What do you have Toulouse?

Normally Friday is my favorite day for classes despite the fact I have to get up extra early, usually 8.45 in order to catch the bus at 9.15 however today I had to get up even earlier than usual, 8.15 to catch the bus at 8.45 because I wanted to go to a talk on a Dual Masters Degree program in Toulouse, France. 

So I rushed out of the apartment determined not to be late for the 10.00 talk and arrived at almost 9.15. So there was absolutely no chance that I would be late, when I got to the classroom there was no one there...

I sat down and then 2 Chinese girls came in and looked at me curiously and asked "Do you have a class now?" No I'm here for a talk... "oh we are as well!!" 5 minutes nobody else had turned up not even the speaker, I thought we must be in the wrong room.... Then a Chinese guy came in and asked "Is there a talk? then he sat down then another guy came in a french guy from Toulouse! He wanted to go on an exchange program back to Toulouse?? Ireland obviously wasn't meeting his expectations...

Then at 10.15 my program coordinator came in and said "The speaker is delayed and will be here in 3 minutes... so we waited and waited and still no speaker and no other students... Then the program coordinator came back and said we have to move to another classroom... The talk started at 10.30 just as my favorite class Global Competitive strategies was supposed to start :(

This is ireland nothing ever runs on time... but I think it was time well spent. The Dual Degree sounds very attractive but is also rather pricey. 8000 euro tuition fees, 350-500 euro per month for rent and maybe 300 more for food and going out...

The lady giving the speech explained to us, that in France a masters degree usually takes 2 years... so If we go over to France we are entering the second year of a masters program. which consists of 6 months of classes and a compulsory 6 month paid internship then you graduate 1 and a half years later, with a french Masters...

In order to get a chance to do this Dual Masters you have to fill out an application form online and then attend an interview and fingers crossed you get it. I haven't talked to my parents yet... so I have to wait and see.... Because I have never lived overseas alone before and I have never done an Erasmus this sounds really interesting to me.

Too be continued.....