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Studies > France > Paris > HEC Paris > Review by Polina
Other names:
HEC International Business School
Contact: +33 1 39 67 70 00
Accreditations and rankings:
CEMS, EQUIS, PIM

HEC Paris (HEC)

Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, 1 rue de la Libération, 78351 Jouy en Josas Cedex, France, Paris
3.86 / 5 based on 426 reviews.
Description:
HEC Paris or École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris is a French Grande Ecole and one of the world's foremost business schools. It was established in 1881 by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It has been consistently ranked the best business school in Europe by the Financial Times[1] since the ranking's inception. (Cf. Wikipedia)


Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
87% of students recommend
426 reviews
Housing
3.7/5
 All experiences (426)
Student life
4.4/5
 5 stars (66)
Academic
3.8/5
 4 stars (228)
Languages
4.2/5
 3 stars (126)
Expenses
3.1/5
 2 stars (0)
Overall
4.4/5
 1 star (6)
“Do not have very high expectations! Learn some basic French to be able to get around. Apply for CAF the moment you arrive on campus (CAF is a student support for rent from French government, up to 200 euros per month, to apply go to the website www.caf.fr - there you would need your basic French by the way)” Read Review
PolinaG, Russia

HEC Paris review by Polina

Review by Polina, ESCEM School of Business, Poitiers, France
Marketing and Sales Management, CEMS
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: On campus
Why? All studies are conducted on campus and it is very far form Paris or any other big city to commute.
Personal comments:
A bit overpriced for the quality delivered
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Student life dominates the city
Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Party of the week is a must for any incoming student! Happens on Thursday,open bar, ok music. Don't wear nice clothes! Restaurant Universitaire (RU) is the only place to eat on campus, food is nothing special and at times bad, but one can get used to it. There is also Kfet - a student bar where you can buy pizza or sandwich. There are also delivery companies from which you can order pizza or sushi. Campus has a very nice lake - perfect place for spring barbeques or sunbathing.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       3.5 / 5
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
I was doing CEMS program courses, they differ from the rest. If you are doing CEMS and into marketing I would strongly recommend to do a luxury certificate - intensive course on marketing strategies for luxury companies.



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
none

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction.
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning French a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my French
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
How much did you improve your French?
My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
Personal comments:
I had a very good intensive French course which helped me in advancement of my lauguage skills
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Government assistance
Other sources of funding:
Family
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits:
France is very expensive in terms housing, food and public transportation.
Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone, Housing: was more expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
Don't go to Paris often:) Big plus of living on campus - one can save on food and transportation. Call from Skype, French mobile operators charge a lot.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
I wish I would have known that rent was so high. also absence of kitchen in the dorm was an unpleasent surprise. And of course the time it takes to commute to Paris (from 40 min to 2 hours depending on strikes or construction works that happen way too often in France)
In my opinion:
Most people loved it.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Very prestigious school to have on your CV, honored professors, nice people but on the whole did not meet my high expectations.



FINAL COMMENTS

Do not have very high expectations! Learn some basic French to be able to get around. Apply for CAF the moment you arrive on campus (CAF is a student support for rent from French government, up to 200 euros per month, to apply go to the website www.caf.fr - there you would need your basic French by the way)
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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