ESADE is a university located in Spain.
With several campuses, ESADE offers a program of Bachelor in Global Governance, Economics and Legal Order (GGEL) in English on the Sant Cugat campus, near Barcelona.
With a focus on governance and economics, the Bachelor’s program trains students in major international issues.
The program combines multi-disciplinary courses, the possibility of choosing a thematic geographic specialization and language courses.
After obtaining her baccalaureate in France, Justine applied to the UK, the Netherlands and ESADE, and finally chose to enter ESADE’s Bachelor GGEL program.
Profile
FIRST NAME : Justine
NATIONALITY : French
NAME OF COURSE FOLLOWED : Bachelor in Global Governance, Economics and Legal Order (GGEL)
UNIVERSITY NAMEESADE
BACCALAURÉAT TYPE AND RESULT Baccalauréat général mention Très Bien, specializing in History-Geography Geopolitics Political Science (HGGSP), Economic and Social Sciences (SES).
NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL Institution Saint Dominique in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Study abroad
What was your educational background before starting university?
I entered the Institution Sainte Dominique high school in Neuilly-sur-Seine in Seconde.
In Première, I chose the options History-Geography Geopolitics Political Science (HGGSP), Economic and Social Sciences (SES) and Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures (LLCE English).
In Terminale, I only kept the HGGSP and SES options.
Why did you choose to study abroad?
I’ve always wanted to continue my studies abroad.
I wanted a change of environment and to discover new cultures.
I did some research, with >Adamfrom Your Dream Schoolfor universities in England, the Netherlands and Spain.
Why did you choose ESADE University?
I’ve always loved Spanish culture and life, so I became interested in ESADE.
I also met a student who was at ESADE and I was able to talk to her about her experience.
I was convinced and really wanted to go to university.
My best friend had also been accepted into the Bachelor of Business and Administration (BBA) program at ESADE.
What were your other post-bac options?
I had also been admitted to the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at University College Maastricht and Leiden University College in the Netherlands.
I had also been accepted at the University of Warwick, the University of Exeter, the University of Bristol and King’s College in the UK.
However, tuition fees were higher there than in Spain or the Netherlands, so I’m thinking of doing a Masters at one of these universities instead.
The admission process and administrative procedures
What was the admissions and selection process like?
The ESADE admissions process took around a month.
For ESADE, it wasn’t a matter of writing a single cover letter, but several motivational questions on the University’s platform.
The questions were, for example: “What are your motivations for joining this Bachelor’s program?”, “How would you rate your academic level?” or “Describe your extracurricular activities (cultural, social, sporting)”.
I wouldn’t have been able to answer them on my own, but fortunately the >YourDream School helped me write them.
After sending in my application, I had to take a written admission test.
The test lasted three hours and consisted of four parts: a logic test; an English grammar test; a written test whose subject was “Describe the last book you read and why you would recommend it” and finally a Spanish test.
I found the test relatively accessible.
What administrative steps have you taken?
Some documents, such as the Numero de Identitad Extranjero (NIE) are required, but as I’m still a minor, I have to wait until I’m 18 to obtain it.
As for the other practicalities, I’ve decided to keep my French telephone number and opt for a package abroad.
French students also need a European health insurance card.
1st year courses
Why did you choose the Bachelor in Global Governance, Economics and Legal Order (GGEL)?
I chose the Bachelor GGEL because I’d like to work in an NGO or in diplomacy in the future.
The subjects taught are general and provide a solid theoretical grounding.
All students are together in the first year, but it’s in the second year of the Bachelor’s program that two groups are formed, between those who choose the Economics major and those opting for the Political Science major.
Nous sommes également une petite promotion de 75 étudiants en première année.
J’aime ce format car tout le monde se connaît et il y a beaucoup d’entraide.
Cela me semble idéal comparé à la taille de la promotion plus importante (200 étudiants) du BBA de l’ESADE.
What’s it like to choose your first-year courses, and which ones did you choose?
There are four compulsory courses.
In the first semester, we had Geopolitics”, “Managerial Economics”, “World Economic History” and “Introduction to Legal Systems” courses“.
I also had to choose electives and opted for the “Introduction to International Relations” course, the “MUN” course where students⸱e⸱s can participate in debates in the format of those at the United Nations and in which each represents a country.
Languages are also options and I’m studying Arabic and Spanish.
Did you find it difficult to adapt to the education system?
I find that the teachers⸱e⸱s in Bachelor GGEL really listen to the students⸱e⸱s and adapt to different situations.
As for English, I think it’s necessary to have a good level.
It takes time.
I arrived in Spain on August 27 and the course started on September 6.
I had time during this period to meet many foreign students⸱e⸱s and practice speaking English with them.
So as soon as classes started, we were already partially ready to take classes in English.
What’s more, the difficulty with English is sometimes only related to the vocabulary used, so it’s simply a matter of acquiring it to understand well, especially in economics.
Does ESADE support foreign students?
ESADE supports all first-year students.
We all have a tutor assigned⸱e from the start of the year.
They are teachers from the Bachelor’s program.
For example, my tutor is a Geopolitics teacher while some of my friends have the Bachelor director, who also teaches Economics, as their tutor.
The tutors are very responsive and contactable.
We also have two class representatives who act as a link between the students, the teaching staff and the administration.
This is very useful, as we have a direct link in case of problems or questions.
Do you do a lot of personal work?
I have 22 hours of lessons a week.
In the first semester, I had classes from 9am to 2pm Monday to Thursday and from 12pm to 2pm on Fridays.
Initially, I went to class without really working outside these hours.
But to be ready for exams, it’s important to find a good work rhythm.
I realized this during the mid-term exams, and I think it’s necessary to go to the university library after class, if only for a few hours.
My advice to first-year students would be to work as you go along.
However, the workload is not too heavy.
Generally speaking, the professors ask us to prepare the course in advance by reading documents, books or watching documentaries.
How are the exams organized?
It depends on the subject.
In some subjects, we have mid-semester exams in October and end-of-semester exams in December.
In other subjects, because we’re doing group projects or essays, we don’t have mid-semester exams.
Student life on campus
What’s student life like on campus?
There are three campuses, one located in Barcelona, one in Madrid and one in Sant Cugat.
The students⸱e⸱s in Bachelor Business and Administration (BBA) in Spanish are on the Barcelona campus while on the Sant Cugat campus there are students⸱e⸱s in Master, BBA in English or Bachelor GGEL.
For my part, I study and live in Sant Cugat campus.
C’est un très beau campus sur lequel il est agréable de vivre.
Il y a aussi une salle de sport proche du campus qui pratique des tarifs préférentiels pour les étudiants⸱e⸱s d’ESADE et beaucoup y sont inscrit⸱e⸱s.
Concernant la vie étudiante, il y a beaucoup d’événements et de soirées organisés.
Dans chaque promotion, il y a des étudiants⸱e⸱s qui sont des « promoteurs » c’est-à-dire qu’ils organisent des soirées ESADE dans des lieux festifs.
Les étudiant⸱e⸱s y vont beaucoup en début d’année car c’est le moment où on peut se rencontrer.
De plus, en début d’année un groupe WhatsApp est créé et réunit l’ensemble des étudiant⸱e⸱s d’une même promotion.
C’est grâce à ce groupe que nous pouvons être au courant des évènements et communiquer avec les autres étudiant⸱e⸱s.
Enfin, en Bachelor GGEL nous avons eu un « barbecue d’intégration » avec des jeux collectifs organisés qui a réuni des étudiant⸱e⸱s de première, deuxième et troisième années.
C’était un évènement intergénérationnel et vraiment très bien organisé.
C’était super de pouvoir rencontrer d’autres élèves.
What are your favorite things about ESADE and what would you like to see improved?
One of my favorite things about the GGEL Bachelor’s program at ESADE is that it’s a class of 75 students.
This small size encourages group cohesion and the chance to meet new people.
I also like the university’s international outlook.
What’s more, the fact that classes run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. makes it possible to learn without the pace being exhausting.
Finally, I find that there is very good communication between students⸱e⸱s and teachers⸱e⸱s.
Among the things that could be improved, I think there’s the administrative organization of the university.
For example, obtaining student cards took several months for some students.
What’s it like to be part of an association at ESADE?
While in some English, American and French universities, community life is of major importance, this is not the case at ESADE.
You don’t have to be part of an association to integrate.
Whether or not you belong to an association doesn’t seem to me to have a major impact on your social life.
That’s not to say that community life isn’t dynamic.
There are numerous real estate, sports, creative, culinary and cheerleading associations… The atmosphere is very friendly.
I belong to the feminist association.
I had to fill in a questionnaire and pass an interview before I could join.
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Does ESADE provide accommodation for first-year students? ESADE does not allocate housing.
It was a personal choice to live in residence on campus.
I live in >Roberto de Nobili residence.
Ce sont des chambres individuelles avec cuisine et salle de bain.
Nous avons également l’option de choisir entre faire nos propres repas ou prendre tous nos repas à la cafétéria de la résidence.
Il faut s’inscrire tôt pour être dans cette résidence.
Par exemple, j’ai eu la dernière place disponible en mars.
J’ai accepté la résidence avant même d’avoir obtenu une réponse d’admission.
Il y a aussi deux résidences situées à vingt minutes du campus d’ESADE.
Ce sont des résidences dans lesquelles les étudiant⸱e⸱s sont généralement deux par chambre.
Into the future
What are your plans for the future?
During a humanitarian trip to India with my high school, I met a woman who was in charge of coordinating an association in India and France.
I’d like to pursue this type of professional career on an international scale.
Do you have any recommendations or advice for students who want to join ESADE?
I think it’s important to have a good command of English.
I also don’t think you should be afraid of the level of Spanish at ESADE, or of the language barrier.
Everyone adapts.
You shouldn’t hesitate to send messages to other students⸱e⸱s to meet new people!
As for enrolling, I’d say do it as early as possible during your Terminale year, and you need to motivate yourself to put your application together, because the experience that awaits you is really great!
If, like Justine, you would like to join ESADE or a university in Spaindon’t hesitate to >contact us at to discuss your plans!
If, like Julian, you’d like to join University College Utrecht or a university in the Netherlands, don’t hesitate to >contact us at to discuss your plans!
