I see. I shan't generalize, but what I have seen was: 1) no contact with local scholars, no contact with local students 2) ok, they live with local families, but socialize with their classmates, who are almost exclusively from the university of origin. It's quite common to stick with other foreigners when one studies abroad, but if one studies in a local branch of his/her national university, then one generally does not mix, never mind the locals, not even with people from other countries in similar situation (which is what usually happens when people study at the local university). Of course, there are always exceptions. What I've seen were people who spend most of their time in company of their countrymen. For academic reasons it's also better to get directly to a big university, as the important experts are there. I mean, if you are coming for longer than a year, this is very important. if it's just a short stay, then the branch can be a good option.
no subject
1) no contact with local scholars, no contact with local students
2) ok, they live with local families, but socialize with their classmates, who are almost exclusively from the university of origin.
It's quite common to stick with other foreigners when one studies abroad, but if one studies in a local branch of his/her national university, then one generally does not mix, never mind the locals, not even with people from other countries in similar situation (which is what usually happens when people study at the local university). Of course, there are always exceptions. What I've seen were people who spend most of their time in company of their countrymen.
For academic reasons it's also better to get directly to a big university, as the important experts are there. I mean, if you are coming for longer than a year, this is very important. if it's just a short stay, then the branch can be a good option.