Exchange Report KEDGE Business School

               

 

Cheung  Sui  Cheong   BBA  (Finance  and  Economics)   2015  Fall    

Part  1  Monthly  Log     September     Three  classmates  from  HKUST  and  I  arrived  Bordeaux  few  days  before  the   orientation  session  held  by  school.  The  staff  told  us  how  to  register  courses  in   KEDGE,  and  open  a  bank  account  in  Bordeaux.  It  is  better  for  you  to  attend  the   orientation  session.  However,  it  is  not  compulsory  to  attend  the  orientation  day   held  by  Melting  Potes,  a  society  for  international  students.       I  took  two  courses  in  this  month:  Family  Business  and  Case  studies  in  financial   accounting  in  an  interdisciplinary  approach.  The  first  one  was  quite  boring  but   the  workload  was  not  too  heavy.    The  second  one  was  not  difficult  but  it  required   a  lot  of  cases  reading,  which  I  will  not  recommend  it  if  you  want  to  enjoy  your  life   in  Bordeaux.  :)  

 

    October   The  course  I  took  in  Cycle  2  was  Air  Transport  and  Tourism  Economics.  The   Chinese  professor  was  very  nice  and  friendly.  However,  the  course  content  was   too  messy.  The  workload  was  not  heavy  as  it  had  one  final  exam  and  one   presentation  only.     In  this  month,  I  travelled  Italy  (Rome,  Pisa,  Florence,  Bologna)  and  Paris.  The   weather  was  very  nice  and  warm,  which  was  a  good  weather  condition  to  travel.  

 

    November   The  course  I  took  in  Cycle  3  was  Digital  Marketing.  The  professor  taught  it  very   well.  However,  the  course  was  finished  within  a  week  and  we  had  lesson  for  9   hours  in  a  day.  It  was  too  intensive  and  not  easy  for  students  to  learn.     In  this  month,  I  travelled  Southern  France  (Marseille,  Nice,  Cannes,  Avignon)  and   Monaco.  I  enjoyed  this  trip  as  the  beaches  and  sea  were  so  amazing.    

 

  December   I  did  not  take  any  courses  in  December  so  I  went  to  London,  Edinburgh,  Dublin,   Lisbon,  Porto,  Madrid  and  Barcelona  for  19  days.  With  a  limited  budget,  I  took   Ryanair  (a  low-­‐cost  carrier  in  Europe)  and  lived  in  hostel.  The  experience  was   unforgettable  and  you  must  try  it!   Also,  I  travelled  Berlin,  Prague,  Budapest,  Vienna,  Venice  and  Milan  in  late   December.  It  was  very  cold  in  Eastern  Europe  at  that  time.  Instead  of  flight,  bus  is   a  better  option  to  travel  around  Eastern  Europe  as  it  is  cheaper.  Busradar.com  is   a  helpful  website  which  can  help  you  compare  bus  fares.    

    January     The  course  I  took  in  Cycle  4  was  Wine  Marketing.  It  was  the  best  course  I  have   taken  in  KEDGE.  I  visited  a  Château  in  class  and  the  workload  of  this  course  was   not  heavy,  which  included  one  final  exam  and  two  projects  only.  (Don't  worry,   the  two  projects  were  not  difficult).       In  this  month,  I  went  to  Netherlands  and  Belgium  for  my  last  trip.  Again,  I  took   Ryanair  as  it  was  very  cheap!    

 

      Part  2  General  Exchange  Information     Visa  Procedures   The  visa  application  takes  a  long  time  so  you  should  start  preparing  the  required   documents  as  soon  as  possible.  You  need  to  make  an  appointment  online  for  visa   application  submission.  Also,  you  need  to  contact  Campus  France  for  academic   interview.  For  further  details,  you  can  check  it  out  at  http://www.consulfrance-­‐ hongkong.org/Study-­‐long-­‐stay-­‐more-­‐than-­‐90-­‐days.     Accommodations     Three classmates from HKUST and I rented an apartment in La Belle Rose, which is a little bit far from school and city center. We paid 1400€ in total for each month, and all stuff are included. Since the school and Melting Potes could not provide any accommodation for us, we chose an apartment which was rented by exchange students from HKUST previously. It takes 45 minutes to school and 30 minutes to the city center, which is quite inconvenient as we had to wake up at 6:30am for morning classes. There is a tram station called "La Belle Rose", which is near our apartment and a supermarket "Casino" which takes 5 minutes walk.   Course  Registration   We  registered  the  courses  online.  However,  I  could  not  register  the  advanced   level  courses  as  I  am  a  third-­‐year  student.  Some  courses  were  not  taught  in   English  which  you  should  look  at  them  carefully.  

Cost/Expenses       Items   EUR € Air  Tickets   €  1,000   Accommodation   €  1,870   Insurance:  Social  Security   €  210   Travelling   €  3,200   Daily Expenses €  1,000   Total   €  7,280     Health  &  Safety     Bordeaux  is  a  safe  and  lovely  city,  just  be  careful  of  those  drunk  people  and  you   will  be  fine.     Transportation     There  are  bus  and  tram  for  public  transportation  in  Bordeaux.  You  can  get  a   travel  card  from  TBC,  which  costs  you  €30.4  per  month.       Climate   Bordeaux  is  generally  warm  in  winter,  but  sometimes  it  is  rainy  in  a  whole  day.     Communication     Most  French  people,  especially  the  elderly,  will  not  speak  English  to  you.  So   "Google  Translate"  definitely  can  help!     Part  3  Checklist     -­‐  Umbrella   -­‐  HKID  card   -­‐  Passport   -­‐  Copies  of  identification  documents   -­‐  Clothes     Try  not  to  bring  many  clothes  to  there  as  you  will  buy  many  things  in  Europe.   Save  some  space  in  you  luggage!