Exchange Report EDHEC Business School, Lille Fall 2016 Kurt Tang BBA (Information Systems & Management) Year 3 Part 1: Monthly Activity Log

August:

I arrived at France on 24 August early in the morning, in CDG airport . Then I took the 830am train (TGV) to Lille in the TGV station in terminal 2. The train ride took less than an hour and soon I arrived at Gare Lille Europe, which is the train station for most trains to the rest of Europe. This term EDHEC arranged pick-up services for exchange students so I did not need to drag my luggage to the metro station. The driver drove me to my accommodation, EGIDE Residence, which is close to the campus. I had notified the residence manager about my check-in so I could get moved in soon after I arrived at the doorstep. The manager was nice enough to show me around the building and gave me his contact. EGIDE Residence provided studio flats mostly for students of EDHEC, most of the facilities you would need was inside your own studio, kitchen, toilet so you did not have to share it with other students, which means you did not need to clean up someone else’s mess at times. I purchased the welcome pack of the residence which included a lot of necessities, broom, mop, bed sheets, pillow, even a rice cooker. EDHEC arranged welcoming sessions for international students and exchange students on late August before school started so you could get to make some new friends. During the sessions, the staff explained the academic issues and practical issues regarding the stay in France that were essential. There was even an activity which showed students around the neighbourhood, where the shops were as such. I spent the rest of the days in August walking around the city of Lille, there was a zoo in Citadel that was rather huge.

September:

In early September EDHEC had a practical fair that the school invited banks, Transpole and insurance reimbursement agencies so that students can open accounts without going to local branches themselves. I opened a HSBC bank account which I then got my bank card about two weeks later in EDHEC. School started sharp on 1 September. The duration of classes varied from an hour to three hours but there were often breaks during the lesson which you could grab a coffee or use the toilet. I spent most of the month in the city of Lille and for the end of September I travelled to Brussels, Belgium with my friend. A great thing about studying in Lille was it is very close to the Belgium border so it took about 40 minutes to get to Brussels by TGV. October:

I spent the first part of the month travelling in the Netherlands, both Amsterdam and Rotterdam were fantastic cities to visit with great scenery and museums. The Van Gough Museum and Anne Frank’s home were must-sees for Amsterdam, both of them had very long queues when I visited. For Rotterdam, the world-famous Kinderdijik was a spectacular windmill village that every visitor of Holland should take a look. It was also a UNESCO World Heritage Site which gave you every reason not to miss it. After the trip, I spent a few days preparing for my midterm exams, which took place on the same day for every course. If you registered every single course, you would be having exams for the entire day. After the midterms, I travelled to England by Eurostar, which had a station in Lille, to visit my friend in Stoke on Trent. The best thing about traveling to England by train was that you were not restricted by the regulations on the items you carried aboard and the customs check was much simpler. I spent a few days in central England and been to cities such as Manchester. Later, I went to London for Halloween. London had a much stronger festive atmosphere than Hong Kong regarding Halloween with people dressed up all across the city. I went back to Lille early in the morning again by Eurostar.

November:

During November, there were quite some tutorials to attend to and quite a lot of them required case studies. As tutorials here in EDHEC accounted for a huge amount of the final grade, I spent quite a lot of effort to get better prepared though I was an exchange student. Still, I spent 5 days travelling to Sweden and Norway. Strangely, it was snowing rather heavily even though it was early November. I was told later by the locals it was the heaviest snowfall in November for over a century even for Sweden. Despite the snow, travelling to Scandinavia was huge fun as the people were friendly and much less crowded compared with French cities. Later in the month travelled to England again to visit some more friends I had not seen since they moved to England to study. December:

December was the last month of my stay in France. Before I started to study for my finals, I travelled to Paris to watch a concert I had been looking forward to for a long time. I spent a few days to walk around the city though I had been here several times. Paris was simply an iconic city I never got tired of despite its safety concerns these years. Then I returned to Lille for my finals in mid-December. Exams in EDHEC tended to include quite a lot of contents from the readings that were not covered in class so instead of just reading the PowerPoint slides, I spent days trying to go through the readings and try to remember as much as I could. After the finals, I started to pack my belongings for my check out on 28 December as I would be in London for the entire Christmas. Christmas in Europe was very different from that in Hong Kong. Most shops were closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In Lille, some of the shops would not be open until next year after New Year’s Day. Despite not having much shopping to do on Christmas, winter sales in major department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges offer huge bargains if you are a fashionista. In Hyde Park, Winter Wonderland, which was an enlarged version of AIA Carnival offered tons of rides and games for everyone to enjoy Christmas. Luckily, I won a few dolls there without spending a lot of pounds. I returned to Lille on 27 December to complete my packing. On the last day of my stay, I spent my afternoon wandering around the city of Lille for one last time to remember every single part of the city. Then I left Lille by train to CDG airport and flew back to Hong Kong late at night. Part 2: General Exchange Information

1)Visa Procedures Applying for a French visa can be extremely annoying if you fail to follow the steps and requirements cautiously. To apply for a visa, you have to first make an appointment on the website of Campus France to arrange an academic interview, which you have to present proof of your future exchange to France. The interviewer will follow up with several questions including your reason of choosing France and your French proficiency. After the completion of the interview, you may arrange an appointment on the French consulate website for the visa. There is a list on its website stating the documents you have to provide or you cannot get your visa done. If you provide all the documents required it will take about 2 weeks to process.

2)Orientation Activities EDHEC has several welcome events for exchange students. Before the start of school, there are welcoming sessions for exchange students and international students respectively. Those events are great opportunities for you to know more friends from other nations. After the beginning of semester, there will be a city tour which give you a brief tour around the city’s statues and monuments.

3)International Services & Activities There is a student association called Open Up which provides activities for international students frequently. Parties and even trips are organized throughout the semester, these are great ways for you to be friends with other exchange students.

4)Accommodation EDHEC provides quite a selection of accommodation for exchange students to choose from. The most affordable one would be the student residence inside the campus. There are some other residences around the campus within 10-20 minutes of walking distance. It is also possible to choose a residence in the city of Lille which takes about 30 minutes to reach the campus via metro. The residences offer studio flats or shared apartments for students. You can your needs with the residence easily. If you want to live in a host family to better experience the French way of living, you can send a request to EDHEC for recommendation. They are very willing to offer lists of suitable host for your stay in France.

5)Course Registration Course registration is done before your departure to France in August. The academic officer of EDHEC will send you a course registration form which you have to fill in the form with the courses you wish to register and the signature from a faculty staff at HKUST. When you are choosing the courses, remember to look up the courses in the course equivalence database of HKUST as not all of the courses can be transferred. If you are a frequent traveller, do not register for too many courses as attendance policy is rather strict in EDHEC.

6)Teaching & Assessment Methods Teaching in EDHEC normally consists of lectures and tutorials. EDHEC separate their students into cohorts from A to J. I was in cohort J, which had a mix of local French students and international students. Unlike HKUST, courses in EDHEC focus a lot on the tutorials, one of the courses I registered have only three lectures in the semester. The performances in the tutorials are also crucial as the in-class exercises and discussions count as much as or even more then the exams. Therefore, it is reminded not to skip too many tutorials and always get prepared beforehand.

7) Sports & Recreational Activities There is a sports centre in EDHEC but you have to pay to use the gym there. Nevertheless, there are several sports clubs you can join if you want to play sports with your friends. The sailing club is rather famous in EDHEC as the members compete in international sailing competitions annually.

8) Cost and Expense France is rather expensive country to live in but Lille is less costly compared with Paris. For an exchange, the most part of your expense is on travelling. To save travelling cost, it is recommended to plan your trip several weeks before to get a cheaper ticket, or you may buy a youth discount card (Carte Jeune) for SNCF which cost 50 euros a year and it guarantees 30% off for all train tickets. Still, you can get a smaller youth discount without the card. Locally, a single metro trip and bus trip costs around 1.6 euros regardless of the length of your journey. You can buy 10 single way tickets a time for 14 euros if you do not take the metro very often or you can apply for a passpass card which functions like an octopus card in Hong Kong only with a higher fare. For dinning, it is best to cook by yourself if you are on a tight budget as eating in a restaurant easily costs 20 euros or more. There are several you can choose from, , , Casino, Intermarche. They all offer a wide range of ingredients at different prices. But for the best meats and crops at the best prices I suggest going to the butcher shop and vegetable stall which also gives you a great chance to know the French names of different ingredients. If you love cooking, France is a heaven as you can get French goods that used to be very costly in Hong Kong at affordable prices.

9) Social Clubs and Networking Opportunities EDHEC has many student societies and clubs for locals and internationals to join. In the fall semester, there is a fair which all the student societies set up booths to recruit committees and members. Open-up, which is the international student organization of EDHEC, organizes activities and trips frequently. EDHEC provides numerous networking functions for students to mingle with industry professionals for internships and experiences. It is a great opportunity for students to learn more about working in a foreign country in an entirely different working environment.

10) Health and Safety Normally, getting sick in France is not common compared to Hong Kong because of the cleaner environment. Still, if you get sick you can go to a pharmacy or local clinic. EDHEC can provide you some doctors who can understand English. When you see the doctor, remember to bring along your insurance reimbursement form as the charges are high. Regarding safety, France is known for not being a safe country with thefts and robberies everyday. The campus of EDHEC is located in Croix, which is a quiet neighbourhood. Next to Croix is the city of Roubaix which is one of the poorest cities in France. So be extra careful with your belongings when you are in Roubaix. It is the best for you not to hang out in the streets after dark unless you have company. For Paris, the situation is more severe as there are much more tourists. So always keep an eye on your properties and stay indoors at night. 11)Food As mentioned in the expenses section, dinning in a restaurant in France is rather expensive. Therefore, cooking by yourself is recommended if you have a tight budget. It is easy and affordable to purchase ingredients from the . In Roubaix, there is a Chinese supermarket called Paris Store that you can buy all kinds of Asian ingredients. In Lille, there is a giant Carrefour in the shopping mall Euralille. If you love French deserts, Meert is a classy restaurant with lovely French cakes and tea.

12)Transportation Public transport in Lille is solely provided by one company called Transpole. There are numerous options for purchasing tickets depending on your frequency of travel. A student Pass Pass card is about 30 euros per month for unlimited times of travelling. It will be best if you use it for several times a week. You can also buy 10 single travel tickets for 14 euros if you travel less. Taxi is not common in Lille except the city region. Around EDHEC, you can hardly find one. Uber is another option you can choose as it is commonly used in Europe. A trip from EDHEC to Lille city centre costs about 20 euros.

13)Climate Weather in France has a large range throughout the year. In summer, it is sunny and dry with a temperature of over 20 to 30 degrees. It is extra bothering when you go to school or try to sleep as there is no air-conditioning in most indoor areas. In winter, it is cold and wet in Lille. It is cloudy for most of the time and rains quite frequently. The temperature can reach zero or below sometimes so always prepare some warm clothing.

14)Communications The French is well-known for not speaking English. In Lille you can hardly find English speakers even if you are in a restaurant and no English menu is provided. It is a bit better in Paris but they are still not very willing to speak English. So please learn some French if France is your choice for exchange. For telecommunications, people used to buy top-up sim cards as they are easy to use but they are quite expensive and not all of them support data roaming in other countries. You can choose to apply for monthly plans provided by the major telecommunications companies such as SFR, Orange and Free. They now have affordable plans which you can have 15 GB 4G or more for around 20 euros each month. I joined a plan from RED SFR which cost 15 euros for 15 GB 4G in France and 5GB 3G in Europe. Terminating the contract is simple, you only have to do so online.

15)Cautionary measures and other notes In France, shops are closed very early and they are all closed on Sunday. So keep it in mind you cannot do shopping at night like you do in Hong Kong. Another thing is the French are very aware of their own culture so always respect their culture though you may not appreciate it. Part3: items to bring Passport with visa Copies of your passport and visa Personal photos Adaptors Laptop Neck pillow Warm clothing Stationery Camera Chargers Personal pills Books to read