Student report
Name of the University:
Exchange semester:
Pôle ESG
Fall / Spring, 2012
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings
The school is divided into five campuses, all located in the center of Paris. Our main campus,
Philippe Auguste, was located near the metro station “Nation” in the 11 th arrondissement.
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
The school offers programs both in English and French. The BBA program, which most of the
exchange students pick their courses from, is taught entirely in English. It has a wide range of
different courses to choose form within the fields Finance, Marketing and Management.
3. Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange students
There are approximately 5500 students, and 20% are exchange students.
4. Study structure
The lectures are mandatory, and you can only be absent three times in each course. More
than three absences will lead to an F in that particular course.
Throughout the semester we were given several assignments, both to be handed in and to be
presented. During the six courses I attended, I had approximately eight presentations in total.
There are mid terms and finals in most of the courses. The finals were 2 hours exams but in
one of the courses we had a written assignment (about 15 pages).
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the information package from the University?
The information package was sent to me by e-mail the 28th of November. More detailed
information about orientation session etc. was sent the 26th of December.
 Any difficulties?
No.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
I did not experienced any problems.
 Does the visa cost anything?
Norwegian citizens do not need a Visa to stay in France.
 How did you order your ticket – any problems?
I ordered my ticket through the flight company Norwegian. There were no problems, but the
ticket was pretty expensive since I ordered it late, so my advice is to order the ticket a while
before so you can get the cheap tickets.
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date – introductory week
I arrived in Paris on January 6th and the semester started the 16th. When you arrive you have
to book a meeting with the international office before the orientation session which also took
place on the 16th of January. After the orientation session some of the students arranged an
event where you got to meet the other students. Besides that, there were only a few arranged
events with all the international students. So I advice you to be extremely active the first days
to get to know the other students.
 First day of the semester?
January 16th.
 Last day of classes?
Our last regular class was at the 12th of April, but since some of the classes might get
cancelled earlier in the semester, some students had to go to classes in the revision week,
which was the week after.
 Examination period?
There was a spring break from February 27th – March 4th, I only had 1 midterm, but some of
the students had midterms in every course the week before the break. We had our final
French exam on the 11th of April. Then there was a revision week between the 18th and 22nd.
All the other final exams were between 23th and 27th of April.
 Any special events?
The last week we had four exams in three days, which implies that the last few days were
very hectic. This of course depends on which courses you select – many of the other
international students had fewer final exams but more assignments to hand in at the end of
the semester.
Reception
 How was the reception at the school?
There were a reception area, but a lot of the times there were no one there. However, a lot of
the teachers had their offices close to the reception area, so you can ask them if you have
any questions. The international office will also help you if you need any help.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Yes.
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
They participated the first day, but that was about it. There was no organized buddy system
as we have at BI.
Housing
 Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing?
You have to find your own housing
 What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
The school sent me a student guide where I could find some information concerning housing.
 Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
Finding an apartment in Paris can be very difficult, and you should start the process a long
time before you leave. After looking for apartments for a long time, me and my friend decided
to stay at the Norwegian house, “maison de la Norvege” at Cité universitaire. It costs 450
Euros a month, you get your own room and share kitchen and bathroom.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc.
I had to buy four books (I had six courses). These books cost around 60 euroes each, so the
cost is a little less than at BI. Since I stayed at cite universitaire, the rent was fair. The food is
also a lot cheaper than in Norway, but that was probably the most important expense (except
from shopping and other fun stuff to do in Paris).
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
Yes, and they are very helpful.
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
The international office
 How does the international office function?
There are two ladies who have an office at one of the campuses. If you have any questions
you can always ask them.

Do you receive all relevant information?
Eventually, yes. It is however important to pay attention because they are more relaxed when
it comes to exams, dates, etc. If you have any questions; don’t be afraid to ask them.
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
No particular activity, but we spoke well of Norway, of course.
Social Activities
 How is your relationship with other students?
It is really good, I did however only attend English classes, so I only had two French students
in my classes.
 How is the relationship among the exchange students?
Since most exchange students attend the English courses, and it is a small school, the
relationship is really good. I got to know people from all over the world, and made friends for
life.
 Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students part of it?
I think so, but not many of the exchange students were a part of this group (only the ones that
attended a whole program at Pôle ESG).
 Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
Not many, but you have the possibility to attend gatherings and events through Erasmus. (you
can find them on facebook)
 How do you like it at the school?
I liked the school a lot. It is however a really different system then at BI, almost like high
school in Norway; which means you have more assignments and more lectures. This makes
the exam period shorter and less stressful. The teachers were really nice, and you develop a
more personal relationship to the people working at school, since it’s small and all over a
more personal system. The other exchange students were really nice, and I had an amazing
semester at Pôle ESG.
Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
As mentioned, my courses were taught in English. The teachers were primarily from English
speaking countries, so there were no problems regarding the language in the faculty. We had
a lot of projects and team work during the year. The majority of the students had good English
skills, but of course you can meet people whom do not speak English that well.
 How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
While living in Paris, you get to experience the culture all the time, and since we had a winter
break and the weekends off, we had a lot of possibilities to explore both Paris and the rest of
France.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
Exchange at Pôle ESG gives you the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I
learned a lot about different cultures, you have to be open minded, and you learn how to work
with people from other countries. You will also make friends from all over the world.
 How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities?
I think the exchange experience will be a huge advantage regarding future career
possibilities. It is positive to be able to work with people from different cultures, and to adapt
to a new lifestyle, both in a new country and a new school.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
You can choose between English and French courses. We only took the English courses, and
most of the teachers English were good. The only exception was the course “French
intermediate”, where the teacher mainly spoke French. If you know French pretty good, I
recommend you to take a French course, as this will improve your language a lot.
 How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
The level at this school is probably easier, in the sense that the curriculum is less complicated
than the one at BI, at least the courses I attended.
 Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
The teaching is more practical than the one at BI. It is very common to work in groups,
prepare presentations and to work on different papers.
 Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
They usually use a mix of this. It is important to underline that it is very common in every
course to work in groups, and sometimes you will have to organize meetings with e.g. 3
different groups in one day. This might be a challenge concerning all the different languages
and cultures within these groups, but it is a very good experience. In almost every course, we
had several oral presentations for the class.
 How is the workload compared to that at BI?
The workload will probably seem like more than on BI. This is mainly because the semester is
shorter, and you have more presentations and papers you have to deliver to your teachers. It
also takes some time to adjust to always being in a group, which at times can be challenging.
But overall, if you pay attention in the classes and work seriously with your projects, you will
benefit from this at the exam.
 What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
The relationship between the students in the different classes was very good. Even though
there were students from all over the world, most of the people were easy to get along with. It
was the people from class that we spent time with outside of school. We mainly socialized
with the other international students, since there were only a few French students in our
classes.
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English?
Yes.
 How do you estimate the level of the literature?
The books are as long as the books we should read at BI. But at Pôle ESG, it is not as
important to read the book. We are given certain cases in the books, and these must be read.
Besides that, there are not many hours you have to spend to read the books.
 Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
More a broad overview. The case studies and “readings” are used for detailed knowledge.
 Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
Both, depends a lot on the course. In some courses we had to know a lot of economic models
from the book, and one exam was all based on a case from the book. But overall, in the
courses where we had mandatory books, it was based on a mix between the lectures and the
literature.
Exams
 What types of exams were you given?
I had many different types of exams: essay questions, explain different models, case study,
create a powerpoint presentation. I also had a final project in one of my courses where we
had to deliver a 15 pages long paper and create a powerpoint presentation.
 What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
I would not say it’s hard to pass the exams. If you attend the classes and pay attention to
the professor, it should be enough. However, to get a good grade you will have to do
some reading and studying on your own.
Other
 Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources?
There was no library at the school, so we studied at home or in the cafeteria.
 How is the access to the computers?
The access to the computers is ok, but there are just a few computer rooms, and few
computers in general, so I will recommend bringing your own laptop.
 How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
Some of the professors post their lections and notes on the extranet, besides that, IT is only
used for PowerPoint presentations and short video clips.
Description of Courses
Name and code
Prerequisites
French intermediate
You
need
basic
knowledge of the
French
language.
You should have
attented classes
Branding for luxury no
projects
Project management
no
Operations
management
International
strategic
management
International
marketing
no
no
no
Exam form
Essay question
Comments
Final project (paper
and PowerPoint)
You should be really
interested in luxury
brands. The teacher
is strict but great.
The course was not
so good organised
Create a PowerPoint
to solve a case
Theory
questions
and explain models
Case study
Essay/
questions
theory