ESSEC Global MBA Matthew Werner on his visit to Singapore, amazing company visits, helpful alumni and opening a new campus!
The
ESSEC Global MBA offers students the chance to visit to Singapore to build contacts and explore career opportunities in the Asian hub.
We caught up with student Matthew Werner in the final week of this year's trip to find out about MBA life in the city.
In a nutshell, “Life in Singapore is quite nice”, said Matthew. Of course that’s to be expected given that the school was extremely helpful in making sure students are accommodated in a nice apartment block in the city centre. A taxi ride to class or around town takes 15 minutes on average.
At 33 to34 celsius and almost 90 per cent humidity, it is ideal t-shirt, shorts and flip-flop weather, so it’s quite hard to don professional attire.
“Everyone speaks English so it’s easy to network and because there are so many foreign workers people are more open to meeting new people”, said Matthew.
The MBAs arrived in Singapore in mid-February and have spent four weeks attending classes. This final week is dedicated to careers. They’ll be making company visits and meeting with
ESSEC alumni to discuss career progression.
In China Town
Matthew told us that they already went to the Port Authority in Singapore, one of the largest ports in the world. They were given a tour of the fourth largest shipping vessel in the world which was docked at the port.
They also visited Louis Vuitton Maison, a flagship LV store and learned about the firm's operations worldwide. They’ll be paying visits to BNP Paribas and to Google on Friday.
Matthew doesn’t think he will work in Singapore or in Asia when he graduates. As an American who has spent the last ten years establishing a career in France, he would like to remain in Paris.
He’s looking into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as it's “An interesting way to integrate business skills to make a change in the world”.
Back at the campus in France, Matthew has taken courses on society and sustainability that have had a big impact on him.
The professor in charge of Business Sustainability and Society often brought in industry professionals to speak on the case studies they were addressing. It was a great networking opportunity and gave Matthew the chance to meet with the President of Unilever foods.
A few of the other companies he’s eyeing are Danone, L’Oreal and AXA and he would like the roles to be based out of France.
Because Singapore is so international, most of the
ESSEC alumni the Global MBAs have met still maintain close ties with France and are happy to make introductions where possible.
For Matthew, the best thing about life in Singapore is that there’s so much to explore. Sure, there are assignments and exams but there are also bars, great food, and it's the perfect location to visit other South East Asian countries.
Enjoying the local cuisine
Matthew has already gone to Jakarta to visit a friend’s family and plans to make a stop in Thailand before heading back to France. Classmates have also spent weekends in Hong Kong, Bali and Viet Nam.
There’s even more travelling on the schedule during the Global MBA including a trip to South Africa in May to study the emerging market in context, and the International Immersion Project where students get to live and work as consultants in different parts of the world.
ESSEC Global MBAs at the Groundbreaking Ceremony
The final piece of exciting news is that future ESSEC Global MBAs will get to study on the new ESSEC Campus in Singapore, that should be ready by 2014!
Student Reviews
The best intercultural university
There are more than 50 nationality in the grade, so there are opportunities to interact with people from all around the world. In terms of academics, the BBA course offers diverse courses for the 1st
Creativity, adaptability and entrepreneurship
The Master in Management program at the ESSEC Business School allows the students to choose their courses accordingly to their preferences and their professional targets. We can also go through international exchange and take part in internships with companies that are also partners with the school. The school is also next to the city of Paris.
Top business school in France
Doing PhD in essec took some time, to be precise about five years. But the experience was very good and cost effective too. There are opportunities for the student for teaching assistantship and that helps both financially and in career. In the final year I could manage to teach marketing to M1 students and this helped shape my career
Great college
The program is well suited for early professionals with an engineering degree preferably or a degree in economics. I would suggest taking the ceasure irrespective of the experience level as it helps you take your time to adjust to the job market.
Good school in France
I am currently enrolled in M2 in Essec business school. I am specialising in marketing management. The Grande Ecole programme is valued in France and my school ranks very high up. There are a lot of opportunities for internships and CDD.
The program curriculum
BBA program. The program is really practical and useful, provide us many international opportunities. Like internship and humanitarian experience, and the flexibility is also really cool, we can choose different campus and tracks as we want.
International Course
This school is very international and business oriented. Highly recognized by the companies The campus has been renovated and is very functional and modern from now on. Excellent atmosphere. Reputation of essec is a plus
Friends, Career opportunities.
The program I did gave me the opportunity to start in Singapore. I got the chance to know all the students that started there and we bonded and made some friends for life. The career opportunities that ESSEC also gave me were unbelievable.
Practical and useful
I think the best thing about Essec is that it's not focusing on academics rather it emphasizes on future job mindset and professional experiences..
The classes are interesting and we have plenty of workshops attributing to different sectors..
The campus is very nice with a good cafe and wonderful library.
The only problem is the location of the campus. It's quite far from Paris.
Amazing experience! Must try
I think its a very amazing school with great and experienced faculty. Also the alumni network is very solid and useful. The school has a great balance of studies and work experience which is really essential for a student.
GBBA: Diverse, Enriching, and Career-Boosting
My experience at ESSEC Business School has been outstanding. The Global BBA program offers a rich academic curriculum and diverse learning opportunities. I appreciated the chance to study on different campuses, including an international exchange, which broadened my perspective. The social environment is culturally diverse and vibrant, enhancing both my personal and professional growth. The administration is attentive, constantly offering new academic and student life opportunities. The campus facilities and classrooms are excellent. I highly recommend ESSEC for its excellence, global exposure, and career opportunities.
ESSEC BS BBA REVIEW
The English track BBA program at ESSEC is simply exceptional. Courses are taught by internationally renowned professors who are experts in their field. The subjects taught cover a wide range of disciplines from marketing to finance, strategy and entrepreneurship. The English track is a major asset because it allows you to develop perfect mastery of professional English, essential in today's globalized business world. Some students love student life at Essec, which is one of the best in France, but it all depends on taste.
Great program, incredible school
I love almost everything about this school, from the student life to the academic program and the opportunities it provides.
I'm currently at the Paris campus, in Cergy, and I'm really enjoying it.
The BBA program is very rich and diversified, you can start with geopolitics and then finance, what I mean is that there's a great balance between the subjects in this program.
I was also lucky enough to spend a semester at the Singapore campus, and I loved that experience on the other side of the world.
ESSEC is also known for its dynamic and rich student life, with access to several parties a week and the various associations within the school.
If I could recommend just one school, it would be this one - I'm 100% satisfied.
Great experience
First of all, what I appreciate the most is the academic environment. The courses are extremely stimulating and are taught by high-level professors, often experts in their field. The diversity of subjects offered, ranging from marketing to finance, including entrepreneurship, allows you to acquire a complete and versatile education. The group projects, although sometimes stressful, are also an opportunity to learn to work in a team, which is essential in the professional world. One area that I feel could be improved is the management of student events. Although many activities are organized, I have noticed that some events can lack organization or communication, which can frustrate those who want to get involved. Better coordination between the different student associations and the administration could really improve the overall experience.
