I have officially started classes in France. It’s been over 11 weeks since I have been a student in a classroom. Honestly, I am extremely happy to be back. I feel a lot more productive and finally have assignments and deadlines. I know. I am so strange.
I thought I would use this blog post to describe how classes work here. My school is part of the French “Grande Ecole” system. It is extremely different than the American education system in terms of timing and evaluation. After lycée, the French equivalent to high school, students take an exam called the baccalauréat, or simply “le bac,” to go on to higher levels of studies. About 80% of students take the bac. Students can then choose one of three options – (1) Specialist Schools (similar to technical school or an associate’s degree), (2) Universities, or (3) Grandes Ecoles. The main difference is the concept of the Grandes Ecoles. These schools are very competitive and require two years of post-high school preparatory studies prior to admission.
The Toulouse Business School is one of these schools. After admission to the school, students spend one year studying basic concepts and subjects. The next two years are considered the “Masters Programme” where students actually get to specialize and study a particular field of interest. This is the program that I am in. There are two parts two our semester – the OAP (9 weeks) and the OAC (4 weeks) – followed by Artemis which is a short management simulation at the end of the semester.
My OAP and OAC are both International Management. It’s been really interesting so far. We have a different topic and different professor from another university from somewhere around the world every week. This week our professor was from Argentina and the seminar was on Sustainable Development and Inclusive Business. The course is a little challenging because it basically crams what you might do in several weeks or a whole semester into one week. This week I have already had to do a lot of individual reading, a group presentation, and a 5-8 page paper. I also have an exam tomorrow morning. It’s very different from what I’m used to, but I enjoy it. It’s really cool to get to work in groups with students from around the world. I feel like I am getting a much better global perspective of the world.
Aside from class, I haven’t done much this week. The weather is getting much warmer, and it feels like spring. I have gone down to La Garonne (the river that runs through the city) a few times and just sat and talked with friends. It’s a lovely place to relax, hang out, or have a picnic. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time there this spring.
Le Canal de Brienne
La Garonne
Another thing that has been going on here are the campaigns. Unlike at the University of Arkansas where you can make virtually any kind of club you want, the Toulouse Business School has a set number of associations. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of different organizations though. During the month of March, all of the organizations campaign to be one of the school’s official associations, and it is insanely competitive. The organizations provide free breakfast and lunch, will run errands or cook for you, bring you food, throw massive parties, etc. for the whole month. It has been quite nice so far. I really enjoy the free breakfasts – unlimited pain au chocolat, croissants, pound cake, muffins, crèpes, juice, and coffee. Life is good!
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