Student Report
Name of the University: Bocconi
Exchange semester: Fall 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
Application: Bocconi application process is easily understandable. After getting nominated by BI
you apply directly to Bocconi in the beginning of June (you will get an email). You sign up for the
Italian crash course and apply for housing at the same time. You select your courses around
middle of August.
Other: Sign up for the Italian crash course, it is worth it. You will need some Italian to get
around, or at least it makes your day easier. If you want to join a gym, a yoga class or any
physical activities, you need to bring a medical card from your doctor confirming your health.
You need to pack for both summer and winter. Even though you are in Italy, you are so far north
that you will need your winter jacket in November/December.
Applying for a visa
If you are a Norwegian citizen you do not need to apply for a visa.
Travel
You can fly to three different airports, Malpensa, Linate or Bergamo. Malpensa is the largest
airport and is located 30 min outside of Milano. You can take the express train between
Malpensa and Milano centre, the price is 12 euro. Linate is closer to Milano centre, but smaller.
You can take the bus from Linate to the centre, and the price is just regular transportation fare
for the city, 1,50 euro. Bergamo is outside Milano, and is the smallest airport and is located in
the city Bergamo 1 hour outside Milano. Airline companies like Ryanair operates here. Notice
that if you travel to Bergamo, check that you will make the last train to Milano since they do not
run all night.
Housing
Finding housing in Milan can be challenging as many require oneyear contracts.
Bocconi offers housing, but we did not apply for this. We have heard that the residences are
located very far away from school, have no WiFi, do not allow visitors, and are generally low
value for money. Otherwise Bocconi does not help much with housing (as far as we know).
There are many Facebook groups where people post about available rooms and apartments.
However, beware of scams, as they are quite common! You can also look at various websites
such as
● spotahome.com (recommended)
● stanzesingole.it (more expensive than listed prices for stays shorter than 1 year)
● airbnb.com (varying quality)
The girls ended up living in two different apartments during the stay as it was very hard to find a
place to live for just four months. We ended up looking for vacation apartments. The first one we
found through airbnb.com. We were not satisfied with this one due to very low standards. The
second apartment was found through spotahome.com. We would recommend using this site for
finding apartments as it has nice apartments/rooms and it is safe to rent through them. The
price was quite cheap (1500 euros per month for three bedroom apartment, everything
included). This apartment was located in the south in an area called Abbiategrasso. Although in
the south, it was very well connected to everything: 10-15 minutes to school by bus or tram and
15-25 minutes to city center by tram or metro. Area is safe and we would recommend. The boys
did not live near Bocconi, and in hindsight we regret this a bit.
More popular areas to live in Milano are Porta Ticinese, Porta Romana, Navigli, etc., but these
areas can be very expensive. Generally the standards of apartments in Italy are much lower than in
Norway. It is also quite common to share rooms, so make sure it is a single room if you do not want
to share bedroom.
Costs
Rent
Books
Food
5000-6000 NOK per month
0-2000 NOK (start up)
2000-4000 NOK per month (including
restaurants)
Transport
250-350 NOK per month
Culture and language
In general, Italians are not very good in English. For instance, at supermarket you will need to
know a couple of sentences in order to communicate. Therefore it is advisable to take the Italian
crash course. You also need to prepare yourself for a different culture in terms of structure and
organization. Italians have a relaxed relationship to time, for instance in the classroom it is quite
common for a lecture to start a little late and people consequently showing up late.
Aperitivo, which is all you can eat and a drink of your own choosing for 10 euros, is very popular
in Milan. This is a good and cheap way of socializing. Navigli might be the best place for
aperitivo.
Travelling in Italy
When living in Milan you have the chance to travel around both in Italy and the neighboring
countries. It is really easy to get around with the train (Trenitalia or Trenord). You can prebook
tickets through their Internet page or buy at the station. Note that if you are over 26 years old,
you are not considered a student anymore in Italy. Therefore, you need to buy regular tickets.
However, if you are under 26 years old, the train companies have good student fares. In
addition, on Saturdays you can buy a 2 for 1 ticket at Trenitalia. Popular places to visit are
Venice, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Verona, Como, Turin, Bergamo, Nice, Genova, Munich, and
more.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school
Bocconi offers a wide range of interesting courses in marketing, economics, finance, law, and
more. It is has high rankings and is considered one of the best business schools in Europe.
The school is conveniently located in the city, with only 20 minutes walk to the city center.
Campus consists of several buildings that are located in the same area. We had almost all our
classes in the main building. The school buildings are nice, but quite crowded. It can be hard to
find a place to study due to lack of spaces and we usually studied at home. In the library you
need to sit quite tight. The quiet areas are not really quiet so it can be hard to concentrate.
The school has two canteens. They are quite busy, but have a wide range of meals to choose
from, including pastas, pizzas, meat, salads, sandwiches, and more. Exchange students are
offered a deal where they can purchase ten lunches for 41 euros (so 4,10 euros per meal
compared to usual 7,50). This is a really good offer if you think you will eat in school a lot as you
get a whole menu for that price (but we did not really take advantage of this). There are also a
lot of cafes and places to eat around Bocconi.
The professors speak good English and their academic level is decent.
Course registration
Registration for courses are in the middle of August. You are not able to see the exam dates
before the deadline for signing up for courses. In September you can drop some courses if
you’re not satisfied with your choice and replace them with another course. The procedure is
quite simple.
Academic calendar
Arrival date August 26th
First day of the semester September 7th
Last day of classes December 4th
Examination period December 9th 22nd
Any special events/holidays December 7th + 8th
Arrival
When you get to Milano you need to go to Bocconi to check in and get necessary information.
Upon checking in we received a USB with various information and a city guide. There is a
Twoweek introduction program arranged by Bocconi/ESN with lots of social activities.
The International Office
The International Office is located at campus. The staff is very helpful and speaks English
fluently. In order to fix the details with your Erasmus scholarship, you must receive some
signatures from the staff at this office.
Social activities
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) organizes a lot of student activities. Group travels to a lot
of Italian places (like Turin, Cinque Terre, etc.), and also to Oktoberfest in Munich and the Alps
in Switzerland.
In the introduction week there are lot of social activities, and we recommend to participate in
some of these. It is here and in the Italian crash course you get to know people. During the
whole semester ESN will send out monthly information regarding the upcoming month and its
activities.
Other activities during the semester included a football tournament (5vs5), which is highly
recommended if you like football. Bocconi also have lots of different sports activities, which best
can be explained by the staff on the sportscenter at campus. This sportscenter includes a gym
(which is normally quite full) and a 5vs5 football pitch outdoor (this pitch cost 35 euro per hour).
During one of the first week there will be stands around campus where different students
organization will advertise their programmes. For instance, there is a wine tasting organization.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
There is a high level of noise in the classrooms. Italians speak during the lecture and it is part of
their culture, so most teachers will not correct them. However, if you are a quiet Scandinavian
(which it turns out that most of us are), just sit in the front to be able to hear better, and the
teachers will love you for it. It is smart to let teachers know you because exams are not
anonymous. A lot of the classrooms do NOT have sockets for charging your computer so you
cannot charge your computer. However they are planning to install sockets in all classrooms
within the next two years.
Syllabuses are sometimes not followed. In a course, we was supposed to have four cases (that
constitute for some of the grade), but due to changes we was just able to have three cases.
Course materials
In most classes you will use slides as the main material, while some teachers will ask you to buy
a book or two. They also use some articles. However, if you decide to be a nonattending
student you usually have to buy 12 books for the given course. The slides in the courses MAY
be to some extent quite messy compared to your experience from Norway.
Exams
In Bocconi you can decide whether you want to be an attending student or nonattending
student. If you are an attending student, the exams are based on slides and topics covered in
class (as well as readings), and you normally also have group work. If you decide to be
nonattending, you will have a 100% written exam based on textbooks/articles, and no slides.
You do not have to attend classes.
Final exams are usually short (45-75 minutes) and often multiple choice and/or short answer.
Exams can be experienced as a bit messy: they can start too late, teachers might be sitting in
the corner talking, and even other students might talk. You will get used to it, but it can be a bit
hard. Teachers are willing to give you information on what to expect on the exam, but you are
not able to see previous exams like in BI.
How were the courses evaluated?
Most classes are evaluated different ways, including both group projects and written exams, just
like the courses at BI. Some courses also have midterms.
Note that in the courses that include cases and group projects, the groups are in most of the
courses really big (often up to 9 people). If you are used to work in groups with three persons,
this might be challenging and especially if you have multiple nationalities in the group.
Library and technology
The library is nice, but you do not spend much time here since there is never space. Group
rooms are nice too, but need to be booked a long time in advance. We usually studied at home.
There are some PC/copy rooms where you can print, however this is very time consuming,
asthe printers often do not work properly and computers are old.
Courses
Course
code &
name
Master/
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisites
Approved
as
Comments
20430 Digital
Marketing &
ECommerce
Advanced
Master
100%
written
exam, 60
minutes
None
Elective
Did this course as a
nonattending
student, so cannot
comment upon the
lectures.
Interesting topic, but
boring book (for
nonattending
students).
20292
Innovation In
Services
Master
50% group
work
50%
written
exam, 60
minutes
None
Elective
Very interesting course
and good lecturer.
Interesting project work
(analyzing an innovative
service). Combines
theory and practice, as
vabout half the lectures
are guest lecturers from
different sectors.
Recommended.
20237
Management
of Fashion
and Luxury
Companies
Master
50% group
work
50%
written
exam, 60
minutes
None
Elective
This course is interesting
if you are into the
industry. Many consider
this course a must
considering that Milan is
one of the world’s
fashion capitals. We
learned a lot about
different fashion and
luxury brands. Not very
academically advanced.
Group work is quite big
and we were not given
many guidelines. The
lecturer is
knowledgeable about
the topic.
20423 Social
Life of
Information:
Internet In
Companies
Master
90% group
10% peer
Review
work
None
Elective
A very practical course.
We learned about how
to implement and use
technology and Internet
in firms and related
topics such as search
engines, social media
(very basic), etc. Project
work is based on
transforming a
traditional company into
a “modern” one using
technology.
No readings, but small
assignments were
sometimes given, which
were helpful for the
project. Some company
visits. Mandatory
attendance if you are an
attending student.
20235
Management
Consulting
Master
45% group
work (30%
+ 15%)
55%
written
exam
None
Elective
Very open and
interesting course. Two
good teachers, which
aim to create lots of
classdiscussions.
The project work is
however very time
consuming, and you
have to work in groups
of 68 people, which
might be challenging.
20125
Channel
Marketing
Master
40% group
work
60% final
exam
None
Elective
You will be working on 3
different projects about
a retail store in Italy. The
case is up to date and
interesting, however it is
hard to work in a group
with 79 people. The
teacher is very
dedicated, he loves
when people are
prepared for class and
he is always available for
questions. The exam
was good, just the right
level of expectations.
20428
Pricing
Management
Master
50% group
work
40%
individual
assignment
10%
written
exam
You
should
know how
to work in
Excel.
Elective
You will be working on 3
projects in a group of 7
students. It is very hard
to work in a group when
the task is in Excel.
However, you will
manage. The class is
interesting, but it is
harder than it seems.
The individual
assignment took us by
surprise and many
people struggled. It is
great if you are used to
work in Excel when
taking this class.
20429
Sales
Management
Master
100%
written
exam
None
Elective
In this class you get to
be a part of a simulation
game, it was really fun!
The classes are fine,
very theoretical so it can
be a big hard, but the
simulation game take up
a big part of the
semester, so it is worth
it, and you earn a lot
from it. The teacher
loves sales, so he is all
in. We also had some
good guest speakers.
20491
Social
Entrepreneur
ship and
Impact
Master
40% final
exam
10%
inclass
assignment
50% group
assignment
None
Elective
The class is very
theoretical but you are
assigned a real social
entrepreneurial project
from an incubator to
develop their Social
Business Plan. The
course is relatively easy
and I recommend it only
if you are interested in
the topic. Guest lectures
are developed and an
incompany training was
carried out in another
part of Italy (Tuscany).
Final note
Overall, the exchange in Bocconi has been a very nice experiences with some challenges. The
school has good level but the main challenges are in terms of the large groups that are
assigned for the final projects and the layout of the university that makes it difficult to study at
school. However, the level of the professors is good and they have great network with the
business world, which results in interesting guest lectures.
In terms of culture, Milan offers a mix of culture, fashion, and great food. The aperitivo places
are pleasant ways to meet with friends in a cheap way, while having good food and drinks. The
university prepares a lot of events so the Erasmus people will almost always have things to do.
Challenges are mainly related to housing and sometimes language. Even though, with a low
level of Italian there are no problems to live in Milan.