STUDENT REPORT
Name of the University: KEDGE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Exchange semester: Fall 2012
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school is in a lovely area, surrounded by nature. The school is average and ok, nothing
special.
There are 5ooo students and almost 5oo exchange students on campus.
The study structure was hard to manage, because the study places was very restricted, and
the library was very small, and not a lot of space for the students to study.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
I got my information from Euromed/ KEDGE very early, no problems with that. And I didn’t
have any difficulties with anything.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
I just booked a normal ticket before I went there.
Academic Calendar
I arrived 3 September and my introduction week was from 11 September, and almost for two
weeks. It was very nice, and a lot of good events.
The first day of the semester was 11 September. And the last day of classes was 29.
November
The examination period went over 2 weeks, and I was lucky because I had my dates quite
spread. There were a lot of events, the whole semester – a lot to take part in if you want to be
social.
Reception
If you wanted to you could arrange a pick-up service and they could help you and take you
too your home. I did not use it, because I didn’t need it. The students really arranged a lot for
the exchange students. There were different groups for students from different areas of the
world and they arranged a lot of parties and get-togethers.
Housing
I found my own place at a good internet site, they helped me a lot. I rented an apartment
through them, just like if I was staying on vacation. I wanted to live alone, and found a good
apartment in a “safe” area. As my landlord said, “This is Marseille, but it is a good area to be
in this city”
If you are going to Marseille, take some time to get to know the different parts of the city.
There is an area (as in every big city) you just don’t want to go to. As for me, I used my
summer to go to Marseille to check out the city and the neighborhoods I was thinking about
looking for an apartment.
Costs
France is a very cost friendly country to live in. The food is cheap, the wine is cheap (and very
good) and the transport is also cheap compared to Norway. At Euromed we didn’t have any
books either. Everything was online, so the only real expense you have is housing. There is
also opportunity to get support from the French government if your rent is quite high, but this
system is very complicated, and you need to speak French fluently or get a French friend to
help you with this.
The International Office
There is an international office who helps you if you need anything, and they are available per
e-mail. They are also “responsible” for the exchange students. They welcome you, and they
have an own office at school where they can always help you. I got all the information I
needed when I just emailed them. You also get your own contact-person when you arrive.
Social Activities
At Euromed all of the exchange students turned out to be one good group of maybe 6o
people that was active. We met up at different bars, and had a lot of fun together. So the
relationship between the students was very good. Probably because everyone is in the same
situation, and that makes people more outgoing and social.
As for French people, some of them are curious, but it seems to be harder to get to know
them. A lot of them don’t speak good English, they are shy or sometimes also very young or
childish. I liked it at school, but the sad thing is that school is almost one hour from Marseille
city centre, so you have to choose whether you want to live in the city or at student homes at
campus. I chose the city, and never regretted it.
Culture and Language
As I mentioned earlier, French people are known for only French speaking behavior, so if you
don’t understand French at all, it sometimes occur difficulties.
Marseille itself is a pretty rough city, not like Nice and the other vacation places among the
coast line of France. But when you live here you find the beautiful small places among the
coast, the Callanques and the beaches. It is full of contrasts and very exciting. And since this
is not a vacation-place you get untouched culture at its best.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
I think everyone should go on exchange, it is a wonderful experience, and you learn so much
about yourself and other cultures. I think I have gained more social convenience, and have
totally learned about all cultures of Europe.
There is also a huge benefit to have been on exchange when you are applying for jobs or
internships, it shows that you are an independent person and that you actually have fulfilled
something.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
The language of teaching at Euromed is supposed to be English, but their French-English can
be VERY annoying from time to time. Most of the teachers are willing to explain (or learn) but
some of them are getting angry and ignore the fact that 75 % of the students in their class
don’t understand French.
For the level of study I was very surprised when I entered my first classes as Euromed. The
school is highly ranked, as 31 in Europe. And I expected the level to be much higher. But this
does not mean that you will have the best grades. The grades are set on behalf of group
work, and sadly on personality. I like the anonymous system at BI much better, and the
professors holds a much higher quality.
As I mentioned, there is a lot of group work, so you really learn to have to rely on other
people, the workload is almost the same as in BI, but you don’t have books – so there is not a
lot to read.
Required Literature
There is some literature which is on an online page, but none seems to use it, and the exams
are only based on what you learn in class.
Exams
The exams are mainly short, and count only for maximum 6o% of your grade. In some
courses there is multiple choice, and some assignments with open questions. If you paid
attention in class and did your part of group work and home work, I think it is impossible to fail
an exam.
Description of Courses
I had a great variance in my courses, and that was good. The marketing classes I felt was
very easy – because that is my major. As for the business and management, it was harder.
Law was interesting but not that useful, since it turned out to be only about the EU, and the
quizzes during the semester was about specific persons in the EU system and years, dates
for when a country joined the EU. Not that interesting. All in all, I found the courses to be
interesting.
Course name:
Prereq.
Exam
Major at BI
Approved as
Business strategy………none……………written…………Marketing…………elective
French
none
written + oral Marketing
extra
Int. and Eu Marketing none
written
marketing
elective
European Law
none
written
marketing
elective
Luxury marketing
none
written
marketing
elective
Project management
none
written
marketing
elective