Name: Ekaterina
From: Russia, Chelyabinsk
Studied in: France, Paris
Studies start: 2013
Grade: Master
Program: Dual Degree Program (marketing major)
University: ESCP Europe Business School
Partner University in your country: Higher School of Economics (Moscow)
Program satisfaction rate: 5/5
Internship: yes
Job: found after graduation
🎓 Application
How did you learn about this program?
From my school
Why did you decide to enrol in this program?
I wanted to have a broader international experience
What was your application experience?
It was an interview, and one of the key points is to have a clear understanding of why you would like to go there + some previous working experience. It was 6 years ago, and I don’t remember major problems in my case. The jury was giving points and it was not fully transparent how it was distributed, on which criteria
What level of English is required to enter this program?
IELTS 7.5
What level of French is required to enter this program?
It was not required
💡 Your impressions from your study abroad experience
What are your general impressions about this program?
It was totally worth it. It changed totally my life and how I see things now. And the value was not really obvious in the beginning. You’re changing and you don’t notice it living your everyday life. As elsewhere some courses were good with good professor, and some of them – not. I was surprised by quite active social life and value it brings in the end. I didn’t have major expectations from the program, so it is easier for me to say that I’m glad the way it was. Although I was expecting more fundamental approach to courses. It was great to have group mates from many countries, I’ve learned so much about different cultures. It was definitely one of the greatest parts of the program.
What was the major program value for you?
It opened to me the doors to the whole world, to much better its understanding and helped me to become who I am now.
What did you like about this program?
There were people truly from all over the world, very good international spirit and it was a good focus on finding the internship (or at least it seems like this now)
And what didn’t you like?
It was not many practical details about local life & some specificities of life in Paris
What is the hardest part of studying abroad?
Adapting to local life without knowing language
Is this experience different from your experience at your country’s university? If yes, how?
Yes, it is more focus on soft skills
How did you your typical day look like?
It is difficult to generalize after 5 years. Usually, I started classes at 1pm and I was done by 7. Somewhere in between it was homework/group works & social life & travels
📌 Useful resources
If you had questions or issues (studies, language, administration, careers, integration etc), where did you get help/advice?
From friends from the previous year, and it was a person at school who was helping us
Did you contact other students with a similar experience? Was their experience helpful?
Not a lot, it was mainly one person from the previous year
Could you recommend websites which might help study abroad?
I didn’t really use any except to find an apartment I really arrived almost ‘blind’
💰Finance
What was the cost of your program? How did you finance your studies?
750€ yearly + 6000€ (I had a discount from school). Scholarship from school, it was an automatic application because of my previous school.
🏠 Accommodation
What was your accommodation experience?
I was renting an apartment near the school with my friend We’ve been paying like 1150 euros. We’ve found it being in Moscow without seeing it through an agency. I remember we were sending documents of our parents to confirm that we can pay for it.
How much did you pay for living per month during your studies?
1000 euros a month.
🚀 Career opportunities
Did you do an internship during your studies? How did you find it?
Yes, I’ve done an internship in the same city, in Paris. I found it through the school intranet
Did your university help you in this process?
There were courses/sessions to help you with CV and general approaches to how to find it. Plus school database has a lot of opportunities
What was the field of your internship? If you don’t mind please share the remuneration you got.
It was marketing, I was paid around 1000 euros
Did you find a job after graduation? Which field and how did you find it?
I found a job in Paris, in France, and here school didn’t help me a lot. I work on IT projects related to customer experience. I found it through my initial internship experience
🌏 Your future plans
What are your plans? Do you plan to stay in the country?
So far, I do plan to stay in the country. But life always brings surprises!
What do you like about France? And what not?
I like the sense of freedom and respect for personal space & choice, that you can be who you want to be if you decide. I like food! I like that country is so different from one part of it to another. I like people sitting at tiny tables with glasses of wine and discussing something very actively. I like that French people are defending their position if needed. And I started to like that Sunday is to be a quiet day to spend with those who you care the most (but not shopping & resolving everyday issues). Though it still causes a lot of problems. I can’t tell about whole France, I’ve been living in Paris only. So what I don’t like? Dirty metro, tiny apartments for not reasonable prices & tourists 🙂
Could you give a piece of advice to future students?
Enjoy social life Learn language Choose what you would like to do And don’t compromise your dreams!
Date: May 2018
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