STUDENT REPORT: IESEG - Paris
Name of the University: IESEG - PARIS
Exchange semester: Fall, 2012
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings – very short
IESEG is located beneath the Grande Arche in La Defense. La Defense is a very modern and new
part of Paris, and it’s mainly considered to be a business area. It’s very easy getting to, as it is situated
very close to the metro and train station.
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
The Paris campus consists of two buildings of a total of 9,000 m² and provides students with 20
lecture halls, 20 classrooms, two multimedia rooms, a trading room, a library, a cafeteria and meeting
rooms for clubs and associations.
3. Number of students
It opened in 2008, so it only has about a 1000 students today. The Paris campus is growing each year
and to this fact they acquired in 2011 a new platform located next to the Grande Arche.
4. Study structure
Lectures are mandatory, and you need documentation to be absent. It depends on the teacher, but
many of them have a grading system according to your participation. They appoint a certain present of
the grade to participation in class. And if you miss too many, you risk failing. This differs from teacher
to teacher.
There are two types of courses available for exchange students; they are either intensive or extensive.
The extensive are similar to the courses at BI, going over the whole semester, but mainly with only 2
credits. And you end up having almost all of your exams at the end of the semester, which will be quite
a lot; hence the 2 credit value of almost every course. Not every course has a final exam; so you can
be evaluated according to; class participation, assignments, projects or presentations. And the
workload on these is considered to be heavy.
In the Intensive courses you have one course over one week, and at the end of this week you deliver
a project, presentation or have a final exam. Or there can be some versions of these combined.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
Received an information packet from IESEG, already in June, there was also some mails and a lot of it
was available online. The international club was also out early with integration week info about
meetings and programs.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
Did not have any problems on this part; since France is a part of the European Union, I did not need
Visa or any documentation for living/studying here.
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date
January 14th. Introduction week started August 21th.
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First day of the semester?
The first day depends on the courses you choose, my choice led me to have one week off after
the integration week.
Last day of classes?
Also depends on your courses, but mainly all the intensive courses end before the start of
December. Many of the extensive have their final exam date in-between the start of December
until the 20th.
Examination period?
November/ December for extensive
Intensive: One evaluation for each week you have chosen a course
Reception
 How was the reception at the school?
 Very good! There were organized social meetings before the first day, so you could get to know
each other a bit before the official integration week started. Everything was well explained, and if
you needed any help with all the forms you had to fill out it was easily provided. You get a housing
subsidy from the French government, so there are some forms to be filled out, as well as for a
public transport ticket for students and opening a French bank account (which is mandatory).

Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
They were very well prepared. There was not much waiting and things went smoothly.
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Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
The school students that participated were mainly from the international club, exchange or former
exchange students. In some of the events the real French student also participated, but this was
mainly in after school activities.
Housing
 Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing?
IESEG offered some suggestions of student housing, but in my experience they were not the best.
They helped you get in touch with other options as well, from former exchange students and
connections they have with private landlords. The most used option they provided was the student
apartments in La Defense. It costs around 700 euro, and you live about 10min walk from the
school and 20min metro ride from the city center.
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Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
I ended up living in Nanterre, which was one of the recommendations the school gave for student
housing, but it is a 20min bus ride outside of La Defense, so a bit outside the Paris city line. Not
recommended. I ended up with this because I started searching for housing way too late.
So in my experience it is wise to start early and try other alternatives than those provided by the
school. It is hard finding something with a reasonable price near to the city center, but there are a
lot of nice areas around. For example you have the Marais, St. Germain or the areas around
Montmartre were some of the other exchange students found good apartments to a reasonable
price. There was also some students that choose to stay at cite universitaire, which is located
south; almost on the Paris border line. It is a cheap alternative; around 450 euros. You get a small
room and share the kitchen/bathroom with people from your own nationality. I’ve heard it’s quite
social – but difficult to get around, and to get home at night.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc.
Rent: 700
IESEG had most of the course literature available online so I didn’t buy any books.
Paris is close to Oslo in its prices, somewhat cheaper but about the same. A lunch costs around
14-15€ and dinner around 20-30€ according to where you go. So it’s close to what we are used to
in Norway.
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
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There is an international office in the H-building right next to the Grande Arche.
How does the international office function?
You can either send them a mail, or go to talk to them during opening hours. I usually just went to
talk to them, as you often find them at their desk. They are very helpful and easy to talk to.
Do you receive all relevant information?
Yes, they provide very detailed information.
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Norway at your exchange
university?
There was arranged an international day where you where expected to come and promote your
university. As you talk to other exchange students during the semester, you get to answer a lot of
questions about Norway and your home university.
Social Activities
 How is your relationship with other students?
Very good, but it’s especially with the international students as you get to know them really well
during the integration week. The international students had a tendency to stick together
throughout the semester, but you also get to know the students from the international club quite
well. The international club consists of both exchange and French students. It’s somewhat harder
to get to know the French students, especially if you take intensive courses; which only last one
week at a time.
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Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students part of it?
Yes, it is both international and French students in the student organization.
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Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
There are a lot of activities for exchange students! Before the integration week, we had the option
to meet up at a small get together. And during the whole integration week, there were a lot of
things happening. Throughout the semester there were trips to museums, and other monuments
around Paris. There were also arranged trips to the cities around; Berlin, London and Amsterdam.
There were meetings in parks, parties, language lunches, and once a school gala.
How do you like it at the school?
I really liked it at the school. I took intensive courses, which I really enjoyed. I had school from
8.30 to 13; Monday to Friday, so I had every afternoon off. It is very modern and staff/students are
really friendly and helpful. Their organizing is somewhat confusing, not everything is easy in
choosing your schedule and courses (which you do upon arriving, so don’t worry about the
courses you choose before you leave) and the appointment of rooms for courses/ exams is also
somewhat badly informed.
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Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
They know English very well at the school, both the staff and students – so no language
difficulties.
 How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
If you choose intensive courses you have every afternoon off, and some weeks you have no
school at all – according to your course choices. So there is a lot of time to experience and
discover the French culture and explore the city. There are a lot of trips organized, and museums
are usually free for citizens of the European Union (sometimes including Norway other times not).
We also organized several trips amongst ourselves, to the south of France, Normandy, Disney
Land and Versailles. There are a lot of opportunities, with only the constraint of time – so use it
well!
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?
I was a bit anxious before leaving, not knowing a soul. But afterwards it is really worth it, you get to
know people from all over the world and get to experience something completely new. You learn a
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lot about cultural differences, which makes you open and expectant. You get a network from all
over the world, useful later in work situations or when traveling.
How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities?
During the exchange semester I got a lot more confident using English, both in writing and
speaking. New experiences are always somewhat scary, but you learn a lot about yourself and get
more independent – stepping out of your comfort zone. And for future travels you are more
prepared for what to expect, and have more experience.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
French or English. I didn’t have any problems.
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How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
Depends on the courses you take. For the courses I took it was lower than at BI, but it is difficult to
compare as the courses only lasted one week and is about a third of the credit of the BI courses. I
also heard the extensive courses required a lot of work, but don’t know anything about the level in
comparison. All in all my semester here was a lot easier than a usual semester at BI.
Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
Also depend on the course taken, but in comparison to my experience at BI, there is a lot more
presentations, discussions and class participation. The week starts with a theoretical tutorial, and
usually ends with a practical implementation of this showed in a presentation or case study/group
work. In negotiation courses there was a lot of practical use of the theoretic aspect using
discussion.
Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
The professors are using a mix; presentations, hand ins, case studies, exams, reflection papers
and participation/attendance. Sometimes only one of them, but mostly they add a certain
percentage to several.
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How is the workload compared to that at BI?
The workload in the intensive courses, are a bit lower than in the extensive ones. You can
concentrate on one course at a time, and since it is only one week the workload and expectations
from the teacher are lower. You work continuously throughout the courses and do not get the
stressful examination period in the end of the semester. I went through 15 different courses and
evaluations, so there is a bigger amount of this, but the level and expectations are lower – so it
really evens out. I recommend the intensive courses, you get much more time outside of school
work.
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How is the relationship between faculty and students?
I would say the relationship is good; we had a lot of international teachers so their English was
mostly very good. And they are really helpful and responsive.
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What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
Also very good, there is a lot of group work – so you get to know more students than just the
international. Everyone was usually very open and helpful.
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English?
All the literature is in English, as the courses are given in English. If you choose French ones, the
literature is French.
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How do you estimate the level of the literature?
I would say it is a bit lower than at BI. The literature we got in the intensive courses was mainly
articles the teacher had picked out and posted on the course site. Or it was power point
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presentations. I only had one course were we had to read a book (we had to give a presentation of
an appointed book), everything else was only articles.
Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
Most of the appointed literature gave you a broad view of the topic, some details, but less focus on
this than BI. (Might be because of the time restrictions)
Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
Mostly lectures.
Exams
 What types of exams were you given?
Open question exams were most common, with only 2-3 questions. Presentations were also used
in combination, or on its own. Sometimes there was just a paper to hand in; either a case,
reflection or group work.
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What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
In the courses I took there was no pre- knowledge required. If you paid attention during the class,
this would be enough. They went through everything needed quite thoroughly; as they know there
are a lot of students from different “majors”.
Other
 Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources?
Never had any use for the library, as everything was online. The computer rooms were easily
accessed, and I always found a computer available. Noticed that the library often was occupied by
fairs or exams – but there were other group rooms available for group/school work.
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How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
IT was used quite a lot. Most of the teachers posted their lectures online after giving them, and
they had course information as well as literature on the site of the course. This differed from
teacher to teacher though. Some of them did not post anything online, so you had to make sure to
take notes all the while. Some courses were only online, were you had to watch videos of the
teacher, YouTube videos, read given articles and then hand in an answer to get to the next “level”.
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Courses
Courses
Cre
dits
Evaluation
Comments
OPSMA-EI60UE
Managing the Networked Enterprise
2
Written
assignment
The teacher wanted us
to do our own research,
so it was three days of
our research. One day
of lecture and on the
last day if you wanted
to you could present
your group work. Easy.
NEGMA-EI18UE
Cross Cultural Relationship in Marketing and
Negotiation
2
Presentation(+ 2
page summary
of this) + Exam
(2hours)
Familiar literature;
similar to courses at BI.
Quite winning.
NEGMA-EI19UE
International Negotiation and Diplomacy
2
Group log +
Written
assignment
Liked it a lot; interesting
and a lot of discussion
in class
MKTMA-EI09UE
Environmental Marketing
2
Presentation +
Case study
Teacher was really
good, and the course
interesting. Had a
presentation on Friday
and a two week
deadline on the project.
MGTMA-EI74UE
Brand Management
2
Presentation +
Open question
exam (one page
answer only)
Easy, typical marketing
class.
MGTMA-EI74UE
Creating Shared Value
2
Online course;
follow course
online and in the
end evaluation
of presentations.
This course was quite
fun, when working in a
group (recommended)
the workload was not
too heavy.
MGTMA-EI47UE
Culture Impact on International Business and
Management
2
2 hour individual
written exam +
presentation of
case study
Teacher was very
critical and interrupted
presentations, but
otherwise the course
was OK. Not too
difficult, but the teacher
expected a lot of
reading.
MGTMA-EI07UE
Decisions and Leadership
2
Online course +
Presentation
A lot of work! Not too
hard, but it takes up a
lot of time. Did not like
it too much, but in the
end you have a case
study which you
present, in which you
are competing against
the other students, this
the best part of the
course.
MGTMA-EI39UE
Managing Knowledge Strategically
2
Presentation +
Individual
reflection diary
Easy, and fun!
MGTMA-EI84UE
Opportunity Recognition and Evaluation
2
Written
assignment,
class
participation and
attendance
Some work, and the
teacher is really strict
on attendance and
participation. Very
interesting though, and
the teacher is very
good at getting the
class involved.
IBEMA-EI57UE
An International Comparison of Health Care
Systems
2
Attendance
+Presentation
(not mandatory)
Recommend it highly!
Teacher was fun, and it
was easy and
interesting.
IBEMA-EI28UE
Business Sustainable Development
2
Written
assignment
(group work)
The teacher was not
very good, but the
course itself was
interesting and easy.
IBEMA-EE55UE
Doing Business in Arabo-Islamic Countries
2
Presentation +
individual written
assignment
The only extensive
course I took; lengthy
presentations from the
teacher, but overall an
interesting course.
IBEMA-EI06UE
Doing Business in Latin America
2
Written exam
(2hours)
The teacher was very
good and up to date.
His presentations
though somewhat
lengthy; were
captivating and
engaging. Easy course.
LANTR-OE04UF
Français Débutant 1
2
2 min
presentation +
beginners exam
Easy and fun! The
teacher was really
good, patient and
understanding. Felt like
a got a good
introduction to the
French language.
SUM
30
Any other experiences:
I only had intensive courses, with exception of one online course and one extensive.
This I highly recommend; you don’t get the stressful examination period and are
required to work more continuously, which is much more compelling. The courses
are generally quite easy and engaging. There is a lot of group work which makes it
more fun, and more evaluation in form of presentations. There are new people you
get to meet every week and you get more free time and can experience the city!
Another recommendation is to try to get an apartment closer to the center (at least
inside the city line). There is some commute to the school, but it is worth it as you
experience more of the city. And it’s not time consuming to get home or meet up with
other students as this usually happens near the center of Paris. I really enjoyed my
stay at IESEG, and Paris is an amazing city!