Grenoble Ecole de Management (France) Fall Semester Exchange Report 2022, Naman Tyagi

We are pleased to introduce a study abroad report from Naman Tyagi, a semester exchange student returned from Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM) in France.
The NUCB Business School supports semester student exchange at any of its partner and PIM network schools; 174 schools in 59 countries.

Why I chose France as my country of exchange

1. France’s Excellent Higher Education System: The French government spends 20% of its annual budget on education. Moreover, French management education is research based and is consistently rated highly in regard to its content and quality.
2. Exchange opens opportunities to work in French companies: French Inc has leadership across the industries. I believed that studying in France would add weight to my resume.
3. The opportunity to learn French language and experience French culture first hand.

Preparation:

I started my study abroad journey by formally applying for study abroad at the NUCB International Student Exchange Office 6-months before I wanted to go on exchange. I received approval for my exchange from NUCB and GEM based on my Statement of Purpose and other eligibility criteria like GPA and English Proficiency level. I then started my Visa Application. There were few nervous moments as there was some lengthy waiting times and I had to make a personal visit to French Embassy in Tokyo to expedite the process. The preparations went smoothly as I received full support from both GEM, France and NUCB, Japan.

Life in Grenoble

Academic Life
Lectures lasted from 3 hours to 6 hours, 3-4 days in a week. I chose the following 6 courses for my semester. I choose my courses based on my interest and to support my professional development

1.    Digital Marketing
2.    International Finance
3.    Social Marketing
4.    Marketing of Digital Products
5.    Strategy for Middle Managers
6.    French Language Classes

While the academic programs were rigorous the teaching pedagogy was different from NUCB. The format was classroom lectures, group projects, presentations, and tests. I especially enjoyed the group discussions, which allowed me to look at business problems from diverse perspectives.

Social Life
My social life at France was even more exciting than my academic life. The city of Grenoble lies on foothills of French Alps, in the south of France. It is famous for its ski resorts and for holding Winter Olympics in 1968. It was awarded the Green capital of EU in 2022 . It was an  amazing place to stay. It provided scenic views of the nature and the best of French culture. I took my family to Grenoble and my day began with a morning run around Grenoble and an evening filled with experiencing French food and culture.

I also used this opportunity to travel extensively around Europe. I travelled to 12 European countries, experiencing some of the diverse cultures of Europe.

Conclusion

I would like to thank NUCB Business School for offering me the incredible opportunity to study abroad. This opportunity has been instrumental in my professional development as a Global professional and gave me opportunity to learn from one of the best faculty in culturally diverse academic environment. I feel more accomplished and confident after this exchange program. I would also like to thank Grenoble Ecole de Management for accepting me as an international exchange student. I hope my participation in this exchange program has contributed to the good relationship between NUCB and GEM, and I would encourage more of my classmates to study abroad.