Student Report
Name of the University: Toulouse Business School (TBS)
Exchange semester: Spring, 2014
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university,
and did you encounter any difficulties?
I received the information from the exchange university by mail early
October. The information was both sufficient and precise. The communication
between the host university and me was good. They answered any question
very quickly.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have
difficulties?
If you are Norwegian citizen, visa is not necessary when doing exchange in
France.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
The easiest way to travel to Toulouse from Oslo is by flight. There is no flight
going directly from Oslo to Toulouse, so you will have to do a transition
somewhere. My change was in Frankfurt, but there are of course other
alternatives. You can use the different booking sites available on the Internet
in order to find the cheapest or best alternative for you. The total amount of
time I spent traveling from Oslo to Toulouse was about five hours (including
the stop in Frankfurt).
Another alternative is traveling with Norwegian from Oslo to Paris. The train
ticket from Paris to Toulouse is about 40-50 euros. The train trip takes about 5
hours.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support
from the school?
Housing was not provided directly by the university, but they did send a lot of
information about where and how we could apply for housing. Most of the
information concerned student residences. The information was valuable and
helped me choosing a room in a student residence named “ATALE”, which is
one minute from the school. This is the residence where most of the exchange
students live and a very good alternative. There are also possibilities for
sharing rooms or apartments, and the school is very helpful in finding
information about this.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
3500 NOK
0 NOK
2000 NOK
85 NOK
NOK
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
The fact that I spoke French before going to Toulouse helped me a lot with
approaching the French students. Some of them might be a bit shy to speak in
English, but this is of course very individual. Once you get to know the French
students you will find that they are really nice.
Concerning the faculty, the responsible persons in the international office did
speak very good English. I had no problems at all.
-
How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
A flexible time schedule made it easy to experience other cities in France. We
had a lot of Fridays and Mondays off, giving us the time to travel.
Toulouse is also placed pretty close to other sights. With a location one hour
from the Mediterranean, one hour and a half from the Pyrenees, Bordeaux and
Carcassonne, you have a lot of exciting attractions to visit within a close
distance.
You should save the longer trips for the “big” holidays. You will have one
week off in February and 1-2 weeks off in the end of April.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
The campus of the TBS master program is situated only seven minutes from
the city centre of Toulouse and one minute from the metro station “Compans
Cafarelli”. TBS is considered as one of the top ten best business schools in
France, and was founded in 1903.
Next to the school you find a pretty garden named “Jardin Japonais”, a big
square named “Place de l’Europe” and several places for eating lunch or
dinner. The number of master students is about 2000.
The school provides different master programs, but is maybe most known for
the marketing master program. Students from all over France come to this
school, and the admission requirements for the French students are pretty
tough.
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
You choose your courses before coming to Toulouse, but you can easily
change your choices the first week.
Be aware that if you are in your bachelor degree, you will still take courses at
a master level. This was my case.
-
When did the add/drop period end?
It ended 1-2 weeks after the introduction meeting.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
04.01.2014
06.01.2014
05.06.2014
The end of May.
One week of holidays
in the beginning of
Mars, and one to two
weeks in the end of
April/beginning of
May.
The classes are more
or less mandatory.
You will have to sign
in for every class and
should avoid a big
absence.
Arrival
- Describe the introduction week
Arriving to Toulouse I was met by a member from the welcome team. The
welcome team is a student organization taking care of the exchange students,
organizing events, and helping with administrative matters. The welcome team
arranged several activities the first week (as well as during the rest of the
semester), so the exchange students could get to know each other.
There was also an introduction/orientation day on the 6th of January held by
the international office. In this meeting there was given important information
about the upcoming semester.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant
information?
Yes, the information I received was both relevant and sufficient. If I had any
questions, the international office was more than willing to help.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to
Norway at your exchange university?
I spoke with other students about Norway and BI.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange
students?
In fact, the French students might be a bit difficult to approach. They might be
a bit shy in the beginning, but once you get to know them, you will find that
they are really nice. Speaking to them in (or trying to speak in) French helps
of course a lot. I made some very good French friends during my time in
Toulouse.
What concerns the relationship among the exchange students, this was for me
very positive as well. I met exchange students from all over the world coming
to France with the same mind of spirit as me, willing to explore and
experience new cultures, learn new languages and travel to unknown places.
They were all sympathetic and easy to get along with. Among the exchange
students I made some friends for life.
-
Are there any special activities, student organisations, and gatherings for
exchange students?
Yes, there are a lot of gatherings for exchange students. The organization “The
Welcome Team” organises international dinners, galas, trips and much more.
You also have the opportunity to join other student organisations such as
football, basketball or handball teams. This depends though in which semester
you will do your exchange.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures,
formal/informal etc.)
The teaching style at TBS was quite different from the teaching style at BI.
The first to days of the week we had common lectures where we were about
100 students. This was the theoretical part. Then we got divided in two smaller
classes (about 25 students per class), working in teams, solving cases, having
class discussions and so on. This was a great way to learn! We were close to
the professor having the possibility to ask him/her questions, and we learned a
lot from one another as well.
-
How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
In my point of view, some of the weeks were a bit more more intensive at TBS
than at BI. This was because of assignments and presentations we had to
prepare for the end of the different classes. Usually this was for Friday. From
BI I was only used to lectures in curriculum and studying for myself at the
library where I had no mandatory obligations. That said, the exams were fairly
easier to overcome at TBS than at BI. I did not prepare that much at TBS as I
usually do at BI.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles,
PowerPoint, level of course material etc).
We did not use books during the semester. Some books were though
recommended as additional literature. Mostly we read articles we could find
online at the TBS´ pedagogical site @campus, or either the articles got handed
out in class. Many teachers frequently used power points as well.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
The exam was both based on the course materials and the lectures. In fact this
depended from professor to professor. We had new professors every week
coming from partner universities all over the world, and they were pretty fair
in telling what the exams were based on.
-
How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
The “core courses”, the first to courses I had, were only evaluated with a
written exam of 1,5 hours each.
The “majeur” I chose, International Management, was evaluated with 30% of
two multiple-choice exams (15% each) and 70% of what we did in class and at
home. That is assignments, presentations, group works, case solving, class
participation and class discussions. Each professor we had presented his/her
evaluation method in the beginning of the course, so it was pretty clear how
we would be evaluated. The fact that we had a big variety of evaluation
methods made it more interesting working with the subjects. But a missing
point was the feedback we got (or didn’t get) for our work. This was pretty
weak.
Library and technology
- Describe the facilities
There is a very nice library at the master campus of TBS. This is just one
minute from the main building. The library consists of advanced computers,
books and group rooms. The library is though a bit small and might be full in
periods when the activity is high.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Master/
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisites
Approv
ed as
Comments
International Business
Master
1,5-hour written
exam
None
Elective
Business Plan
Opérationnel
Master
1,5-hour written
exam
None
Elective
International
Management (Majeur)
Master
Two multiplechoice exams 1hour each
The basics in
different
subjects such
as makro,
micro, finance,
marketing and
more.
Elective
Artemis
Master
Presentation
The basics of
business
Elective
Core course,
only 15 hours.
A more or less
interesting
course easy to
understand.
Core course,
only 15 hours.
A useful
course on how
to set up a
business plan.
Majeur
200 hours.
Consists of
different
subjects each
week.
Everything
from
macroeconomi
cs to
marketing and
branding.
Interesting
courses put in
an
international
perspective.
A business
game where
you will
simulate
leading a
company.
Duration: 4
days
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
My exchange experience at Toulouse Business School was
absolutely great. I have gained some important experience
academically, socially and culturally. I have not only learned more
about the French society and culture, I have had the possibility to
learn about cultures and societies from other parts of the world as
well, grace to my fellow exchange students. Discussions,
schoolwork and everyday life has given me more insight about the
latter. In fact, I do also realise that I have learned more about my
own country, Norway, after this exchange semester. The fact of
always comparing different countries has made me see Norway
from a new perspective.
These are experiences that hopefully will be useful for me in
future. I do sincerely believe that I have returned to Norway with
more knowledge, more cultural and academic luggage and a great
motivation for further studies.