When I first arrived in Paris, it was the end of August 2019. And now, it is the end of January 2020, where my compatriots are celebrating the Spring Festival in China.

Looking back over the past five months I spent at ESSEC, I find myself to have a lot to share. Studying in France has always been a dream of mine since my undergraduate years. When I learned that the Guanghua School of Management has a Double Degree Program with ESSEC Business School, I was excited and applied for it.

ESSEC is one of the top business schools in France and Europe, especially well-known for its Masters in Management program (Grande Ecole) which ranks No.3 worldwide. It offers more than 200 elective courses in French and English, and more than 20 specialized tracks and chairs sponsored by big companies such as LVMH, L¡¯Oreal, BNP Paribas, Accenture, and Danone. I am lucky to be accepted by the Accenture Strategic Business Analytics Chair, which is very popular among ESSEC students.

What impressed me most about ESSEC is its slogan, ¡°The pioneering spirit¡±. It encourages students to be innovative and pragmatic. This spirit has penetrated into its flexible and personalized program. Students have the right to choose whether to do an internship for 6 months or to attend classes. It allows students to design their own study plans. As business school students, it is important to put what we learn within the classroom into practice. It also reminds me of what our dear Professor Douglas taught us: learn by doing.

Thanks to my first-year studying experience with international classmates of the IMBA class at Guanghua, I feel more at ease when immersing myself in a unique multi-cultural learning environment and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. However, in terms of courses, I have to say they are more intensive than I thought. We even have an intensive week at the beginning of every trimester. For most of the courses, it is normal to do more than 3 group projects. I remember that we did 7 group projects in the Global Strategy and Luxury Business course. The moment we were celebrating the accomplishment of one project, we had to arrange another group meeting for a new project.

When it comes to romance, Paris has that special je ne sais quoi (I don¡¯t know what)that captivates millions of visitors, day in and day out. Known around the world as the ¡°City of Light,¡± Paris is celebrated for its beautiful city plan, architecture, museums, wide and luxurious boulevards, elegant cuisine, etc. A character in a play by Oscar Wilde said, ¡°When good Americans die, they go to Paris.¡± I like to spend weekends discovering the city of Paris. Taking a cruise on la Seine river, wandering at Les Champs-Elysees boulevard, appreciating Monalisa in the Louvre Museum¡­ You will never feel bored in Paris because there is a lot to explore. Since countries in Europe are not far away from each other, it is easier to visit one country during the weekend. Having a spur-of-the-moment trip has always been my dream. Studying in Paris allows me to realize that dream. To leverage the convenient transportation within Europe, I traveled a lot during the holidays. It¡¯s a good way to explore different cultures and people in different countries. Also, it¡¯s the best way to avoid the nation-wide strikes which lasted for more than one month in France.

This is one of the reasons why people love Paris but hate it at the same time. A saying goes, ¡°if you love someone, take him to Paris; if you hate someone, take him to Paris.¡± In Paris, you can not only experience the romantic culture but also go through the strikes. Even the French citizens who get used to strikes said that the strikes since last December were unbearable. There was no train, nor metro. The revolutionary spirit always lives in the heart of the French people.

Above all, studying in Paris is a unique, enjoyable and precious experience for me. If Guanghua shapes my way of thinking, then ESSEC sharpens it. The Double Degree Program enriched my MBA life. It is a beautiful journey, full of adventure and surprises.

Provided by£ºLiu Fang