Bonjour à tous!
I’m currently enjoying my exchange studies in beautiful France. I’m doing my studies at Ipag Business School in Nice. Back in Finland, I’m studying International Business at TAMK.
Here at Ipag Business School, I have focused on courses that deal with the luxury industry and its innovation, sustainability, and brand management. I also chose one course on risk management and data analytics. All the courses have been really interesting and different from the ones I’ve had at TAMK. The luxury courses also included interesting study trips to Monaco and Grasse. We went to Luxepack Monaco, which is a trade fair for the luxury packaging industry. In Grasse, we visited Parfumerie Fragonard to see the perfume manufacturing process firsthand.
I also had a lot of free time during my exchange in Nice. The French Riviera has so much to offer. I enjoyed the sunny beaches, explored the old town, and hiked through some of the most stunning scenery. It’s convenient and easy to visit other cities by train, so I’ve visited many beautiful places here on the French Riviera; Antibes, Cannes, Menton and Mandelieu, for example.
Now that Christmas is getting closer I’ve also been able to enjoy the local Christmas markets here. The Christmas market in Nice is special because it combines the elegance and festive traditions of the French Riviera. With palm trees and mild winter weather, this market creates a different Christmas atmosphere from what I am used to in Finland. Nice offers French delicacies such as mulled wine and socca, as well as classic Christmas treats and handicrafts.
French food is also worth mentioning
– I’ve tried so many good restaurants, cafes, and patisseries during my stay here. Snails have definitely become one of my favorite dishes here.
Studying here is relatively similar to studying in Finland. The French system places more emphasis on the classroom hierarchy, where professors are addressed formally, as opposed to Finland, where the teaching style is a little more informal and approachable. The workload and group assignments are similar in my opinion, but Finnish learning is typically a little more self-directed. We have had group projects in all of my classes but in my opinion that has only been a positive thing since you get to know other exchange students better during the projects.
Overall, I have really enjoyed my time here and the French Riviera has become a place that I wanna visit again in the future. If someone is considering doing their exchange in Nice, I can definitely recommend this for your exchange destination.
<3
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