Adapting to the French School System
Though I find myself challenged at my own school, the University of Northern Colorado, perhaps I have become too accustomed to the teaching and learning methods. As soon as I came to France, I noticed a difference and had to take both a step back to examine and a running step forward to keep in the game. Here are a few things that I learned quickly here at ESC Rennes:
- Classes are generally one day a week, all day, and take place every other week. Because of this scarce schedule, if you miss one lecture, you are 1/5 sessions behind and therefore 20% behind everyone else. Skipping class becomes a much bigger deal here so plan your travel time accordingly.
- The professors tend to lock the doors when the class begins, so don’t be late because you’ll have to wait two hours until the break when you can come in.
- If you knock, the professor will open the door and you must ask him, and sometimes the class, if you may have the right to enter. Save yourself the language barrier and the embarrassment and get to class a few minutes early to be safe.
- If you have something against group work, then this school (and possible the business major) is not for you. We work primarily in teams and put theory to practice. Though you may have some rare individual work, you will spend most of your time practicing deciphering the French accent and working through barriers of many kinds even for just a PowerPoint. This is where the best experience and toughest situations lie.
- Don’t expect to regurgitate information. Instead of exams and constant busywork, you will be expected to attend class, visit with the teacher, set your own timeline and goals, and present a final project that will most likely be followed with a personal interview. Can’t take the heat? Get out of the commerce kitchen. Business schools in Europe are directly prepared to launch you into a career, therefore they seek to mimic real-life settings more than we see in undergraduate school in the US.
As I had the semester and projects well underway, I took the time to explore my new home (the architecture AND cuisine!)
The foyer of the ESC Rennes School of Business was full of light and fresh air. Each classroom in the entire building receives natural light: some through the skylight in the foyer and some from the outside windows.
The Fine Arts Museum "Musée des Beaux-Arts" in Rennes hosted a lovely series of art brought to life, with live music and artists in costumes. We wandered down the hallway and found some intriguing art to take our mind off the busy semester...
- If you want papers to be processed and to have your administration tasks finished in a speedy fashion, you must continually prod, nudge and email --albeit, respectfully. That will push you up the priority list, in my experience.
- Though the majority of core business classes are taught in English, you may have to discuss modern business theory or information systems in French both for clarity and group understanding. This is good for you in the long run, though difficult, and will help your international teammates both understand and respect your effort (however poor the pronunciation may be).
- The beginning of the semester is easier, so you will have more time to relax, understand the city, culture, and people and take a bit of time to travel around the country. Be well aware, however, that the speed continually picks up, as does the pressure. By the end, if you’re not prepared, you will have too many projects, group meetings, and deadlines that you might lose yourself and your grades “au même temps” (at the same time).
“Can’t take the heat? Get out of the commerce kitchen.”
