Founded in 1819 as the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris,ESCP offers a three-year Bachelor’s degree in Management, ranked 7th best in the world in this discipline (The Economist).
This program offers students the chance to live and study in a different city each year, on ESCP campuses in Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin and Turin.
Joachim, a student in his third and final year of the Bachelor in Management (BSc) program, tells us about his experience.
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Profile
FIRST NAME : Joachim
NATIONALITY : French
NAME OF COURSE : Bachelor in Management
UNIVERSITY NAME : ESCP Business School
ORIGINAL HIGH SCHOOL Lycée Pasteur, Neuilly-sur-Seine
TYPE OF BACCALAUREAT OBTAINED Baccalauréat mention Bien, scientific stream
Study abroad
Why did you decide to study abroad?
I wanted to leave France to discover new countries, new cultures and be independent.
I was also influenced by my brothers and sisters who advised me to go abroad.
I wanted to get out of the French school system.
The post-bac orientation towards a preparatory class didn’t suit me at all.
So I preferred to pursue my academic studies with a three-year Bachelor’s degree abroad.
Together with Adam from Your Dream School, I looked into different post-bac school options.
Why did you choose ESCP?
What were the determining factors in your choice?
I was accepted at IE, ESADE and ESCP.
ESCP is unique in that it allows students to change campuses every year during their Bachelor’s degree.
This means that every year you’ll discover a new country, a new city and a new culture.
It’s an incredible opportunity.
I also appreciate the quality of teaching at ESCP, the educational methods used and the many group projects.
It’s also a very international school, with nearly 100 nationalities represented.
What was the admissions and selection process like?
I had to send in an application file, including a CV and a personal statement, in which I had to demonstrate my motivation to enter this Bachelor’s program and its coherence with my profile.
I also had to send in my IELTS test results, with a minimum average of 6.5.
There is then a first selection, after which, if the candidate is eligible, he/she is invited to an interview with two ESCP professors.
I had my interview on the ESCP campus in Paris.
The interview was conducted in French and English, and I even had to say a few sentences in Spanish, because in Madrid, in the second year of the Bachelor program, some courses are in Spanish.
How did your Bachelor in Management program go?
I spent my first year of my Bachelor’s degree on the ESCP campus in London, then I went to Madrid for my second year and I’m currently spending my third year in Berlin.
C’est une vraie chance de découvrir chaque année une nouvelle ville.
En première année, nous devons choisir entre Londres et Turin (ou Paris via Parcoursup), en deuxième année de Bachelor le choix se fait entre Madrid, Turin et Paris, en sachant que pour étudier sur le campus de Madrid il faut avoir étudié l’espagnol au lycée et/ou avoir un niveau B1 minimum.
En troisième année, nous devons ensuite choisir entre Berlin, Londres et Paris.
L’avantage de ce parcours est que lorsqu’on entre en deuxième année à Madrid, nous avons la possibilité de rencontrer des étudiant·e·s qui étaient sur d’autres campus en 1ère année (à Paris ou Turin).
1st year courses
Did you have to choose your courses in your first year?
We only choose our courses in the final year of the Bachelor’s program, with the choice of a major in Marketing, Management or Finance.
In the first year, we have general subjects such as Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, as well as languages and an international relations course.
In the second year, we had Accounting and Finance.
It’s important to know that this is a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in management, so it’s mainly economics and management that we’re taught.
However, we also have practical teaching and, for example, we have a lot of group projects to do in English.
For me, this was a new way of working compared to what I was used to in high school.
Do courses differ between campuses?
Courses don’t really differ between campuses.
The teachers are obviously not the same, but the content is the same for all students, whatever the campus.
Did you find it difficult to adapt to the English education system?
I haven’t had any particular difficulties and I find that you adapt quickly.
If you run into difficulties during group projects, the teachers are always there to help.
What’s more, I had a fairly good level of English when I joined ESCP.
Nevertheless, I know that it can be more complicated for some students.
In particular, it can be scary to have only English classes.
Do you have a lot of work to do?
We have a lot of work to do around exam time.
We can organize our work as we wish, by going to the library, creating a work group or studying at home.
I find that the work required in the Bachelor of Management program at ESCP is quite balanced and leaves plenty of time to get involved in the school’s community life.
How many hours of lessons do you have a week?
When I was in my first year of a Bachelor’s degree on the London campus, we had five subjects a week.
We had a lecture in the amphitheatre in the morning and a tutorial in the afternoon.
The tutorials are dynamic and there’s a lot of interaction between the students and the teacher.
All classes last 1h30.
In the second and third years, lectures are longer, lasting 3 to 4 hours.
Student life at ESCP
What is student life like on the various ESCP campuses?
First of all, I think ESCP has made an excellent choice in locating its campuses in London, Madrid, Turin and Berlin.
These are particularly pleasant European student cities, and in my opinion, they are ideal for starting your studies abroad.
It’s important to note that we can’t stay on the same campus for two consecutive years.
There’s a real sense of cohesion among ESCP students, whatever the city.
In the first year, there were around 450 of us in London and 200 in Paris.
In the third year, the majority of the class is in Berlin.
The campuses are spacious and modern, and all are about half an hour from the city center.
Does ESCP have student residences?
ESCP does not necessarily help students to find housing search and thehe school doesn’t offer student residences on campus.
In the first year, there were Facebook groups to find accommodation and residences close to campus in London.
Generally, all students arrange to stay in the same hall of residence (Nido in West Hampstead, near the ESCP campus in London, for example).
There are also student associations to help us.
ESCP students are very independent and inventive.
From the second year onwards, almost all students live in shared flats.
What’s life like on campus?
There are lots of associations in Paris, but not many on other campuses.
In London, there was no Student Union.
Visit associations are created over time by students, notably as part of their group projects. In the first and second years, we have to carry out a “collective project”, which is a fundamental aspect of the Bachelor in Management program at ESCP. For example, the association that helps find accommodation was originally a “collective project”. ESCP only provides us with discounts for sports. In Madrid, for example, we could go for free to a sports center next to the school.
Into the future
What are your plans for the future?
I’d always wanted to go to the École hôtelière de Lausanne.
But I had to be at least 18 to get in.
As I was only 17 when I passed my baccalauréat, I decided to go to ESCP.
So, in September 2022, I’m going to continue my university studies with a Bachelor’s degree from the École hôtelière de Lausanne.
I prefer to do the Bachelor’s degree, which is more focused on the hospitality business, rather than a Master’s specialized in hotel management.
I’m also very interested in events management and would like to find out more about this field from a professional point of view.
I’m also very interested in finance.
What advice and recommendations would you give to a French student?
What are your plans for the future?
I’d always wanted to go to the École hôtelière de Lausanne.
But I had to be at least 18 to get in.
Since I was 17 after my baccalauréat, I decided to enroll at ESCP first.
So, in September 2022, I’m going to continue my university studies with a Bachelor’s degree from the École hôtelière de Lausanne.
I prefer to do the Bachelor’s degree, which is more focused on the hospitality business, rather than a Master’s specialized in hotels.
I like event management and I’d like to find out more about this field professionally.
I’m also interested in finance and mergers & acquisitions.
What advice and recommendations would you give to a French student interested in attending ESCP?
You have to realize that it’s a real chance to spend each year of your Bachelor’s degree in a different country and discover new cultures.
It’s an undeniable opportunity that is extremely enriching.
The students are open-minded, intelligent and sociable.
The atmosphere is excellent and it’s a school I’d really recommend for a Bachelor’s degree.
If, like Joachim, you’d like to join ESCP or another business school abroad, don’t hesitate to >contact us at to discuss your plans!
