EDHEC Business School DDP Study Abroad Report 2021 / Adel Zayed

Double Degree Program opportunity at the EDHEC Business School

This is a report on my experience of the Double Degree Program opportunity to attend the EDHEC Business School in France, to pursue an MSc- Business Management in Marketing Management degree. Attending EDHEC for the second year of my Business education has been instrumental for my academic and professional career and fundamental for my passions and international background. The adventure in EDHEC business school will be divided into an educational and social experience demonstrated below.

My current academic and professional background has improved from attending EDHEC Business school because I already possess a bachelor of science degree from the USA, a Masters's in diplomacy and International relations from Spain, and a future MBA from Japan. Also, I have lived in Latin America, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and now in Japan, culminating with the acquisition of three languages: Arabic, English, and Spanish. But why choose EDHEC business school? The MSc from EDHEC would cement my international expertise and open professional opportunities at a grander and international level. EDHEC will also facilitate the opportunity to work with the world-renowned video game company Ubisoft. My passion for video games and the entertainment industry has led me to choose EDHEC as the European Business school because of its close-knitted relationship with Ubisoft. EDHEC's relationship with Ubisoft has made it the most logical choice for me to gain accessibility into the video game industry that I soo desire to be part of. Hence, the amalgamation of my academic background, future work desires, and life journey will conclude with my life success as I complete my studies at EDHEC Business School. Additionally, the education experience at EDHEC is composed of two aspects: the career center and the marketing program.

The EDHEC career center is the crown jewel of the EDHEC experience as the whole business school evolves around it. The career center allows students to create or polish their business resumes, develop career goals, and learn where to start. The career center had weekly and monthly activities online and on-campus to polish one's resume and job viability. The activities ranged from attending company events to one-on-one sessions with career developer professionals. The personal sessions helped me polish my resume and find the ideal job search criteria, and it gave me the tools to reach out to companies in Europe if I choose to work here. The company events were a bi-weekly thing where companies would showcase their hiring process and requirements and network and meet Human resource personnel from these companies; it boosts the hiring process if you want to apply.

The EDHEC marketing program is structured around a thesis and a specialization module. The classes one takes in the first semester are introductory marketing courses heavily based on group projects and final presentations. Honestly, the courses are a breeze compared to all my other educational institutions. The group presentations are fun to prepare for and make. However, the one downside of the courses is that most of the students in the program are French. The French students like to stick to other french students and make it hard to approach; besides, they don't like to speak English.

Nevertheless, the class dynamics are foreigners usually stick with foreigners. The class has become more enjoyable because I learned from multiple perspectives: Indian, Kazakhstan, Spain, Italian, and Latin American. The French isolation made it easier for all foreigners to find their groups and create friendships throughout the year.

The specialization module begins in the second semester, and one can choose between luxury and entertainment marketing. I prefer the entertainment marketing module because it aligns with my goal to work in the video game industry, and UBISOFT is a school partner. Within the module, I will travel to Bulgaria for a five-day intensive course in entertainment and how it operates in an animation studio, sports facilities, and corporate level. I would never visit Bulgaria on my own, never even thought about it, but EDHEC has created the opportunity to do something I would never do.

For the social experience, EDHEC has been fun. The school's student union has done a fantastic job creating student integration days. Twice awake get-togethers at bars would be arranged for international students and occasionally for the french students. The Union also arranged one to two-day trips around Europe at low prices. One could visit Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and the Czech republic with the student union. However, the best trips were the ones in France, because the hosts would know more about other french cities than the European ones. Nonetheless, it has been a great experience. I traveled around France, visited cities that I would never visit, and went with a multicultural group that made the trips enjoyable. However, It's worth noting that France has been one of the strictest countries in the world with regards to Covid-19 restrictions that did make it hard to move around and socialize. I did what I could under these rules, but I preferred coming when there were no restrictions.

In summation, the dual-degree program is a great opportunity because I got two degrees in two years and gained new experiences, network, and gain new business perspectives. This opportunity has been instrumental in my development as I consider myself as I embody the "global MBA" mentality because I have lived, studied, and explored all parts of the world and continue to accumulate experiences that will shape my future.