NEOMA Business School

The first apartment I was shown by my landlord was a complete dump, right on the other side of the city, near the hospital. After some persuasion, he gave me another apartment, about twice as big, about 3 minutes from the city centre. So after this first hitch, everything went smoothly, and my rent was reasonable after taking the CAF allowance into account. I would definitely recommend an apartment in the centre if you're staying for the whole year. It means taking a bus to school every day, but this only takes 10-15 minutes. From what I saw of the halls of residence, here are my opinions; Arc: big rooms, posh, a long bus ride to the school, nspeak english all the time; Ango: almost prison-like, small rooms, but fairly good atomsphere among all the exchange students; La Pleiade: largeish apartments shared between two, 10 minute walk to the school, midnight bus goes directly there.

There are several housing options. You can live in one of the residences on campus. There are 3 and they are different in terms of facilities and value. You can live in one of the residences downtown (there are 2). Or you can find housing yourself. I chose to live on campus because it's close to the school and you meet more other students that way. On the other hand, in Ango anyway, you don't get to practice your French at all. I'm not disappointed, but I would choose an apartment or rez downtown next time, because you get to learn more French and more of the French way of life, and it's only 15 min from campus.

I lived in Ango and that's where all of the other exchange students lived. Party news travels thorugh the halls and everyone gets along. You'll never be lonely and you'll always know what's going on (in regards to student social life). It's small and cramped but I traveled and partied so much that I barely even noticed. Off campus appartments set up by ESC are more expensive and far. If you're only staying for a semester you might as well stay in Ango. It also doesn't hurt that the residence is just a 6 minute walk away from the shcool.

If you have the cash, stay in Arc 4. There's a swimming pool, sauna, loads of foreign students, and it basically looks like a hotel. It's not that central though, and ikt was out of my price range. For the budgeting student, go for Ango. On campus, cramped and noisy enough, but good value for money after the government allowance is taken into account. (130€)

I spent my first year in a studio in a residence which i'd arranged before coming over here. It was a little more expensive than a normal studio or sharing an apartment with friends (like i have done this year), but was worthwhile for the peace of mind.

Accomodation at the university was more expensive than renting the same type of studio in town but it didn't have as good a location as one would want. The main attraction point of the accomodation on campus was that it was a great way to get to meet new people and integrate more quickly into the college lifestyle.