A Blog about Education Abroad

Category: Winter / Summer School Postings

Marco Kruger at ESSEC Business School, France

Marco Kruger

BCom International Business

Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2022 at ESSEC Business School

Pre-departure:

Preparing to study in France was quite a stressful time for me. First one has to go through Campus France to get a certificate confirming that you will study in France (EEF certificate) which is amended to the visa application. Then you have the visa application itself which is stressful because by the time you get to this step, it will be very close to your departure date. So, my biggest advice would be to read up on the whole process very early and have a visa appointment scheduled at least four weeks before your estimated departure date, even if you haven’t started the process yet!

As a general rule, many administrative processes will from there onward be done in French. Don’t use travel agents for your airplane tickets rather go to the airline’s site to get the best prices, but I would suggest doing it on a private browser so that they don’t use your cookies to manipulate prices. I would also suggest getting a global account at whichever bank you currently bank with, so that you don’t pay huge transaction fees when spending abroad. Even if you plan on opening a French Bank Account (it will take a while before you can use it) I would also recommend getting an eSIM before you get to Europe, which allows you data plans all across Europe and can be really affordable. This will keep you in touch with the world, but also allow you enough time to make the right decision regarding a more permanent prepaid SIM and provider.

Don’t pack too many summer clothes if you are doing a fall semester abroad, trust me you will not wear all of it. When winter comes you end up wearing one or two coats every day (which you might as well buy that side too as a souvenir) and a scarf, thermals and gloves (trust me on the gloves). Finally, registering for modules is a massive headache. ESSEC only provides a limited number of seats for all their elective courses, which you will have to choose from. So, before going to France they have two registration rounds where it is first-come-first-serve for getting a seat for a module you want to take. Be ready to put in all your module codes at once or else you’ll have to compromise like most of us ended up having to do.

Experience at the host university:

My modules at ESSEC Business School included: Socially Responsible Marketing; Introduction to CSR; AI for Business; Sustainable Development; Upper Intermediate French; Public Policy and Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Strategic Management; and French Civilization. Among these I would firstly recommend French Civilization since it was a chance to explore French culture and meet new people – we had a cheese tasting in class once and a tour of Paris in another. Then I most certainly recommend the AI for Business one, because it was so enlightening and relevant, and the professors gamified the whole curriculum to make it more interactive. In general, I would not advise taking economics, law or finance modules if you want more than just an academic semester abroad. Many of my peers were very negative at having chosen some of these harder modules.

The learning approach at ESSEC was more go through theory and then apply to different cases and then finish with a class discussion. You will have groupwork projects in every module and have to present something to the class every now and then, but these are all just life skills that any manager needs. I also want to mention that you will have one class for each module you take, every week. Each class is three hours, and the schedule runs from 9:00 to 19:30 and this is super taxing if you take modules that fill up a whole day. Yes, that could secure you a longer weekend or rest day, but many times my peers felt that it wasn’t really worth it.

Marco on the Seine

ESSEC had a very interesting social committee system with two parties (The Vikings and Pirates) competing in a campaign at the end of the fall semester to win the votes for organizing ESSEC social events the following period–which meant lots of free things, and interesting events. This kept us busy, and they also offered many free training programs for sports and other activities like Latin-American dance. The lecturers and alumni of ESSEC are also such a valuable asset and network opportunity, since ESSEC is currently (2022) in the top 3 business schools in France. Also, don’t trust the French when they say we’ll have a big barbeque, it’s nothing like a normal South African braai.

Return to Stellenbosch:

Coming back to Stellenbosch, I was extremely excited to see all my friends and peers again. Since most graduated and luckily many got in for honors, the fact that IB is four years and not three, really gets to you. But I think that having done the exchange in third year and not deferring it to fourth year gave me a lot of clarity on what I want to do after graduating. Having chosen the very specialized modules relating to sustainability and CSR, I discovered a passion to workout strategies of becoming more sustainable, circular and responsible. Thus, I have decided to go back to France for a Masters in either of those fields. And having found out about some bursaries on offer from the French Embassy I have become all the more intrigued.

On a more cultural level, coming back to Stellenbosch has also shown me how the university life and all its doings create a type of bubble that most students are trapped in. They get so focused on minor residence leadership or faculty leadership and activities, etc. that they miss out on some international opportunities that I was able to see more clearly while abroad. It also feels like students have less of an actual awareness of what the labour market will require of them and many think that simply their degree will be enough. But as a student of business that has been abroad, I have realized that we can in no way compete with international students at universities abroad, because most have at least four months of experience when they finish their undergrad studies, while we have none. But all in all, I still think that Stellenbosch University is the best university in South Africa and that its beauty can’t even be outweighed by European landscapes. And so, coming back has made me expectant and excited to make the best of my final year.

September 19, 2023
Michelle Chidavaenzi at ESSEC Business School, Morocco

Pre-Departure:

Morocco ESSEC Business School was the destination, and I was beyond excited! My mind was skyrocketing with images of what the whole experience would be like.

First things first: finding out if I required a visa. Visa processing was the most stressful, as the Embassy was in Pretoria. Amidst classes and approaching exams, it all seemed impossible. However, asking questions really helped. It also really helped to have two other students attending. Although we worked and travelled individually, it was amazing to know we could help each other when we felt stuck.

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September 20, 2022
Nina Robinson at EM Strasbourg, France

Pre-departure

As part of Stellenbosch’s International Business degree, students are given the opportunity to spend a semester abroad. It was the semester I’d been waiting for since applying for the degree, and it is still hard to believe that it’s over. Since First year I’d dream of spending my exchange in France, so I chose Strasbourg as the city where I’d be staying for the next four months.

Once getting accepted into EM Strasbourg, all the organising, planning and appointments started tumbling in. I could finally focus on researching and getting excited about one specific place: Strasbourg. Getting a French visa was a very smooth process. I did it all through Capago in Cape Town and had my visa within three weeks.

One of the more stressful parts pre-departure was securing accommodation and doing research on which accommodation would most suit me in Strasbourg. The university offers student accommodation which is definitely the most affordable option. However, it works on a first come first serve basis, so if you are thinking about staying in a residence you need to make sure you are sitting at your computer the moment the application opens. I stayed in a residence called Paul Appell. It was perfectly located being a 15 minute walk to the school and a 15 walk to the heart of town. There is also a university restaurant in the residence which offers three course meals for 3,30 euro! Other residences that I would recommend would be La Marne and La Somme, both of which are situated directly opposite the school but are a bit further from the center of town. There are also a lot of private accommodation options if you don’t think a residence would suit you. Many students stayed in shared apartments with other exchanges or French students which is a very nice way to get to know locals.

I left for Strasbourg at the end of August, and it was still 30 degree weather. So make sure you pack clothes to get you through some hotter days. I would recommend buying a winter coat there as there are so many better equipped (and fashionable) options available. I flew Emirates, which meant I was allowed two check in bags (something that you will be very thankful for when coming home). Strasbourg airport is very small and didn’t have many flights flying into it, so I flew to Frankfurt and then took a Lufthansa bus to Strasbourg which was a very quick and easy option.

Living and studying in Strasbourg

Studying at EM Strasbourg was very different to Stellenbosch- but in the best way. The school itself is not situated on the main campus, but instead a few minutes walk away. It’s a very impressive and modern building where most exchanges had all their classes. Classes were a big shock to me. Most classes are either 3 or 4 hours long and have only about 25 students in them- all of which are exchanges. I was expecting to have class with some French students, but all the classes offered to us were solely for exchange students and therefore taught in English. Having such a small class was quite difficult at first as it meant a lot of participating and engagement, which does not happen in a usual 200 student lecture. This ended up being a great way to meet people as after a 3 hour lecture all 25 of you have no option but to get to know each other.

The courses that EM offer are one of my favorite things about the school. They are so diverse and were so different to any courses I have previously taken. The courses I chose were Introduction to European Economic Policy, which gave me an insight into the inner workings of the European Union (especially interesting due to Brexit); Economy of Happiness; French B1; Intercultural Management; Business negotiations and Grape and Wine Knowledge. My personal favorites were Business Negotiations which included workshops where we got into groups of six and role played business negotiators. Grape and Wine Knowledge was another favorite as Alsace is main wine region in France and the course included a wine tasting in a beautiful wine producing town called Ribeauvillé.

Strasbourg is incredibly central within Europe, which meant that weekend travels were very easy for us. We took full advantage of all the budget transport options such as FlixBus and Ryanair which allow you to travel to most cities very cheaply. I was fortunate enough to travel to Germany, Poland, Denmark and discover a lot of France.

The French culture is something that took a while to get used to, and also really made me appreciate South Africa and cultures back home. Most people in Strasbourg don’t tolerate a lot of English- specifically when doing any admin regarding university accommodation. The residence’s reception, grocery stores and restaurants only spoke French and most of the time wouldn’t attempt any English. This really did force me out of my comfort zone as I had no other option but to practice my French. The language barrier is very real, but apps such as Duolingo is very a good tool to start learning the basics of the language.

Strasbourg itself really does look like something out of a fairytale. There are canals that form what is called ‘Le Grand Île’, with picture perfect bridges and Hansel and Gretel looking houses. The city is small enough that you get to know your way around pretty quickly, but by the time I’d left I still hadn’t discovered half the things there is to see. My favourite time of being in Strasbourg definitely has to be December. The city transforms into an actual winter wonderland with Europe’s biggest Christmas market open every day for a whole month and the most magical Christmas lights hanging in every street. My favourite memories are my friends and I gathering at the markets with our Vin Chaud, strolling through the festive streets.

Returning home

I was lucky enough not to have felt very homesick while I was away. I adapted to my new life in Strasbourg quickly and found comfort in a group of other exchanges who became like a second family. Saying goodbye to Strasbourg and everyone I had met there was emotional and knowing that this experience that I had waited three years for was actually coming to an end was a very surreal thought. However, the thought of returning home was also very exciting as it meant seeing friends and family again and enjoying a month of summer holiday.

I’m not going to lie though; the actual return home was a bit underwhelming and anticlimactic. I remember before leaving on exchange, a previous student told me that coming home felt like stepping off those moving ramps you get at airports- and that couldn’t be a more accurate description. For the last four months your life has been a whirlwind of traveling, meeting new people, learning new things and being completely independent. Coming back home and having that all stop comes as a bit of a shock to the system. Exchange exceeded all my expectations and I couldn’t be more grateful for this experience. It inspired me to open up options of going abroad after studying, but it also made me appreciate South Africa and everything that this country has to offer.

August 4, 2020