NEOMA Business School
Reims | Corporate Finance | 1. roč MSP | ZS 2021/2022 | Erasmus+ studijní pobyt
Where did you stay? Tell us something about the accommodation, prices, and location.
I have chosen NEOMA Business School – Reims campus, France, for my Erasmus exchange study. I am absolutely satisfied with my experience abroad and happy to share some information regarding my stay there.
Reims is a calm green city with great architecture in the North-East of Paris. It takes 1,5-2 hours and 5-10 euros to get to Paris by bus (Flixbus or Blablabus, Blablacar) or 40 minutes and around 40 euros by train (trains are very expensive in France).
The university is excellent. Great subjects, professors, facilities, and student life. Everything is well-organized and clear. Check their wonderful website and you will find everything there!
welcome.noema-bs.com
The university has offered housing in the dorms, which was a real pleasure!
One important thing is that you have to arrange everything in advance and strictly follow the timeline and proceed with all steps exactly at the time something opens – for the place in the dormitory, for the subjects, etc.
That is the key to getting the best dorms and courses. If you are late to apply, it is getting much more difficult to find the accommodation on your own – it is widely common in France that landlords to rent the rooms/flats without electricity/WIFI and it is the responsibility of the tenant to set up the contracts with the electricity companies. It getting very complicated due to the fact that in France all the people speak French and hardly someone speaks English.
I have stayed in the student dormitory, located within a 1-minute walk to the campus for 275 euros/month. Could not be better!! Very calm dormitory, warm, and with good soundproofing. I would attach the housing offer file, so you could check all the options the university could offer you.
My place was in 3 minutes from the supermarket, in 10 minutes from the park and in 15-20 minutes from the city center if you go on foot. The location is truly excellent.
How much money did you need a month? How much is e.g. lunch, drink, bus ticket…? Was the grant enough? Is it an expensive country?
The food prices in the supermarket are average. I believe they do not much differ from the prices in the Czech Republic. And every day you could buy and eat delicious cheese, fresh bakery, and sweets, which makes your stay close to the one in the paradise. However, it is not very cheap. You could easily spend up to 10 euros a day just on tasty things. The bill in the restaurant starts with 20-25 euros without wine (alcohol). There is no canteen with affordable prices for foreigners. French students (because they have special student cards) could have a meal in the canteen for 1,5 euros – and I had to pay 8 euros for the same meal, which truly tastes like a 1-euro meal.
Public transport is expensive: 1,55 euros for a one-hour ticket. If you buy a set of 10 tickets at once, you will get it for around 12 euros. I did not use much public transport, I always preferred walking.
If you want to feel the French culture, explore the region, and travel a bit – the grant is not enough. You will need to have some extra savings.
Importantly, all life outside the university is in the French language. Be ready to use French. Do not rely on English.
Was it difficult to study there? Tell us about the approach of the teachers, the school environment, the level of English required, and anything you think might be useful…
Studying at NEOMA BS was a total pleasure. Everything in English, great, interesting classes, with clear requirements and absolutely no obstacles to pass the course. NEOMA BS is the 7th business school in France according to some ratings as they claim on their website. You can feel it. But no worries, there are no difficulties to complete the courses if you follow the classes.
Any tips for future students concerning the choice of subjects?
Regarding the choice of courses, the course offer is divided into two: undergraduate and graduate offers. And you could pick the classes only from one of them. The first starts early in January, and the classes from the graduate offer start 2 weeks later – in the middle of January. I have followed the graduate offer – picked subjects from there and every course I had chosen was amazing!
What to see? Where to go?
As I mentioned before, Reims is relatively close to Paris, so trips there could be regular. And each first Sunday of the month there is a free entrance to most of the museums. Also, for the European students under 26 as well as students studying in France under 26 (and you will get the ISIC card for free from NEOMA), there are free admissions.
In Reims, there are several cathedrals, parks, and calm and peaceful life. I was there during the summer semester, and trees and flowers started to bloom as early as the 1st of March. See some photos below.
By train, you could go anywhere, although it is expensive. Flixbus and Blablabus could also bring you wherever you want, and the prices are much more reasonable.
During your study, you will have a one-week or even two-week holiday break in the middle of the semester (you will see it in the calendar (in the mobile application of NEOMA BS) far in advance, so it is very easy to plan the trips. Also, there will be a one-week break before the examination.
Did you do any sports? Are there any sports facilities available?
There are very many sports available at NEOMA – all you need to do is to join the university sports club and buy the abonnement. The sports classes could be in French.
Also, there are some great sports facilities in the city – it is not difficult to find something, all you need is the desire and determination to do it.
What can the students look forward to?
Great study, very many students, french way of life and the French language.
What is good to know about local habits/traditions? Did you feel safe?
What is good to know is French. And be aware of the complicity of the French bureaucracy. Opening a french bank account and getting a french sim card is more complicated there than it should be.
Yes, I felt absolutely safe.
How did you get there?
I came there by plane to Paris and took a Flixbus to Reims.