Student Report IESEG Paris
Name of the University: IESEG
Exchange semester: Spring, 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
All information was given in advance the semester before departure. The International Office
at BI was helpful with this, and made all information easily available.
Visa and travel information
Since France is in the European Union, no Visa was needed. The travel to Paris is easy. There
are three airports to choose from; Orly, Charles de Gaulle or Beauvais. All of them with easy
access to wherever you need to go.
Housing
IESEG offered housing in dorms near La Defense, most people stayed at a place named
Pythagore. The rent was around 650 euro, not including electricity costs. Most people I got to
know during my exchange lived here. On the information week the semester before the
International Office informed us about other housing possibilities, as Maison de Norvege at
Cite Internationale universitaire de Paris. The rooms here are quite small, and you have to
share a bathroom and kitchen with other people. To get something better you would have to
rent an apartment, which wasn't an option for me, because of the extremely high rent.
Therefor I decided to give Maison de Norvege a try, mostly because of the low rent, at around
450 euros with everything included (even room-cleaning and changing of sheets), and because
I hear positive things about it from people who were on exchange a year ago. The area is
great, with huge parks, tennis courts, football fields and many other houses which makes it a
good environment to live in. It also has easy access to public transportation. I am really glad I
stayed here.
Costs
Paris is actually really expensive. Much cheaper than Norway in terms of groceries, public
transport, taxi and such, but restaurants, cafe's and bars are not much cheaper. The rent at
Maison de Norvege was cheap, around 450 euros. But if you are to rent an apartment you
have to expect on spending at least 1000 euros. Lunch can be bought for around 10-15 euros,
and dinner around the double. If you choose “Intensive-courses” at IESEG, books aren't
needed.
Culture and language
IESEG has many international students, so there is no language problem at the school, neither
with staff or students. In general french people are very shy and insecure about there english
abilities, but business students seem to be more eager to talk to international students to try to
improve their english skills. I did not speak french, and this was never a big issue.
There are good possibilities to experience the country and culture. It is easy to travel around
in France, and during the mid term break many students did so. Paris is rich in culture and
being a student is very convenient as almost every museum is free for students.
Going to Paris is not a big culture shock, but still there are some differences and you need to
adapt. You learn a lot about others and about yourself in an experience like this.You also
build a network with people from all around the world. In terms of studying business and
future career possibilities it is positive to be able to adapt to new challenges. By doing an
exchange semester you become more confident in yourself. You also get to practice your
english, which you can benefit from if you later want to work in an international environment.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
IESEG is situated in La Defense under the Grande Arche. This is the business area in Paris,
with the headquarters to many large companies, the biggest shopping-mall in Europe, and a
big metro and RER station.
The campus and its 6000 m2 platform contains 13 amphitheaters, 10 classrooms, 4
multimedia centers and 1 library. There were also study rooms. The school is ranked among
the top business schools in France.
The Paris campus consists of over 1000 students. IESEG also has a campus in Lille, and the
Paris campus opened in 2008, so it is still relatively new. There were around 120 international
students spring 2012.
The school offers programs in business, management, finance and marketing, both in English
and French. The study structure is a bit different from the one that we are used to in Norway.
You can either choose from extensive-courses, meaning that you have a course that is spread
over the whole semester, with a mid-term exam and a final-exam. Or, you can choose
extensive-courses, meaning that you have a course lasting a week with a project, presentation
, homework or final exam deciding your grade. The workload on extensive-courses is more
than intensive ones. Subjects vary from accounting, communication, development,
economics, finance, international business and strategy, language, law, management,
Information systems, marketing, negotiation, operational management and quantitative
methods.
IESEG offers double degree at both bachelor and master programs.
Almost all lectures are mandatory, and absence can lead to failing a course. They are mostly
very strict about documenting absence and you need a medical certificate if you miss a
course.
The International office is helpful when it comes to choosing courses, and communication
with both the administration, professors and other students is very easy. They have own
internet-platforms for communication and information during courses. Even though you are
supposed to register for courses before arrival you will most likely have to change most
courses when you arrive. This is because the courses are around 2 or 3 credits, meaning that
you have to choose between 10-15 courses. When you arrive you will know the dates of all
the courses, and it will be easier to plan your course calender.
Academic calendar
Arrival date: January 4th , introduction week started January 8th.
First day of the semester: This depends on the courses you have chosen, but many of the
students started monday after orientation week.
Last day of classes: Also depends on the courses. My last lecture was in the end of April, but
the last exam was in the end of May.
Examination period: April/May for extensive-courses, January-April for intensive-courses.
Arrival
There was a lot of information over mail in advance of the arrival, but the most important
information was given at the introduction-week. The week started of with a lunch, and
presentation of all the most important information. This was very helpful. We received an
introduction-guide with all information about choosing courses, applying for student public
transportation card, mobile agreement , french bank card and other. Some students from the
school were part of the International committee, and they followed us through the
introduction week. The four days in introduction were a lot about general information, but
also social activities planned by the international committee for the exchange students to get
to know each other. All in all, the week was a lot of fun.
At IESEG the International office was very helpful, and easily accessible, as they were in the
H-building next to the main building at the Grande Arche. They all spoke english and made
the arrival easy and informative.
Promoting BI and Norway
At IESEG there is an international week, where all exchange students are asked to promote
their home country. At this day I held a brief presentation about BI, which received positive
response. After the presentations all exchange students had information stands where students
could come up and talk if they had further questions. BI was very prepared and had brochures
and other things I could give out to the students.
Social activities
How was your relationship with native students? As most of the courses I chose were
intensives and this is what most exchange students choose, I did not get good contact with the
native students, other than the ones from the international committee. Also, since the
introduction week was only for exchange students, the students I met here were the ones I
spent most time with during my stay.
How was the relationship among the exchange students? The relationship with exchange
students was really good. We were a big family the whole stay, and we had a lot of fun. Even
though there were many exchange students this year, we were good at meeting up at the same
places and including as many as possible. Many also travelled together during the mid term
break.
Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students a part of it? Yes, and
there are only students in this organization. Most of the students in this group were double
degree students, but also some french.
Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students? Yes, there were
lunches, parties, dinners, galla's, trips to museums, trips in Paris or around (like Versailles),
and also a trip to Berlin.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The teaching style depends on the professor. Many professors come from different countries
and this reflects on the teaching style. Most of them do lectures with a simple powerpointpresentations. The teaching is much more practical than at BI, with many group projects,
cases and presentations. Presentations are really common at IESEG, I think every course I
took had a presentation of some kind. The relationship between professor and student is
mostly professional. The workload depends on the course and the professor, but in general the
intensive courses don't have a lot of work, but extensive do. The level of study is much lower
than at BI, and normally it is easier to get good grades. It is also a different gradings system,
where they use points. 20 points is the best you can get, and under 10 points means you have
failed. The classroom environment also depends on the course, and on whether it is majority
of international of french students in the class. French students tend to be less professional
and have less respect for other students and professors during class. They often have loud
conversations with each other even though the professor is speaking, and most professors
don't bother trying to change this.
Course materials
I didn't use a single book during my exchange at IESEG, but online articles, powerpoints,
cases and such are very common. This is all published online on their student platform. All
materials were in english, and the course materials had more or less the same level as at BI.
Because the courses are so small (2 credits normally, compared to 7,5 at BI) the literature is
used for a broad view rather than focus on details.
Exams
The exams were normally based on both the course materials and the lectures. Most courses
were evaluated by a final exam, assignments or papers, presentations, group work or class
attendance. Normally you get evaluated by several of the above during one course. At
extensive-courses you also have a final-exam. This is either a written exam or a home
assignment.
Library and technology
I did not use the library but is seemed as it was always full. It was also used as an examination
room, so it was often occupied. There were computers around the campus, but most students
brought their own computers, as the computer rooms also were mostly occupied by classes.
Most information was available online and IT was used a lot in the teaching and to distribute
information.
Description of courses
All courses I chose were 2 credits except french which was 3 credits.
Course: International development and management of NGO
Course code: IBEMA-EI15UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: None
Exam form/evaluation: Written exam 20 %, Oral presentation 40 %, participation 10 %
Course name: Business sustainable development
Course code: IBEMA-EI28UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: None
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 10 %, Written exam 60 %, Case study 30 %
Course name: International corporate governance
Course code: IBEMA-CI31UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: Basics in business strategy and finance are recommended.
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 10 %, Mid-term exam 15 %, Project 35 %, Written
report 40 %.
Course name: The leadership experience - planning for the unexpected
Course code: NEGMA-EI21UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: General management skills recommended
Exam form/evaluation: Project 50 %, Oral presentation 30 %, Participation 20 %
Other info: Only group work. The whole class is based on a “game” you do in groups and
you have to present what you have done in the end.
Course name: Challenges and tactics in IT driven change
Course code: MISMA-FI04UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: Students should have a basic understanding of management concepts.
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 30 %, Case study 20 %, Written exam 50 %
Other info: Very basic about change and how to respond to change in a company. Not very
focused on IT and changes in IT.
Course name: Mergers and acquisitions: managing the challenges
Course code: MGTMA-EI38UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: Solid understanding of strategic management, organisational behaviour and
cross-cultural management
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 10 %, Oral presentation 50 %, QCM 40 %.
Course name: Negotiation and purchasing in an international environment
Course code: NEGMA-EI04UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: None
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 60 %, written report 20 %, case study 20 %
Other info: Mostly about purchasing
Course name: Experiential marketing
Course code: MKTMA-EI66UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: Students must have a knowledge of marketing and branding concepts.
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 10 %, Project 60 %, Written report 15 %, Case study
15 %.
Other info: Fun and easy course.
Course name: Business analysis
Course code: MISMA-FI02UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: A basic understanding of the role of Information Technology in Business
Organisations.
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 20 %, Oral presentation 30 %, Project 50 %.
Other info: More about analysing social factors in a company rather than actual analyzation
of how the firm is doing in the market and such. No math and numbers, as I thought it would
be.
Course name: Social media marketing
Course code: MKTMA-EI50UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: None
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 20 %, Project 80 %.
Other info: Great professor and a really fun and popular course.
Course name: DOING BUSINESS IN LATIN AMERICA
Course code: IBEMA-EI06UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: None
Exam form/evaluation: Written exam 70 %, presentation 30 %.
Course name: BRAND MANAGEMENT
Course code: MKTMA-EI74UE
Master/bachelor: Master intensive course
Prerequisites: Students must have a knowledge of basic marketing concepts.
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 10 %, Project 60 %, Written report 15 %, Case study
15 %.
Other info: Fun and easy course. Same professor as experiential marketing.
Course name: FRANCAIS PRE-INTERMEDIAIRE 2 : LANGUE ET CIVILISATION
Course code: LANTR-OE15UF
Master/bachelor: Language extensive course
Prerequisites: This lecture is aimed at students who can understand expressions and very
common language related to subjects that concern him/her personally (him/herself, his/her
family, his/her purchases, his/her near environment, work). He can grasp the fundamentals of
advertisements and clear and simple messages. They must also be able to read short and
simple texts, to find specific information in common documents and understand short and
simple personal letters.
They can communicate during simple and common tasks, have brief
exchanges even if in general, they can't understand enough to follow a conversation.
They
can use a batch of sentences or expressions to describe their family, their work conditions and
their professional activity.
They can write notes and simple and short messages, as well as
simple letters, for instance of acknowledgement.
Exam form/evaluation: Participation 15 %, Mid-term exam 35 %, Written final exam 50 %.
Course name: INDUSTRIAL REALITIES
Course code: OPSB3-CE05UE
Master/bachelor: Bachelor extensive course
Prerequisites: Students should have completed an introductory level course in operations
management.
Exam form/evaluation: QCM 20 %, Participation 20 %, Project 30 %, Written Report 30 %.
Other info: No final exam but a final written report. A lot of work, but only 2 credits. In my
opinion quite a boring class, with an un-motivating professor.
Course name: INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS AND CONJUNCTURE : CONJUNCTURE
AND ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS
Course code: ECOB2-CE01BE
Master/bachelor: Bachelor extensive course
Prerequisites: This course requires a good understanding of the fundamental of the economy
and a particular attention on the economic current events and on the conjuncture. These
knowledge will be essential in particular for the realization of the case studies which will be
led within the framework of the PBL.
Exam form/evaluation: Mid-term exam 40 %, presentation 12 %, written report 18 %, final
exam 30 %.
Other info: Also a lot of work. All classes were presentations made by students. Every week
was a new subject and you had to prepare a presentation and a written report for next class.