Do you have to be bilingual to participate in Circle U. activities

Going abroad to study in a foreign language can seem intimidating. Yet a first experience may be all it takes to build confidence and take the leap. Irina tells us how taking part in one of Circle U.’s summer schools helped her gain confidence and prepare for a semester abroad.

The online sessions… to get ready !

I had the opportunity to take part in a Circle U. European alliance summer school on climate, and everything was in English… At first, that can feel a little unsettling. But I quickly got into the rhythm. Before travelling to Berlin for a week-long mobility experience, we were invited to take part in several online preparatory sessions.

These sessions help you to get used to spoken and academic English. We listened, sometimes exchanged ideas, learned about the topics that would be covered and, most importantly, started recognising the faces of the people we would later meet in person. This preparation clearly helped reduce the “stress” of leaving. Arriving in a group where you already know a few people makes the whole experience much less scary.

Once there: learning to speak without striving for perfection

Once I arrived in Berlin, everything went faster. Everything was in English, the classes, the workshops, the climate negotiation simulation and of course all the informal conversations. At first, there is inevitably a short adjustment period. You search for words, you hesitate, you need more time to find your words and thus speak up less than you would like. But very quickly, something changes: you realise that the goal is not to speak perfect English, but simply to make yourself understood, take part and communicate with others.

What struck me most was that everyone was in the same situation. No one was a native English speaker (apart from the students from London, who were all very friendly!), which created a reassuring sense of equality. Mistakes became normal, almost unremarkable.

Don’t be afraid to try!

What I take away from this experience is that the level of English you need to take part in a mobility programme is not necessarily as high as you might imagine. You do not need to be perfectly comfortable or bilingual. What matters most is being able to understand the essentials, rephrase things, ask questions and accept that you will not understand or master everything. Over time, you get used to it. And, above all, you gain confidence.

This first experience in Berlin also prepared me for my semester abroad in Tübingen a few months later. Having already spent a full week in an entirely English-speaking environment made the transition much more natural.

To know more

→ Circle U. the european alliance

Contact  Circle U. at UPCité :

→ circleu.iro@u-pariscite.fr