STUDENT REPORT FROM REIMS MANAGEMENT SCHOOL
Name of university:
Students from BI:
Exchange period:
Reims Management School (RMS)
Cathrine Fossaa Utne, Ravnit Kaur and Hanne Seljelid
15th of September to 14th of December 2011
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Reims Management School is a business school in the city of Reims in the ChampagneArdenne region of France. The school is a grande école and has three international
accreditations. It has two campuses; both situated about ten minutes by tram from the
city center. Both have a good standard with cafeterias that serve big and cheap lunches
with great variety. The library is open from 9 AM to 7 PM and closed on the weekends,
and you need to carry cash to pay for food, drinks, and copies at school.
The number of student enrolled is
4200 and this year it was 140
exchange students. The exchange
students followed a program called
Sup de Co, and we could choose
courses in both French and English.
We had all of our classes mostly with
other exchange students, which made
it easy to get to know the other
international students and learn about
different cultures. It was about 25
students in each class, which created a good and safe environment. During the semester
we also had the opportunity to participate in a French language course once a week.
THE CITY OF REIMS
Reims is the “capital” of the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, which is the area
where champagne is produced. It is located 130 kilometers northeast of Paris and is only
a 45-minute train ride away from the capital of France. Reims has a population of about
200 000, and is a very beautiful and charming city. Among other things, you can find the
spectacular Notre Dame cathedral where all the French kings have been crowned trough
history. People in general speak little or no English in Reims, but if you learn a few
words in French you will be okay. An exchange to RMS is therefore a good way to
practice and learn the French language.
The champagne culture dominates the area, and all the major champagne houses have
their offices and champagne cellars in the city. Cathrine and Hanne lived across the
street from the famous Mumm champagne castle. The cellars are open for visitors to see
and also to taste the champagne of the different producers.
Eating and drinking out is quite cheap, and you can have a lot of nice meals without
spending too much. There are a lot of restaurants and bars in the center of Reims, and it
is not uncommon to see the French people with a glass of wine in their hand or a
baguette under their arm. There are also a lot of bakeries and chocolate shops.
The weather in Reims is generally very nice and warm. We experienced summer and sun
until the middle of October, and then mild temperatures until we left in December.
There were very few days of rain or bad weather, and no snow.
Reims center is made up of one main street with a lot of
restaurants and bars, and smaller streets around with
shops. There is a nice selection of clothing shops, among
others H&M, Zara, Galeries Lafayette, and other known
French stores. There is also an IKEA in Reims. From the
end of November and until Christmas, there is a lovely
Christmas market in the main street where you can buy
gifts, chocolate, and warm red wine. Last year the city also
got a tram that passes trough the center, and is helpful in
getting around. Reims has two main train stations, one in
the center and one 20 minutes by tram from the center.
This make is easy to travel to Paris and other cities in
France such as Strasbourg and Lyon.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
We received a lot of information before we arrived in Reims, and also chose the courses
we wanted to take months in advance. This made it possible to plan our journey,
vacations, and visits from Norway in good time before we left. We did not need a visa or
any other documents to live and study in France.
When it comes to housing, we could apply for student housing near the campus before
the summer. Ravnit chose this option, and Cathrine and Hanne chose to find an
apartment on their own in the city center. For both options it is important to apply and
search early.
The student campus is located two minutes
from the school, and it is 10 minutes by
tram from the city center and is somewhat
secluded from the city. The building is
brand new and you get your own
apartment with a kitchen and bathroom. It
is a very social place to live and close to the
school. The apartments cost 366 euros per
month.
Cathrine and Hanne shared an apartment in the city center in a place called Résidence
Hôtelière de Champ de Mars. This was in walking distance to restaurants, shopping,
bars, and the train station. It takes 10 minutes by tram to the school, but the trams are
very frequent and leave every three minutes. We had an apartment with our own
bedroom and bathroom, and shared a fully equipped kitchen. The apartment cost 360
euros per person per month. The receptionist is very helpful and speaks very good
English. The apartment building is located close to a large Carrefour market with a huge
selection of food.
SCHOOL
The semester is divided into four sessions and each last for three weeks. Some of the
courses may last for a shorter period, and then you have a vacation before the next
session starts.
The first two days of school in September was introduction days where we got a lot of
practical information, met the other students, and had a visit to the champagne cellars of
Pommery. We also got help to create a French bank account.
The courses are taught in either French or English, but we only chose courses in English
during our semester. The courses are more practical and applied than the courses at BI
and we found this to be a very positive and fun way of teaching. The teachers are very
friendly and helpful, and good at explaining the theories and giving examples from real
life. Below is a list over the courses we chose.
 International Business
o Evaluation method
 Oral group presentations
 Written individual assignment
 Hand-in of summaries of articles
 Class participation
o Our opinion
 A lot of work and time-consuming
 Strict teacher
 Applied and interesting
 Managing Innovation
o Evaluation method
 Oral group
presentations
 Written individual
assignment
 Hand-in of summaries
of articles
 Class participation
o Our opinion
 A lot of work and time-consuming
 Strict teacher – same teacher as in International Business
 Applied and interesting
 Strategic Marketing
o Evaluation method
 Class participation
 Written group assignment
 Results from a simulation game – The Marketing Game
o Our opinion
 Fun class
 Very good and charismatic teacher
 Used a simulation game to apply the theory in practice
 International Performance Management
o Evaluation method
 Written group assignment
 Written individual exam
o Our opinion
 Nice teacher
 A lot of work
 Entrepreneurship
o Evaluation method
 Class participation
 Written individual assignment
 Group presentation
 Written exam
o Our opinion
 Fun and interesting
 Good teacher
 Marketing Business to Business
o Evaluation method
 Group assignments
 Written exam
 Class participation
o Our opinion
 Had three different teachers
 A lot of group work in class
OTHER EXPERIENCES FROM OUR EXCHANGE TO REIMS
During the semester in Reims we had several vacations between the different courses.
We usually travelled around France and Europe, or got visits from friends and family.
One week we rented a car and visited the neighbor city of Epernay and drove the famous
“Champagne Route” through several smaller champagne villages and cellars. Here is the
house of Möet & Chandon, and this is a good way to experience the French culture. We
also visited Versailles where students from RMS get free access to the whole castle.
To sum up, we would highly recommend Reims as the choice for your exchange. You will
get to experience a lot of the French culture, travel, have interesting courses, and a lot of
fun.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Cathrine Fossaa Utne:
Ravnit Kaur:
Hanne Seljelid:
All the exchange students, 2011
cathrine_utne@hotmail.com
ravnit.kaur@hotmail.com
hanne.seljelid@gmail.com