A Semester in Paris
Ersilia Perpignano was studying at the EMLV - École de Management Léonard de Vinci located in the financial district of La Défense in Paris. She was enrolled in the Corporate Finance Master's class with other international students from Hungary, Italy, and India. "At first, we felt more connected to the international students than the French students. However, this changed quickly. We had a great atmosphere in the class, and I was able to improve my French through contact with my fellow students." According to Ersilia, student life in Paris was very exciting, with plenty of activities organized by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), including regular nights out, bowling, and visiting the Palace of Versailles.
With a new city came new experiences and customs, such as midterm exams, which took place between October and November. "It was unusual to prepare for several exams in the middle of the semester, but it guarantees that students were always familiar with the learning material." The strictly controlled attendance policy in Paris was also a new experience compared to the university in Lucerne. Students must always confirm their attendance in a separate app from the university. If there are too many absences, students received an email from the course coordinators who control the absences. The absences must then be justified. In the end, Ersilia got used to the partner university in Paris despite the newness. Ersilia had already taken all her final exams by mid-December and was able to enjoy the Christmas season in Paris.
A Semester in Prague
Kathrin Keus studied at Vysoká škola ekonomická Praha in Prague. Czech and international students attended the same courses. It was a new experience for Kathrin that the statistics courses were held with very few course participants. "In one course (Quantitative Methods in Economics), there were only six students, which gave the instructor much more time to answer the students' questions. I found the personal atmosphere very positive for me," she said.
Making contact with local students was a challenge. However, it was very easy to connect with other international students through the activities organized by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). Such activities included visits to Prague Castle, Prachauer Felsen, and various evening activities (Wine Nights, Pub crawls).
Student life in Prague was very diverse. The university in Prague was very well organized, and international students had a local "buddy", who gave valuable advice for everyday life in Prague as well as Czeck customs. Something new for Kathrin was that mid-term exams were taken halfway through the semester. The lectures were divided into theory and seminars (exercises and examples). The HSLU approach was more accessible for Kathrin because the examples are linked to the theory immediately.
Ersilia Perpignano and Kathrin Keus gained experience and acquired skills during their study abroad semester that will impact their professional and private life. Click here for further information on semesters abroad for Lucerne School of Business students.
