Maja Alexandra Aida Paul David, HEC Paris (France)
About School
I study in HEC Paris, but it is slightly further away from Paris. You will need to take a metro to reach there. There are also shuttle buses available. In our school, we take sports very seriously, so there are a lot of sports activities here to keep you active. There are also many other associations. For example, I’m in this association, HEC Positive Restructuring, that helps companies in trouble, a little like consulting association. Although we are not paid, they will conduct classes for us to impart new knowledge of the industry. There are also associations that do volunteer activities.
About My Course
In our course, we study accounting, finance, economics, English, languages, macroeconomics, strategy for the first two years, and in our third year we specialise. Our school only focuses on business hence there are no other faculties. A difference between NUS and HEC Paris would be that there is a lot of emphasis on class participation in NUS, but not in HEC Paris. We have very few group projects, more individual assignments and exams.
About France
Special Occasions
In France, in the beginning of January, January 6, we have “Galette des rois”. It’s a day where we have this pastry and play a game. Its size is smaller than a pizza but have the same shape. Inside it, there will be a hidden figurine, and the one who gets it will be the “king” or wins the game. In February, there is the “La Chandeleur” where we gather together to make and eat crepes.
Food
When you’re here in France, it is a must to try the crepes. Others will include Crème Bulee and Croissant. We also eat a lot of Italian food. You should try truffle pasta. But the best thing would be crepes. You can put in ham, cheese, mozzarella, whatever you want.
Attractions
Must visit attraction will of course include the Eiffel tower. However, I wouldn’t recommend you to go all the way up as the queue is usually very long. Instead, you can go to Arc de Triomphe. Just show your student pass to get a discount, you will still get a beautiful view of Paris, similar to the view you’ll see from the Eiffel Tower. Of course, this is just an alternative if you rather not queue! There is also Notre-Dame de Paris that you need to see. You can walk into the Maris, it is a part of town where the cars don’t really drive through. In Paris, the town are separated into 20 parts called arrondissment. You can go to the 16th or the 6th arrondissment, as it is a very wealthy place in the Paris. The buildings are beautiful. You can also travel to the south of France to see the beaches.
Expenses
In Paris, we use the Metro, but outside of Paris, it is usually the train or cars. Transportation is actually very expensive there. If you calculate from Paris to the south of France, it will cost more than 100 euros (about 150 SGD) to and fro. There is definitely the option of buses, but it is much faster to take train.
Food expenses will depend on where you eat. If you eat in a restaurant, it may cost about 30-40 SGD or more. But on average, it will cost about 17 SGD. However, we have apps available to help you find restaurants that are within your budget. Paris is very expensive, due to the high number of tourists. However, the rest of France are less expensive. You can eat for about 10 to 12 SGD.
In our school, accommodation is actually very expensive. It is 550 euros (800 SGD) for a small room (13 sqm) for a month.