REPORT – At only twenty years old, Jennifer Aranéo is spending her third year of the Skema bachelor’s degree on the Raleigh, North Carolina campus. Leisure, cost of living, advice … The young girl recounts her daily life as a French student in the United States.
“If I hadn’t integrated Skema, I would never have been able to see this!” With a smile on her face, Jennifer Aranéo points to the huge sunny campus of North Carolina State University, which she now knows like the back of her hand – or almost, as the site is immense. At the exit of Starbucks, the young girl smokes, crushes and carefully throws her cigarette in the trash several meters from the building – here, we do not laugh with tobacco – before embarking on a tour of the campus.
Flanked by a Sino-Italian comrade from Skema’s bachelor, Jennifer enters a building dedicated to student life. Stroll through the “NCSU” designer accessories store. Refers to a sports center extending as far as the eye can see with sports halls, swimming pool and all kinds of fields. Hop on a free bus to reach the Hunt Library, a gigantic 24-hour library. Chat with American students, many of whom proudly wear red sweaters, T-shirts or caps, hallmarks of the university.
On the program: entrepreneurship, finance, statistics
How did the twenty-year-old girl from Gap, in the Hautes-Alpes, end up in North Carolina? “After my baccalaureate, I took a bachelor’s degree at Skema, on the Sophia Antipolis campus. I did my first two years there, and then I applied to come to the Skema site in Raleigh, which is located on the North Carolina State University campus. ” Arriving in September, Jennifer will return to France in May to begin a marketing internship at Coca-Cola.
The young girl’s academic year will have been very busy. First of all through its courses, which take place most of the time between Skema bachelor students present in Raleigh and sometimes with local students. On the program: entrepreneurship, finance, statistics, marketing techniques, history of the United States … So many subjects which “require a lot of personal work beforehand”.
Then, through its extracurricular activities: sport two to three times a week – a minimum for those who played in France in a third division handball team -, yoga / meditation associations and conferences on marketing, leadership and digital , meetings with companies thanks to the proximity of the Triangle Research Park technology park, trips to New York, Washington and Puerto Rico … Yet, by her own admission, what Jennifer will miss most is the extraordinary Hunt Library: ” it makes you want to work! ”
300 dollars monthly for daily life
What about the cost of this “extraordinary” year? In addition to the tuition fees for Skema’s bachelor – around 9,000 euros – and the 750 dollars in monthly rent, which her parents pay, Jennifer herself bears the costs of her daily life (leisure, outings, food … ) thanks to his savings. “I worked throughout my first two years in France, first in a bar and then giving math lessons and being an assistant in Skema’s sports department. It teaches me to blame! And I also received merit and sports scholarships. ”
“Here, I spend around 300 dollars a month, it’s not a big luxury, but I get by, as long as I keep a student pace of life, that is to say by eating a lot of rice and pasta! », Jokes the student. “The hardest part is food, I bought a Costco card [NDLR: sorte de carte Metro] which allows me to get wholesale supplies, and otherwise I buy according to the discounts. On the other hand, I have free access to health thanks to the university. ”
“My advice: integrate as quickly as possible”
If Jennifer has chosen to live in a shared apartment with two French friends, in a private residence fifteen minutes by bus from the campus, there is no question of staying only with her compatriots the rest of the time. After the attacks of November 13, Jennifer also particularly appreciated the “very good support” of the university, which created a listening cell, and the kindness of the students of NCSU, many to show their support. .
“Americans are very welcoming, contact with them is really easy, I made several American friends and my French best friend even goes out with one of them! The first piece of advice I would give to French students going abroad is to integrate as quickly as possible. I am really happy to have dared to step out of my comfort zone, this year will have brought me a lot in terms of open-mindedness! ” welcomes Jennifer.
After her internship in Nice this summer, the young girl will pack her bags again, this time heading to the Skema campus in Suzhou, China, to follow her fourth and final year of the bachelor. “I admit that I don’t really know what to expect, we’ll see!” And after? Jennifer dreams of setting up her e-commerce start-up. Quiet! she won’t say more …
● Le campus de Raleigh de Skema and bref
Inaugurated in 2011, the American campus of Skema Business School has just celebrated its fifth anniversary. Several courses are offered there: bachelors, high school program, specialized masters, continuing education … Students of the Esdhem program, which delivers a license in law or management while preparing for business school competitions, can also take their second year.
In five years, the campus, located in the heart of the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University (NCSU), has grown both in area (2,500 m2 in 2011, 4,000 m2 today) and in number of students welcomed (200 in 2011, 900 in 2016). On site, five permanent teachers and ten collaborators accompany the students throughout their stay in America.
In the years to come, Skema aims to finalize the creation of a Skema US foundation in 2016, to open an American BBA in 2017 and to obtain American national certification in 2017-2018, in addition to the “licensing” that she already holds. “Within five years, we will truly have become an American business school!” boasts Alice Guilhon, director of Skema.
The school also plans to found new campuses abroad in the medium and long term. After Lille, Sophia Antipolis, Paris, Suzhou (China), Raleigh and Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Skema should thus expand into Russia, Africa, India and Australia in order to be present on all continents. All with an objective summarized by Alice Guilhon in these terms: “to allow each student to have a global experience”.
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