The Best Business School in France Past Review

By Ann-Catherine N (Finance, University of Tennessee - Chattanooga) for

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: French Alps, France

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned a lot about French culture, A TON about business and how to cooperate with others from different countries. The experience was fantastic overall. The traveling was amazing, and Grenoble is a gorgeous place to study. I have a brand new perspective on the U.S. and traveling in general.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	At the Grenoble Ecole de Management, the classes were much more challenging than anticipated. The other international students are very talented, and there are a lot of group projects. You must have a strong economics and finance background. The classes were much less organized than in the U.S. and the professors aren't easy to get a hold of. The professors are from all over the world and are the best, though. Most of the classes are graded by group projects and one major exam. Also, most classes are taught by about 3 or 4 different professors, so you get some really different perspectives.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The CEA director was awkward and not always helpful. However, the school had great administrators that were willing to help and were usually available.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
Language acquisition improvement?	I took one second-level French class and spoke French with locals a bit. I lived with Americans so it was hard to really dive into the language. I learned a lot, but definitely didn't return fluent.
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Budget extremely well, don't buy a Eurail pass unless you are able to plan way in advance, and start studying for exams early.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Economic Environment of the European Union
Course Department:	BIB
Instructor:	Multiple
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Very challenging. The teachers are demanding, the final exam is mostly essay and there is a major paper. I learned A LOT in this course though. It was great to learn about the EU.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No problem.

Course Name/Rating:	International Finance
Course Department:	BIB
Instructor:	Multiple
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was extremely challenging. I learned so much about finance, even as a finance major, and I feel great that I learned so much from a European perspective. The final is very challenging and the course is structured very loosely. Overall, the professors are hard to understand, but world-renowned.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No problem.

Course Name/Rating:	Innovation and New Product Design
Course Department:	BIB
Instructor:	Multiple
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was fabulous. It really got me thinking about innovation, design, and management of innovation within a firm. It was a fabulous course with amazing professors.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No problem.