20122013
Student Report- Double Degree
at EDHEC Business School, Lille,
France
BI Norwegian Business School
2012-2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
-
When and how did you receive information from the exchange university?
o The first information I got was during the information meeting at BI in the
beginning of the year. We got information concerning the school and its
opportunities. After the meeting I went on the school webpage and did some
information seeking about the different courses and specializations in order to
make my choice.
We got the first information directly from the school when the nomination process started.
Unfortunately there was a lack of information and uncertainty arose.
-
Any difficulties in preparing (application, housing, contact, courses, etc)?
o The first difficulty was the application process:

We had issues with the information flow. There was little concrete
information from the school about the process; so many questions were
asked to them. Finally the conclusion ended up to be that we had to
send two applications, one with mail and one over Internet.

The internet application was not that hard to fill out, not hard to
register for the courses either.
o The second issue was about housing contract.

You get documents in French and it’s hard to understand everything.
So use google translate or ask the lady responsible for the housing for
an English version. This is not a legal version but make you understand
the particulars in the main contracts.
Travel
-
How did you travel to your destination? Any problems?
o The first transport was from Gardermoen to Paris (Charles De Gaulle), from
here I used fast train (TGV) to Lille. It will arrive downtown Lille. From here,
I suggest using “Tram” (Green line) to Roubaix. It will take a little more time,
but you will have a much easier way with your suitcases. From “Clinique du
Parc” you have a 10 min walk to the school and your housing.
Housing
-
Did the university provide housing, or did you have to find your own housing?
o From www.netedhec.com , (you will have access during the spring) you can
get a recipe on how to book on campus housing. This is really easy and they
help you a lot with questions during the summer.
Costs
-
Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
NOK app.
3500
Books
NOK, 0
Food
NOK, 2000
Transport
NOK, 50
Other
NOK, 1000
Culture and language
-
Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
o If you will participate in Strategy and Organizational Consultancy you will
have a really helpful secretary. She speaks English fluently and has no
problems with answering many questions. Use also the international
coordinators at EDHEC at the international office.
-
How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
o You will have so much to do, that you will have little time in experience the
culture in a broad sense. You have to be in every class and you will have
assignments during many weekends. On the other hand, if you get to know
some people with car, many stores and shopping malls are close by. If you are
interested in cycling, you will live only 20 min walk from the velodrome in
the famous race: Paris- Roubaix.
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?
o First of all, the French school is built up completely differently then the
Norwegian one. You have to be in every class, the class starts at 10 and
usually ends late evening, around 6pm. On the other hand, you experience to
work with many different people from different cultures that give you new
input about the world outside of Norway. You will also be forced to do 30-40
presentations per semester (one every day approx..) All these experiences will
be useful for you when you are going to search for a job. It will boost your
career to say that you have been to a school with so many different cultures,
and with so much group works and with the cultural barriers that is present.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
-
The School & Surroundings
Situated in the suburban area of Croix, a little away from the main city of
Lille, EDHEC has a beautiful campus, sitting in a lush green park, in a quiet locale.
The campus has the school building of course, the administration building, a Student
Life building, a Business Incubator, a ‘Manoir’ or a mansion like structure used for
some special conferences etc. and the campus residences. There are 3 residential
buildings.
The surrounding area is a residential location, and is quiet. There are 2 tram stations
and 2 metro stations equally distant form the school, but which require a walk of
about 10-12 mins. The nearest grocery store is some 500-600 metres away, while
hypermarkets like Intermarche and Carrefour City are at a distance of 1-1.5 kms,
walking being the only means to get there, unless you cycle or drive.
The campus itself is large and provides a good serene and natural environment for a
quiet stroll.
Lille, the main city is about a dozen tram stations away from EDHEC and offers you
many hang-out options, restaurants, clubs etc. and museums and some monuments as
well. Lille is an excellent city to be in, if you have travel on mind. It is very well
connected by train/bus to many major European cities.
-
Current faculty divisions and special areas
EDHEC offers a wide range of courses. ESPEME or the bachelors, the MiM or the
Masters in Management, the MSc courses, the Global MBA, the Executive MBA,
PhD, and also summer programs. The Lille campus offers the Business Management
Track. The following MSc courses are available :
 MS. In Strategy and Organization Consultancy (SOC in short)
 MSc. In Law and Tax Management
 MSc. In Arts and NGO Management
 MSc. In Entrepreneurship
 MSc. In Marketing Management
The faculty is quite good for the all the courses. All the professors are well qualified
and have relevant industry experience as well. There is a lot of visiting faculty from
world known institutions as well. The teaching method is mostly case based and
practical with a lot of group work and presentations involved.
-
Approx. number of students (graduate and undergraduate) and number of
exchange students
About 35% of all the students at EDHEC are international. Though I don’t have the
exact number of exchange students and the total number of students at EDHEC, there
are 103 students in the MSc SOC course.
-
Study structure
The studies at EDHEC are very intense. The workload, at least on the SOC course is
significantly higher than what I experienced at BI. The teaching is mostly case based
and practical. It involves a lot of teamwork, and projects to complete in strict
deadlines. You will almost always be occupied with some deadline or the other
approaching. There are a lot of presentations too, and class participation carries 35%
of the final grade. You will always have to be on your toes, and remain busy. Lecture
slides and cases are the main study materials.
Course registration
-
As Double Degree students we could register for our course before coming to the
school, and the method was quite straightforward, and was online, and there were no
hassles in doing so. We were also provided with our Learning Agreements
beforehand. There was also a period of time after having come to EDHEC, during
which we could address any issues with the courses, add or drop subjects etc. This
period was about 15 days and was dealt with quite well by the international office.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of 1st Semester:
Examination period:
August 2012
Any special events/holidays:
Mid Term Break (Oct 26 to Nov
2, 2012)
Sept. 4, 2012
Dec. 15, 2012
Dec 13, 2012 to Dec 15, 2012
Arrival
- The arrival of international students was handled well. The administration and the
faculty had all relevant information about students, and our student cards were also
kept ready. There was also a pick up service for international students arriving after
Aug 26, however, I could not avail of it as I reached before that.
- The students in the student -associations were a part of initiating international students
into the system. The student organization arranged a lot of parties and events
especially for international students.
- There was a social event like sports, barbeque, parties during the introduction week.
The MSc. SOC course also organized a bowling game for all the students to ease them
into the atmosphere.
The International Office
- There is an international office. The people at the international office are really cordial
and good to talk to, and do help out with any issues
- We received a brochure and maps of the school, and also information about the visa
processes and housing allowance application, and it was in English at least.
Promoting BI and Norway
EDHEC organized an international fair, where all exchange students got to represent
their respective universities, display brochures, and answer questions for EDHEC students
planning to go on an exchange. We also participated in that fair, held on Dec. 11.
Promotional material like brochures and handouts were sent to us from BI, and we set up a
stall and answered some questions. In addition to this, I also received a couple of emails from
a student looking to go on an exchange and who wanted information about BI to make a
decision. I helped her with her questions.
Social activities
-
-
-
-
There is a cordial relation with native students, however, more often than not the
French students hang out among themselves, more so because they prefer to speak
French as much as possible. Having said that, there are a number of natives in my
course who are very cordial, open and speak fine English, and mingle with everyone.
In the first semester, the groups we worked on for the classes, had about 50% French
people, so that there is a mix of international and native people working together, This
helped in experiencing different work cultures.
The relationship among exchange students has been good. The international bunch
does tend to congregate together, however, we do mix with the French students as
well.
There are a number of student associations in EDHEC, and if you are on a double
degree, you can join some associations which recruit non-french speakers as members
as well. Other than that, exchange students are always welcome to be a part of the
various events organized by the associations.
There was a welcome cocktail on the first day of school, for all exchange students and
international students. Apart from that, Open Up, the student association, organizes a
number of events like parties, trips etc. for international students.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
When you are in France, you will know that people here like speaking French only.
Sometimes, when the professor asks a question, one student will hand up and answer in
French. This is not a joke, and it happened in the Law and Taxation Management class. Even
when they speak English, they have a very strong French accent. At the beginning of the
semester, you’ll find it quite difficult to understand both the questions and the answers.
However, after one to two weeks, most international students get used to the French accent.
EDHEC has a similar level of study compared to BI, and it is more practical than theoretical.
You will find yourself embraced by three to four cases at the same time, but they give you
helpful information about the industry. Also professors use many cases in class and they have
a great knowledge about the industry in France, since many of them work as professional
consultants and help companies solve problems.
In French, there are two ways to address “you”, which are “vous” and “tu”. “Vous” is used to
address people who are older or socially higher than you. It is quite obvious that you should
use “vous” to address your professors and show your respect to them. However, professors
are quite approachable now, and you don’t have to be very cautious and nervous when talking
to them. Just be yourself.
There are many international students in EDHEC, and if you are not studying Law and
Taxation Management, you will always find some international students and become friends
with them. Some French students are very open and would like to talk to you, if you meet one
or two of them, you are very lucky. You will know a lot about French culture, French wine,
French food and French people from them. You will also hang out with them, and enjoy the
night life, especially when everything here is cheaper than Norway. However, you will notice
that many French students have their own friends, and they speak French 24/7.
Course materials
It seems that you don’t have to buy any textbook when you’re exchanging in EDHEC, and
many course materials are published online through a studying platform called “Blackboard”.
You will find web links, email address book, PowerPoint, Words, PDF, even some videos on
it. Most of them are in English, and some of them for your interest would be in French.
Exams
Professors are very nice and they won’t try to fail you by giving very difficult but useless
questions in exams. You will find that exams here are very practical and give you a lot of
space to answer the questions by expressing your own opinions. Many courses don’t have a
mid-term exam or quiz, as they are replaced by many case studies. Presentations and group
work are highly involved in the course. Class attendance is compulsory, and don’t be
surprised when you see the attendance list every class.
Activities outside of the classroom can be very exciting too. You can go travelling with some
international student organisations, do sports in the gym, and participate in some business
competition. As Lille is close to Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany, you will have a lot of
chances to explore many beautiful cities.
Library and technology
If you are coming to EDHEC, before that I’d highly recommend you to enjoy your library in
BI, because here the library is very small, and doesn’t have too many books for you. If you
want to study, the library is a quiet place but only a few seats for the early birds. There are
also many other open places for discussing and studying on each floor. On the ground floor,
there’s a computer room, where hundreds of computers will take at least 5 minutes to show
you the Windows desktop. So far, we haven’t found any possibility to print files using your
computers, even though your computer is connected to the student WIFI network.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Master/
Bachelor
Master
Exam form
M2BMS1-LTM - Intellectual
Property Law in Globalized
and Digital Economies
Master
3-hour written
exam
None
Compulsory
M2BMS1-LTM- Strategies
in Litigation, Arbitration
and ADR
M2BMS1-LTM- Advanced
competition law procedures and strategies
Master
3-hour written
exam
None
Compulsory
Very light
workload
Master
Final project
None
Compulsory
Many cases
involved in class
Strategy & Business
Modelling
Master
None
Compulsory
Mergers, Acquisitions &
Strategic Alliances
Master
None
Compulsory
Organizational
Performance
Master
None
Compulsory
Corporate Finance
Master
Strategic Analysis and
Critical Thinking
Master
Due Diligence
Master
Presentation
Class
Participation
Final exam
Presentation
Class
Participation
Final exam
Class Work
Participation
Final Project
Presentation
Class
Participation
Final exam
Presentation
Class Work
Class
Participation
Final exam
Presentation
Class
Participation
Final exam
M2BMS1-LTM- Law &
Strategy
Final project
Prerequisites Approved
as
None
Compulsory
Comments
Introductory
course for the
major
A lot of notes to
read
Case Based
Case Based
None
Compulsory
Case Based
None
Compulsory
Case Based
None
Compulsory