Mathilde Bordet-Volay

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Your time at the University

While I was a political sciences student in France, I had the opportunity to do one year abroad through the Erasmus scheme. I chose Scotland, and Edinburgh in particular, because it was a dream for me to live there. Since I was a young girl, I have always been attracted to Scotland: the language, the atmosphere, and the legends.

At the University of Edinburgh I studied history, political sciences and sociology. It was different from studying in France; there, the teachers are very close to the students and we talked and debated with them in a natural way. At Edinburgh, I enjoyed the fact that we had to learn a lot by ourselves through reading and research. I made great friends from all over the world, experiencing a mix of cultures that made me more confident and gave me the will to discover not only other countries and other cultures but also other fields of study. In other words, I wanted to go further: I did and I will continue to do so.

Make the most of your time... you may think the years at University last for a long time but they don’t: you only have a short time to take part in such a high-spirited life. 

Mathilde Bordet-Volay

Tell us about your experiences since leaving the University

Following my year in Edinburgh, I continued my studies and presented my thesis on Tourism in Scotland in Communication and Information Sciences in November 2015. Obviously, my Erasmus year in Scotland's capital city gave me the idea for the subject of my thesis and even now I never miss an opportunity to promote tourism in Scotland.  

I now have two children and they hear about Scotland almost everyday. Maybe one day, one of them will want to study in Edinburgh, too.

Alumni wisdom

Make the most of your time at University not only by being active in your learning but also by engaging in societies. You may think the years at university last for a long time but they don’t: it’s only a short time during which you can take part in such a high-spirited life.