The IAE - ECTS, presentations and lunch!

Since 17 September, I follow 5 courses at the IAE. Some courses are with international IMMIT students, others are with (mostly French) Master 1 students and I follow Business French with other exchange students. As an exchange student I can choose any course, as long as it fits into the schedule and it’s the right level. I chose the courses (see the next paragraph), because the ECTS credits I get for these courses can be transferred to my Bachelor diploma at Tilburg University. The study advisor at my home university already approved these courses. Unfortunately, I have only 28.5 ECTS of the 30 ECTS, which are needed for this semester. Therefore, I have to compensate the difference with an extra course at my home university in the next semester.

Just a list of the courses I follow at the moment: International business law, HRM, Intercultural management and Leadership. I really like the last course, because the professor is funny and lets us do different activities: walking blindfolded in pairs in the building & drawing (!) the ‘worst manager ever’. Intercultural management is taught in French, which sometimes was difficult to follow and even harder to participate in discussions / presentations. The courses that still need to start are Brand and product management, Project management, Change management, an international seminar and (very long title, sounds impressive!) The European integration process and its influence on business.

Back to the IAE: The subjects are very interesting. The French students are eager to help me, when I don’t understand a sentence in the Intercultural management course. The professors focus on practical information. That’s why I don’t have to do much self-study (in comparison to the number of pages / chapters I have to read in Holland). Moreover, almost every course has a group assignment and we have to prepare presentations. Written exams are not common: I know that I’ll have 2 in December. I noticed that participation is more important than at Tilburg University. Each class is 3 hours in total (twice as much as in Tilburg), but that's fine.

The Master courses are easier than I expected (well, I first have to wait for the presentation grades to make sure). Still, I miss the theoretical (deeper) reading. Therefore, I often look for additional articles on the internet, such that I don’t get bored. For an exchange student, this practical focus is ideal: few classes + not much self-study = enough time for exploring France!

Every Wednesday, the BDE (student organisation of the IAE) organizes an international lunch. Everybody can come and try some food / drinks that foreign students cooked/baked/bought in the shop. I really liked tasting (rather than cooking) different meals and once brought some “Edam” cheese. At one lunch, 2 students brought their guitar and played a few songs. Maybe next time, I have the guts to play a song too…