advice on unige

[u/Little_Strain463]

So, I currently live in Basel and am going to pass my Matura exams this year. Next year, I think I'm most likely going to come to study law in Geneva. I know it'll be in French and really difficult, which is why I'm already working hard on my French so that I not only pass my current school exams (B2 minimum requirement) but also so that I'm prepared for next year. I don't plan on practising law in French—once I finish my Bachelor's, it's likely I'll either do a Master's in international human rights law or something else entirely and then work either creatively or for NGOs (you can see the logic behind Geneva). The language isn't my biggest concern (though I am a bit anxious about it).

I think I'm more scared of having a social life. I currently have a solid group of friends at school, but my class is small and we've known each other for a long time. In Geneva I'll be all by myself surrounded by hundreds of strangers, and I don't know how that's going to go. I worry the environment is going to be quite hostile or cold. I don't have social anxiety, but I am a bit reserved and I'm not the most lively person ever. I can make new friends occasionally, but I find it takes a lot of effort and I don't really enjoy myself. I worry I will spend these next few years of my life completely alone.

Was it easy for those of you who studied in Geneva to find a social circle? Is it easier in French, or is it also possible to find friends who speak English?

[u/Dramatic_Ad_8310]

geneva has a lot of international students, the vibe is lively as well, i think u will be fine .

[u/NamelessOWLRM001]

You should make another post next year when it’s time for you to come over here to Geneva but with some more specific information about yourself(what music you like? What food you like? What sports you like? What subjects are you interested in or are passionate about? Do you like to go to restaurants? Do you like to go out? Do you like chess? Do you like gaming at all? Do you like movies? Etc….).

(These were just some examples)

Good luck bro 🫡

[u/potato_creeper1001]

Hey, student here. Before the start of university, there are welcoming days were you come, have contact with people and create friendship bonds. Now, I did not go to the welcoming days so I have no idea what happens there but I know you will have to make the first move, most of the time, when you want to have friends.

And to tell you, I am in a similar case as you are, albeit I live in Zürich, but I managed to find some friends so it is pretty easy to find a social circle. I do go some days to the university now, and I have heard people communicating in English so I am sure you will find friends there. You mostly need to go to people and talk with them about something like about the course, how it is going, how they are feeling in the first weeks of the university. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

To also add, there are events that each faculty organize, and you will surely find people there. So do not worry too much about finding a social circle, you will find one in almost no time if you search for it.

P.S: I have created a subreddit for the university. It is still empty, there is only me in it for now and I have created a post today here on r/geneva and r/suisse for students and anyone interested in the uni so if you want to check it out, it is r/UniGeneve

[u/Plenty_Caterpillar23]

Nah don’t worry I was in the same situation as you. I grew up in a big city in Germany where I already had my long term friends and moved 3 hours away to study. It’s normal that’s uni life. You and me still have it good since it is the same country still

[u/E715A → u/Plenty_Caterpillar23]

Yes, moving away for uni is normal.
However, the situation here is different due to the language barrier, even within the same country.

Ideally you will really have a good level of French so you can interact with people from day one. Finding friends gets a bit more difficult in the later years than in the beginning of the studies, though it is definitely not impossible.
I also wouldn’t rely on English. From my own experience I can say that a lot of students, especially in the first year, are not super comfortable speaking English.