Irina Marinova Graduate Certificate in Advanced Global Management, Grenoble Ecole de Management, Grenoble, France Fall 2016 I went to a skiing trip in France last year with other students from Stockholm Business School. I loved it so much so I decided to do my semester abroad in France in Grenoble. The town is very close to the mountains and skiing resorts are only 1.30h by bus from there. Other places that I visited while there were Turin and Genova in Italy, Geneva in Switzerland, Lyon, Annecy, Marseille, Nice and Chamonix. The cheapest way to travel in the area is by OuiBus or FlixBus and BlaBla car (similar to Uber). The international organization at the school (Aloha) organizes many trips for students and different events to help you integrate and meet new friends. The majority of the French students are part of the associations (different student organizations at the school) and also organize different events and activities based on interests. You can also sign up for sport teams and be part of the school derby. The associations also offer discounts for ski passes and ski trips. It would be helpful if you at least understand some French before going to Grenoble in order to avoid any frustration. However, since Grenoble is a region with many expats you can easily go by with just speaking English. Before getting there I pre-­paid my housing which was through CROUS (French housing organization). I lived in a small studio with a private bathroom and WC. I had to buy all kitchen stuff but other than that the place came equipped with a bed, desk, small fridge and a top stove. While there you can also apply for housing assistance stipend called CAF. In order to do that you would need to open a French bank account. If you don’t speak French or you need any assistance there is a Welcome desk (a team of other students) that can help you with that. You can also get assistance with finding housing, buying insurance and opening a bank account. If you are staying less than one year I can suggest that you live in CROUS because finding accommodation for a short period of time might be a challenge or you need to stay in Airbnb which might be overprized. The cost of accommodation is 400-­500 euros per month. The school offers a quality education and the town is rated as one of the best student towns in France. I was extremely impressed by the knowledge of the teachers and how smart and organized other students were. In my class we were 40 students: 10 from China, 1 from Mexico, 1 from Spain and all the rest were French. I was enrolled in the English track, year 2. The average age of the students was between 19-­22. Attendance in France is mandatory so you cannot miss a class. Sometimes we had courses from 8:00 in the morning until 20:00 in the evening. Lectures were 1.30h with 15 minutes breaks between the periods. In almost all of the courses 40-­50% of the grade came from group work. I was also extremely impressed by the willingness of the students to work together. I didn’t feel separated or different from the other students. We all worked in a team and had dinners and parties together. All the teachers knew my name and we had to work on real business cases and class discussions. In the end of the semester, I had a few projects to complete some of them individual, some in groups. Other than that I had to take 5 exams in the last week which was a little bit stressful as we didn’t have any break between the end of the semester and the exams time. Some people found Grenoble a bit boring as all the stores are closed on Sundays. Grocery stores close at 12:30 on a Sunday. However, you have cheap wine, fancy restaurants and many parties from school organizations. For the student organized parties you can buy a pass 15-­20 euros through Lydia (French version of Swish), get a wrist band and buss time. Busses leave between 9pm and 2am. Parties in France continue all night and some of them are OB (open bar) which means unlimited alcohol. I found the standard of living in France a little bit more expensive from what I expected. A beer in a bar on Happy hour costs 3 euros but regular price is 5-­7euros which is almost as expensive as Stockholm. You can eat tacos (most popular fast food there) for 5 euros. If you like to eat healthy Grenoble is paradise as there are markets on Saturdays or mornings during the week. You can buy cheese, meat, honey, fruits, vegetables and bread from local producers. I had a gym membership where I attended classes, worked out, used the swimming pool, the sauna, the steam room and the hot tub. I had a French buddy that helped me improve my French and took me climbing indoors. It is a good way to meet locals and learn more about the culture and the people. In France if you are under 26 years old you qualify for discounted rate prices for transportation, restaurants, stores etc. If you want to eat for cheap CROUS have discounted lunch buffets that cost around 3 euros per meal and include salad, main dish and a desert. You can get information from your residence or the Welcome desk where those restaurant are located. I had a wonderful time in Grenoble, met many new friends and learned a lot about business and management. I really liked how education there was more practically oriented and as a student you are involved in the university life. Trip to Annecy with the other international students organized as part of the Welcome week: A trip to the Château de Vizille, castle in the French town of Vizille near Grenoble: Eating Raclette (melted cheese), a traditional dish from the region: A view from the Bastille, the top of Grenoble in December 2016: