Meet HHL’s Partner University EDHEC Business School
From Leipzig to France: EDHEC Business School
HHL offers a selection of over 130 partner universities – Marc Lorenz decided to attend EDHEC Business School in Nice, in the heart of the French Riviera. Alix Robert in return came to Leipzig. Read about their individual experiences during their study abroad.
Experience Nice like the locals
“It is easy to perceive Nice as just this tourist hotspot full of rich people and yachts, which it certainly is during the main season. But when the summer comes to an end and most tourists have left the city, you start to explore the more authentic everyday-life of Nice. Although you will probably never lose that surreal feeling of being on vacation”, says the HHL M.Sc. student Marc Lorenz. Faced with the decision where in France to study, Marc decided to spend an Erasmus semester at the EDHEC campus in Nice instead of Lille, which is home to a second EDHEC branch.
“If you really want to deepen your financial knowledge, get the chance to be taught by excellent professors with real practical experience and education is what you seek, EDHEC is the place to be.”
Experience a multitude of cultural events and festivities
Nice, nicknamed “Nice the Beautiful”, has a population of almost 350.000 people. As a vacation resort, it is famous for its international atmosphere and cultural offers, including numerous museums. Not to mention hosting events such as the Nice Carneval or the Nice Jazz Festival. “In the evening the streets are full of life – even during the week. All the festivities create a kind of atmosphere you would expect from the Côte d’Azur. Furthermore, there are plenty of places around Nice worth visiting such as the breath-taking mountains with picturesque French villages, namely Gourdon and Eze, or the famous metropolitan cities such as Cannes and Monaco”, says Marc.
EDHEC Nice offers a strong focus on Financial Economics
As a partner university EDHEC provides two options for HHL students: Lille campus offers a Business Management track whereas Nice is home to the Financial Economics track. The focus here lies on subjects like Advanced Corporate Finance, Private Equity or Corporate Treasury Management. The courses are similar to ones at HHL regarding group works and presentations. Case studies and practical examples provide an in-depth view and state-of-the-art insight into current topics. Marc admits that he found the classes quite challenging due to an intense workload and required prerequisites. But still he appreciates the chance of getting to know a different perspective on financial topics and on top of that discovering a different educational system: “If you really want to deepen your financial knowledge, get the chance to be taught by excellent professors with real practical experience and education is what you seek, EDHEC is the place to be. However, if you only want to travel and party, it may not be the right choice for you.”
EDHEC (École de Hautes Études de Commerciales du Nord) is one of the few Grandes Écoles in France and is ranked one of the top 15 European Business Schools, holding a Triple Crown Accreditation from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. Among the additional operating campuses in Paris, London and Singapore, the campus in Nice stands out: It is situated on the picturesque Promenade des Anglais with an overlook of the Mediterranean Sea, offering 300 days of sunshine per year and approximately 100 km of beaches. The modern complex provides an excellent environment for learning, teaching and research. Several areas are dedicated to sports, arts and voluntary activities –for instance, the fitness center offers a wide selection of courses such as Pilates, Zumba and Body Bar.
At HHL study groups help create lasting friendships
Alix Robert is in her final year of her master in management at EDHEC and is currently spending a semester at HHL. He points out the differences between his studies at EDHEC compared to HHL: “I appreciate the intimate class size of HHL, which is completely different from my school in France. Here, we all know and see each other daily, making it easy to establish and maintain close relationships. HHL has reached, and even surpassed, my expectations. I really appreciate the school’s way of teaching, including its focus on group work and team dynamics.” With a touch of humor she adds: “Even after six months, I continue to be amazed by my fellow HHL student’s passion for PowerPoint alignments and never-ending group meetings. Regardless, I also very much enjoy working with these friendly people, who are eager to learn and deep-dive into every topic.”
Orientation week at HHL helps international students connect
Despite these differences, HHL and EDHEC share a similar welcoming spirit when it comes to international students. “The international relations office made it very easy for exchange students to get settled at EDHEC and to handle the different procedures. Recurring informative meetings combined with frequent opening hours and prompt mail service helped us handle different issues. EDHEC welcomes a large number of exchange students with whom it is very easy to connect.”, says Marc.
For Alix the orientation week at HHL set the perfect starting point for her exchange experiences: “I am very impressed by the international dimension of the school and how HHL is welcoming exchange students. Our welcome week in September was very well organized and made me feel like I had chosen the right place. During this very special week, I met all my exchange friends with whom I would later spend unforgettable moments traveling and enjoying the city of Leipzig.”
Photos (c) by EDHEC Business School
Hej there! I'm Alexandra and a former Content Marketing Manager at HHL. One of my favorite tasks was interviewing the HHL community and sharing their success stories with you. My goal was to create a digital home for all the experiences and stories found in our community - and hopefully inspire you to join us on one of our campuses in Leipzig, Cologne or Munich.
