First impressions of the exchange program at EDHEC Business School
Daria Akhmetova, a 3rd-year student of the "Business Administration" program, shares where the university is located, gives a short campus tour, and talks about her first two weeks of studies at EDHEC Business School.
My name is Daria Akhmetova, I study Business Administration, and in my third year, I went on an exchange program from the HSE Business School to EDHEC Business School (Lille) in the fall of 2020.
I chose France because I studied French in school. Besides that, EDHEC Business School ranks high in various international rankings. The preparation took quite a bit of time. First, it was necessary to collect the entire package of documents to apply for the mobility program. I managed to gather everything and was accepted to EDHEC as my first-choice option. Then I had to go through the entire process of applying for a student visa, which wasn’t easy given the pandemic situation. I also had to find housing and solve other formal matters. The departure was nerve-wracking: there were very few flight tickets and they were expensive, and the issue with housing wasn’t resolved until the very day of departure. But in the end, I managed to overcome all these challenges.
EDHEC is located 30 minutes from the city of Lille, and on the way there is a very picturesque park where students often gather for picnics or just to take a walk. The university campus itself is also beautiful: right in front of the university’s impressive semi-circular glass building, there’s a huge green lawn where students usually spend their breaks. On campus, in addition to academic buildings and dorms, there is a large sports center with various gyms and a swimming pool, which all students can access.
The study process overall is quite similar to what we’re used to at HSE: lots of group projects and case studies. The professors are usually active industry professionals, so they are well-versed in current trends. In grading formulas, exams weigh most heavily, and don’t expect high marks—the French philosophy is “there’s always room for improvement.” Also, keep in mind that French people answer emails very slowly—in this country, no one’s really in a rush.
I also want to highlight the value of new connections: each semester, a lot of exchange students study at EDHEC. This provides a great opportunity to interact not only with locals but also with students from other countries, mostly from Europe. The students are usually open and eager to make the most out of their mobility, which makes it really interesting to spend time with them. I made friends with students from Italy, Germany, Croatia, and of course, France. Although the French aren’t always keen to speak English, the French students at EDHEC were always happy to suggest places to visit, recommend traditional dishes, and offer help with other matters. Together with other exchange students, we visited cities in Belgium (which is very close—only an hour by bus), as well as famous sights in France. Transportation in France is very well-developed: it’s always possible to find cheap bus or train tickets. There was enough time for fun and travel—even though the schedule was busy, you could always find 1–2 days a week for leisure.
After arriving in France, all my fears about the language barrier quickly disappeared. No one scolds you for making mistakes—everyone speaks at their own level, and everyone understands each other. And in the worst case, you can always look up a word in a translator. I was also able to improve my French, since I had to solve many everyday issues (like opening a bank account, getting a SIM card, shopping, etc.) in French. By the way, if you haven’t studied French before, EDHEC offers beginner language courses.
All in all, I was left with mostly positive impressions of the program. However, the introduction of lockdown and curfews in France significantly affected my experience. Because of this, most of the studies were conducted online and travel was restricted.
Daria's feedback
Video: Daria Akhmetova