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Cheers to Education Abroad - A Wine Enthusiast’s Journey to WSU!

Warm weather, rolling hills, and little rainfall… the perfect conditions to embrace agriculture, viticulture, and new multi-culture!

Laura Fargeot, a French student studying at Ecole d’ Ingénieurs de Purpan in Toulouse, France, came to Washington State University on a bilateral exchange to study advanced viticulture (wine making) and international business.

Why WSU? “It was simple,” smiles Laura, “Washington State has the second highest production of wine in the US.” Laura is from the Bordeaux region of France and has impressive experience working within the field of viticulture at some of the most prestigious vineyards in the Bordeaux region. “I wanted to study in the U.S. at a location well established in wine production,” explains Laura, “and I also needed the chance to practice my English and make connections with viticulture professionals and [grape] growers in the Pacific Northwest.”

Having traveled to the U.S. before – the first time in Virginia – Laura was excited at the opportunity to live on the West Coast. “I found the difference between living on the East and West Coast to be almost as great as the difference between living in France or the U.S.!” exclaims Laura. “It is amazing how different people are from the varied regions of the United States. I must say that it has been very easy to meet people in Pullman and everyone is generally quite friendly.”

Another cultural difference Laura noticed right away was how independently people seem to live here in the U.S.: “You have the freedom to determine your lifestyle, what time you eat your meals, and even how to arrange your academic schedules,” she notes. “This independence is true in the classroom, too. The classroom dynamic is very ‘open’ compared to my institution in France. For example, it is very odd to see how often students fluctuate in and out of the classroom without permission, how students are allowed to have food and drinks in the classroom, and even how informal the interactions are with the professors – at home we would not address our professor by their first name!” Although different, Laura found the whole experience quite unique and the change enjoyable.

Arriving at WSU in early January, Laura quickly immersed herself in the culture and community of campus. She quickly met plenty of students both international and domestic, and she has remained friends with the people she met upon arrival during International Student Orientation.”