Rouen Business School (NEOMA)

Exchange Report Fall 2013 Rouen Business School (NEOMA) Management Grande Ecole Programme AU Carinne (BBA FINA & OM) 2014-03-04

Part 1 Rouen Business School RBS has recently undergone a merger with Reims Management School (also in France) and it is now called NEOMA Business School. It is a highly regarded (and expensive) school among the French and Europeans. It is located an hour away from Paris by train in the small yet adorable city of Rouen. The school is known for its incredibly large proportion of exchange students (incoming and outgoing as well). If you would like to get away from busy bustling cities and enjoy life in a town-like atmosphere, then this is the place for you! I loved my time in France and I hope you will too! Part 2 General Administrative Information 1) Visa Procedures This does not apply to me as I am an EU citizen, unfortunately I cannot advise much on this area. If you do not hold an EU passport, you must apply for a long stay student visa (more than 3 months). RBS is incredibly helpful on OFII and health checkup procedures after your arrival in France. 2) Insurance and Banking The student insurance (210 euros) is MANDATORY. You can pay it at the school office with credit card. Upon arrival, the bank will also set up a counter for you to open account. Use BNP Paribas, instructions are fairly straightforward but all in French! We use google translate! Or make a French friend! 3) Orientation Activities They were conducted during the first couple of days after arrival. Orientation is with local French freshmen so this is a wonderful opportunity to talk to other people and exchange students as well. There is also a French Intensive session for the first weekend which is also important as knowing some basic French is essential for survival. (Local people dislike speaking English) 4) Accommodation and Housing Subsidy (CAF) There are many choices including Ango, Panomara, Pleaide, and Bois. I lived in Ango Residence and it was an excellent choice. You have your own kitchenette, small fridge, and sink. The room is 9m2, sufficiently spacious. You would share your bathroom and shower with one person (most likely another exchange student). They provide bedding and blankets but you must buy your own pillow. It is approximately about 230 euros per month but there is government subsidy (called CAF) which would refund ~90/month back. Just follow the application instructions given by the Program Coordinator and ask her if you run into any trouble

Ango and Pleaide are good choices as they are close to school (within 10 mins walking) and out in the open. Ango also has the best wifi connection for 20 euros/month. I advise against choosing Bois as it is situated next to woods and can be very dark at night. There was a period of robbery in residential areas (particularly Bois) targeting Asian students so please be careful. On another note, laundry is quite expensive, a load costs about 5-6 euros so I never used the machines and hand-washed everything myself. Part 3 Courses / Assessment / Credits Transfer I took 9 courses during my term. This sounds like a lot but it is much less workload compared to UST, and the pace is relatively slow. Classes are once a week and 3 hours per session, this could get very.long. Attendance is mandatory. There are many courses offered in English but the downside is you will not meet any French students, everyone in your class will be exchange students. My classes are as following: International Finance - Difficulty Level: Easy; 3 credits transferrable - Slow pace, but the professor interests you with stories and examples. 2 quiz and a final exam Financial Analysis - Difficulty level: Easy; 3 credits transferrable - Slow pace. Content and methods are based on mostly EU standards. 1 final exam, participation, and group report. Supply Chain Management - Difficulty level: Easy; 3 credits transferrable - Lots of information, taught by a visiting professor, classes are a bit dull and methods are somewhat outdated. 1 group project, 1 final exam. Managing Domestic and International Projects - Difficulty level: Easy; 3 credits transferrable - Taught by a visiting professor. Unfortunately, I found it rather disappointing and repetitive. 2 quiz, 1 group project, and class logs. Comparative Law - Difficulty level: hard; 3 credits transferrable (SOSC) - A seminar class taught intensively over 8 days (including Saturdays). It was tough but very informative as it compared different law systems of the world and discussed contract law. 1 Moot write-up, participation, and 1 final exam. Europe in the World - Difficulty level: medium; 3 credits transferrable (SOSC)

- Incredibly interesting course taught by Mr. Samir Hamek, giving you a brief historical introduction of the European Union and discusses current situations and issues. Strongly recommended! Participation, group presentation, 1 final exam. Exploring Middle East & North Africa - Difficulty level: medium; 3 credits transferrable (SOSC) - Also taught by Mr. Samir Hamek, discussing history and current issues of the Arab world. WONDERFUL course if you want to understand the complex conflicts/situation of the Middle East. Participation, group presentation, 1 final exam. Economics and Culture of Wine - Difficulty level: medium - French wine regions and grape types, if you like to learn the culture of the country. There is a wine tasting session too! 1 group report and 1 final exam. French A1-2 - Difficulty level: Hard - Taught by Ms. Catherine Arzul. I enjoyed this class very much! Delve into the culture and language, that s the point of exchange, right? 1 quiz, participation, group presentation, 1 final exam. Part 4 Campus Life 1) International Activities and student societies CultureCo is the student society responsible for organizing events especially for exchange students. There are weekend trips nearly every week to nearby towns and cities in Normandy. There are also many parties Another noteworthy society is the Cooking Club which many exchange students join, you can learn French cuisine once a week 2) Sports facilities There is a gym 15 minutes away for 50 euros a month but I did not go. Enjoy the nature and go for a run instead. There is a ping pong room next to Ango and I went there with my friends quite a lot 3) Health & Safety Eat your vegetables and stay warm.be careful and alert AT ALL TIMES even walking home from campus. 13 Chinese/Asians were robbed near campus over 1.5 months, it was incredibly frustrating. (They were later arrested..then released again) Don t carry and show off your valuables, please. When you head to big cities like Paris, be even more alert, don t even take your phone out on the street. Stay away from strange neighborhoods at late hours. I was nearly robbed a few times and a number of my friends lost wallets/iphones/cash before. 4) Food

Food is wonderful, there is a bakery, market place, (vegetables, meat, seafood) and grocery store 15 minutes away in Place Colbert. You may also take a bus to Carrefour or SuperU (15 minutes away) for more groceries. I cooked on a daily basis at home. Eat the cheese and baguettes, try the hams and apple pastries (my favourite), drink the local cider and wine. The cafeteria serves a set for 3.5 euros. If you are desperate for Chinese food, there are markets and restaurants downtown but overpriced and a little silly. Everyone s (including me) favourite restaurant downtown is La Petit Auberge they offer a set for 20 euros and it is incredibly authentic, homely french food. I only ate out for 3 times in downtown Rouen :P 5) Transportation and Travels You can buy a monthly bus pass for 24 euros or 10 voyages for 7-8 euros. I recommend the 10 voyages unless you want to go downtown A LOT. When you go to Paris, I recommend one carnet (of 10 tickets) for 13.30 euros rather than paying 1.7 euros for each single. You could also consider purchasing a Carte Jeune from SNCF, the national railway company for 50 euros and receive discounts when you take the train worth it if you travel a lot, especially for going to Paris (from 22 to 11 euros). My main methods of commuting between cities & countries are buses and carpooling, which is significantly cheaper than taking a train. Megabus: CHEAP! Get to Amsterdam/London overnight with 15 euros! Trip takes about 7-8 hours. Just sleep through it. Eurolines: Commute between cities & countries in Italy, UK, Germany by bus for 10-20 euros instead of paying 50-100 for trains! (if you re willing to sit for a few hours more, of course) Covoiturage.com: I love this site, it is a platform for car drivers and people who want to carpool, there are reviews for each driver and ID verification by phone number so it is incredibly safe! I paid 5-15 euros going between cities instead of spending 20-70 for a train ticket. Wonderful opportunity to meet local people and practice your French. Hostelworld.com: My go-to site for accommodation. I always stayed in hostel dorm rooms, averaging about 15-20 euros per night, also a nice way to meet young travelers. Couchsurfing.com: For the daredevils out there, if you want to stay at local hosts for free! They will take you around the city and offer up their couch/bed, in return share your culture with them. Generally safe with a large amount of online reviews. 6) Climate It rains an awful lot in Rouen (Upper Normandy Region), at least during the fall semester and it becomes quite chilly pretty quickly. The coldest was in December/January but temperatures are still above 0-5 degrees Celsius luckily.

7) Communication It would be a good idea to study a bit of French before you go, simply because the culture in France is very anti-english speaking. If you start a conversation in French, people are willing to talk to you more. I recommend B&YOU the carrier, they offer a plan for 19.90 euros per month and you can discontinue any time online, whereas some other phone companies you need to mail them a letter. This plan comes with UNLIMITED DATA (in France), and unlimited calls to Mainland China and US mobile numbers (if you have family there), and free landline calls for HK Part 5 Others 1) Items to Brings Laptop, camera, and other electronics Really warm clothes and hats Euros in cash, credit cards Money belt (really important for your travels!) French pocket dictionary (very useful!) 2) Important Documents Birth certificate (translated in French) Passport(s) and IDs (don t forget to photocopy them!) Passport photos (as required by the school) 3) Costs and Expenses Living expenses in Europe are high. I stayed in a lot and cooked with friends, which was even more enjoyable I think. I was very different from other exchange students I did not travel as much and was an incredibly low-cost backpacker. I ate simply and walked. I stayed at friends across Europe or hostel dorm rooms. I only took budget airlines once and avoided trains when possible. Trains are very, very, expensive. Flight Ticket (Beijing to Paris, Brussels to Hong Kong) Accommodation (4 months minus housing subsidy and deposit) Living Expenses Travelling Expenses Insurance TOTAL ~8000 HKD 8500 HKD 10000 HKD 18000 HKD 2500 HKD ~47000 HKD

**Please note that my spending is SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER than other students. I lived with low budgets and did not have visa costs as well. Below are my travel logs August (arrival on 15 th ) Paris (2 weeks) Mont Saint-Michel September Amsterdam (4 days), Paris, Reims October London & Manchester, York (8 days), Paris November Trouville, Deauville, Paris (weekends) December Italy (9 days), Paris January Holland (5 days), Belgium (4 days), Germany (1 week) Part 6 Monthly Logs August Although dorms are available from sept 3rd, I arrived Paris CDG airport in mid-august. I stayed with my friends in Paris, explored the city, and enjoyed the summer weather. This was actually the only long term stay in Paris where I could explore all the museums and tour sites during my exchange. I registered for my courses during this period as well. September Finally arrived in Rouen! Such a beautiful place! It was an exciting first few weeks as we had orientations and international activities. The school was also very efficient in organizing days where students can open bank accounts, apply for a transportation card, pay for insurance so don t worry! I anticipated that I will be much busier later in the semester (I have a lot of classes), so I planned a weekend trip to Reims, the champagne region of France. The city also hosted a light festival at the Cathedral, which was probably the biggest and most spectacular event during my stay there. My brother visited me end of august and we stayed a weekend in Amsterdam at our friend s place. October I am quite settled into the classes and spending quality time exploring Rouen with my friends. I spend my time socializing with the exchange students in my residence. I spent a weekend at Paris and went to see Chateau Versailles. At the end of the month, there is an 8-9 days break and I took a bus to London. Again, I am travelling alone but staying at friends in London and Manchester. It was a wonderful trip, London is truly a vibrant city and the food is actually really good despite all the stereotypes. November This month was slightly busy as there were assignments, reports, and presentations. There was also one week of intensive classes (Comparative Law). I am realizing that I have learnt the most from my classes about European Union and Middle eastern politics. I tried to save money so I did not make any big trips this month. I went to Trouville Deaville, a nearby town

in Normandy and ate oysters by the seaside. I was lucky to have friends in Paris who study in culinary school and they know about these places to take me to! I also visit them on a nearly weekly basis during weekends December Exams end on the 17 th, but this month we had our last presentations and I had about 8 exams. Everything happened so quickly I still felt like I just started my life there! There were many parties and gatherings organized by CultureCo and we said our goodbyes. I moved out on the 17 th, by moving out I mean moving my things to my neighbor who is staying for another semester. I plan to come back in January to pick up my things. I backpacked for a month I went to Italy for two weeks and went back to Paris to celebrate New Years Eve. January After New Years, I travelled to Holland then Belgium and Germany, mostly staying in hostels, sometimes at friends. It is January 19 and I decide I should return to Rouen to collect my belongings. I stay in Rouen for one last week and head for my flight back to Hong Kong on the 27th. My exchange was an incredibly meaningful life experience. It was more than just travelling for me. I took courses which are unique and cannot be taken in UST, such as wine, politics, and law. Credit transfer is important but I hope that you would also learn something that is outside of our learning environment in Hong Kong. Be sure to meet people from other cultures and spend time with them. Be sure to try the local common foods, not necessarily indulging in all the Michelin-star restaurants. Learn to live like a local and speak the language. If you have any questions regarding my term, please ask for my contact by writing to bmugexch@ust.hk. All the best on your exchange term!