Details

• France
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

I recommend reading exchange reports before deciding on which university to go to and before the interview. The exchange reports give you an overview of what you can expect and if the university meets your expectations for your semester abroad. They give you insights into the courses, their workload, the professors, and the student life of the university. For the application process itself, it is important to pay attention to deadlines and needed documents. In case of any questions, reach out to the International Office, they answer quickly and are very helpful.

2. Accommodation

At ESSEC, most students live in one of the four student residences provided by ALEGESSEC. I didn't live in one of these residences myself, but I know from friends that it's a great place to meet people, and it's also close to campus. The application process is very simple. The distance to the campus varies depending on the residence. The closest one is a 10-minute walk away, while the furthest is 20 minutes by train and on foot. I looked for accommodation on Airbnb and lived off campus in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, but I wish I had known beforehand that you can easily find shared flats or houses in Cergy on Leboncoin, a French website similar to Willhaben. There you can find cheaper accommodation that is also close to campus. I decided to live off campus for safety reasons, but living in Cergy offers you proximity to the university, which is very nice. The safety concerns also turned out to be exaggerated. The area is quite safe, with a few exceptions. I recommend walking with friends at night. If you live near the campus, especially in one of the student residences, there is a bus that takes you home from the university after 6 pm, and you will also always have people to go with. I strongly recommend living in Cergy near the campus in order to take full advantage of what the university has to offer. If you are considering living in Paris, I recommend that you start looking for flats very early on. If you are concerned about frequent strikes on public transport, I can assure you that despite the strikes, there has always been a way to get to the university. However, if you commute from Paris, you should be aware that the RER A is often delayed, regardless of strikes. In case you want to rent a bike, I can recommend buying a cheap one on Leboncoin or speaking to the university. There is one association that rents out bikes for a very low price.

3. Academic life at host university

The university has a great campus, which is not quite as large as the campus of WU Vienna, but offers a huge selection of free sports programmes. You can attend sports and dance classes with excellent trainers free of charge and at your convenience. All you have to do is register online in advance and you can cancel at any time. You can also join the basketball, volleyball, cheerleading or football team. I recommend attending as many sports classes as possible, as it's a great way to make friends and it's a lot of fun. There's even a climbing wall. You just need to bring clean trainers. The campus also has a cafeteria, nice study rooms and its own bar, where games such as beer pong are often organised and students meet up after class. There are also many student associations you can join. In my experience, most of them are not particularly suitable if you are only staying for one semester, as not much happens in the one month you are actually a member. However, there are associations such as the gaming association that meet more regularly. You can ask about this directly when the associations introduce themselves. Sometimes they also organise weekend trips, for example to Normandy. However, French is usually spoken in the associations, so it can be more difficult to integrate without French language skills. Nevertheless, it is a good opportunity to practise French. Lectures last 3 hours, so pay attention to the timetable, as a 9-hour day (i.e. 3 lectures) can be very tiring. The teaching style is more interactive than at WU, and professors expect a lot of participation. In many courses, there is also group work or final presentations instead of final exams. The grading is not always transparent and may sometimes surprise you. It can be hard to get more than 17 points. Punctuality is required. Some professors will not let you into class if you are more than 5 minutes late. From what I have heard and from my own experience, the workload in courses is the same or less than at WU, with a few exceptions. Group work is more common than at WU and often accounts for the majority of the grade, which can sometimes be difficult if your group does not work well together. There are also some courses that take place entirely online and consist of individual work. It is important to talk to the professors a lot, to speak up often and to ask questions. Especially about assignments, as sometimes the requirements are not clearly stated and some professors are not very accessible by email. Assignments are also often practice-oriented. If the course register does not state that the exam is during exam week, then the course in the winter semester is already over in November. The exam week is then in December.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport in Cergy was mostly reliable, with occasional delays. If you don't live on campus, public transport can be quite expensive. I recommend downloading the IDF Mobilité app to buy tickets and check connections and strikes. I didn't live on campus myself, but I heard that the security situation in Cergy is fine. There are some areas, such as bridges and parks, which the university advises you to avoid at night, but the university provides safe transport to your accommodation after 6 p.m. with a shuttle bus, and if you decide to walk, you are sure to meet people who will accompany you to your accommodation. My friends all lived in Cergy and had no problems. However, you should be aware of your surroundings and take care of yourself. ESSEC is a very international university. The students are very open-minded and friendly. However, social life often takes place mainly within the exchange student community, as it is easier to get to know each other in English courses and at welcome events. There are often more exchange students than regular students in the English courses. In French courses, there is more interaction with French students. ESSEC offers various sports courses, clubs, a bar and events, which are a great way to stay active and meet people. You can also join associations and there are regular fun events on campus with bouncy castles, games, free gifts and shows. There is also a shopping centre with shops, restaurants and bars very close to the university.

6. Testimonial

The exchange semester at ESSEC was fantastic. I met lots of nice people, some of whom have become very close friends whom I hope to stay in touch with. I had the opportunity not only to study at a renowned university, but also to learn more about a different teaching style. One highlight was the various sports courses. I trained with the basketball team, took climbing and martial arts classes, and had a lot of fun being active and meeting people. The sports courses were also a good way to practise French, as some of the coaches did not speak English very well. ESSEC is also close to Paris, so I was able to visit the city often, which was really nice, especially since many museums and attractions such as the Arc de Triomphe are free for EU citizens under the age of 26. I was also able to visit other cities in France, such as Lille, Rouen, Provins, Strasbourg, Colmar, Deauville, Honfleur and Le Mont-Saint-Michel. The trips to Normandy and Strasbourg were offered by ERASMUS and communicated to us through a club at the university. Overall, the experience was enriching and definitely worthwhile, as I made new friends, explored Paris and several other cities, exercised more, and had the opportunity to take courses that WU does not offer.