden for some, but with just one walk around town you will forget about your worries. To sum it up, Rennes has it all: prestigious universities, intense cultural and festive environment.

Earlier this year a friend of mine was applying for Erasmus. He had it all figured out. After checking Shanghai’s world university ranking, he compared our university with exchange partners based on their respective ranks. Options placed below 500 had to go while options placed above 500 were considered. It seemed completely logical to me, since that’s how I came to walk down these halls and classrooms. We all strive to attend the best school we can, that’s an undisputable fact.

While preparing for this piece I didn’t expect any interesting answers. Nevertheless, I put my reporter hat on, and went around asking “why did you chose to study in Rennes?”. The responses were quite unexpected ….

« Rennes is a dynamic, beautiful city with numerous faculties and schools covering all study fields.” – Amandine, Business school student.

“The city is neither too small nor to big, near the woods and the sea.” – Hamza, engineering school.

“It is the closest big city to my hometown and family, plus the faculties provide recognised diplomas.” – Maxime, faculty of economics student.

“Well at first I chose Rennes because my best friend lived here. However, it is the easy-going, vibrant yet calm ways of the city that made me stay.” – Meriem, social studies student.

Listening to my friends’ answers was a revelation. Certainly, I chose Rennes for its quality education, but I stayed for its wonder.

People get attached to his city – and that’s the reason behind news headlines such as “Study in Rennes: the city where all students are happy” or “Rennes in the top 10 of cities where it’s good to study”. Today, earning a degree takes a lot of hard work and drains our energy. The stress of studies may be a heavy burden for some, but with just one walk around town you will forget about your worries. To sum it up, Rennes has it all: prestigious universities, intense cultural and festive environment.