Semester Exchanges Blog

Howdy Aggies!!! I am back!!! After coming last semester to Cergy I decided to stay for one more!!! With that being said can you believe that school in France starts until March 7!! I had almost three whole months of winter vacation! Now that I am back I can say that Cergy is different in March than what it was a couple of months! Cherry blossoms are blooming and it looks like spring but still feels like winter! 

One thing about going a whole year abroad is that now you don’t have the anticipation of meeting new people because now you have the advantage of knowing a couple of people and you definitely know the place. It’s amazing what you can do when you feel already comfortable in a strange place. I mean now I can tell the new coming exchange students what to do and give them advice. Also what I really love about ESSEC is that they have a lot of events that allow exchange students to get to know each other, and also just a reminder that before you come, if you don’t have WhatsApp, download it. This app is the main source of communication with the students from here.

Even though Cergy grew on me and is a great way to start your abroad experience, I have decided that this semester I will be living in Paris. The commute from Paris to Cergy is not that bad, it’s only 30 minutes to take the RER. The only reason why you will really have to think about moving to Paris is that in Paris strikes happen almost regularly which can disrupt the metro lines, so this is why many people decide to stay in Cergy. However, I decided to move to Paris because I had the opportunity to put all of my classes Monday to Wednesdays, so now that I have Thursdays and Fridays off I could spend more time getting to know Paris.

Anyways, let me know if you guys have more questions about ESSEC and Cergy!!!

I’ll let you know how this semester turns out in a couple of months.

I can’t believe I am finally here. I had been crossing out dates from my calendar for two months now, and today I finally arrived at my new residence Cergy, France. When I first arrived in Cergy I was a bit shocked because it was not what I expected. When they told me I would be moving thirty minutes away from Paris, I imagined Cergy would be a little glamourous and a picturesque town; however, it is an industrial small town. Nevertheless, once you get to know it, you will fall in love with it.

Even though there is not much to do in Cergy, when you have a group of friends you can make great plans. There is a lake beside the port, which has a couple of restaurants and bars, where you can go with your friends and have a picnic and watch beautiful sunsets. We normally go every afternoon to the lake to walk around, or walk towards the ax-majeur and eat at the stairs, and if you are lucky you might even see the Eiffel tower from here.

Nevertheless, once you get bored of the lake (which you won’t) you have Paris thirty minutes away. During my first week in Cergy, I went to Paris every day. If you go abroad check the transportation card your city offers you. Because when I arrived in France I didn’t know there was a pass (the Navigo pass) that would allow me to use all methods of transportations in Îlede- France. But after some friends told me about this pass, now I can travel to Paris and all small towns surrounding it for only $75 dollars a month, which is nothing compared to the daily ticket to Paris. Being close to a big city is the best part of being in Cergy, because you are experiencing the same university vibe that we have in TAMU with only students but at the same time you are also living the Paris life because trust me you will be going to Paris at least three times a week.

The one thing that really differentiates ESSEC from TAMU is the long class periods. Most of the courses in ESSEC are 3 hours long with a 15 minute break. However, because the classes are really small, about 25 students per class, the classes are really interactive and you get to meet all of your classmates. What I also really like about ESSEC curriculum is that instead of giving homework or midterms most of your grade is based on participation or group projects. However, my favorite part of ESSEC is that inside the school you have a bar where all students get together during the breaks or after school and you get to meet people from different cultures.