From you to us: how is the integration into a Business School?
July 22 2021
You're joining your Business School next fall and you're wondering how to integrate into your new environment. From the start of the school year to the Alumni network and the integration weeks, find out all the keys to feel at ease from the very first days and taking advantage of your network throughout your course.
The back-to-school period in a Business School
Back-to-school dates
Find out from your institution about your back-to-school dates so that you can plan your move sufficiently in advance and prepare for your new life as a student in the best possible conditions.
To ensure that you are well prepared for the start of the new academic year, make sure that you have completed all the administrative formalities concerning your registration and that you have finalised your tuition contract.
Find out your back-to-school dates
Integration days
From the very first days, Business Schools generally organise the famous integration days, weekends or weeks which combine presentation times (course programmes, School services, teaching teams, etc.) and conviviality times which allow you to meet many people, create cohesion within the classes and quickly put you at ease in your new environment.
These festive, friendly and benevolent periods are punctuated by numerous games and activities: sports events, Escape Game, inflatable structures, blind tests...
EM Normandie's Welcome Weeks: this year, you will have two weeks to integrate well. You will be able to take part in numerous activities and share some great moments of conviviality: visits to the campuses, workshops and seminars, meetings with associations, school services, fun and sports activities, etc.
At the beginning of the year, a sponsorship event with a meeting ceremony is organised for newcomers: a sponsor from the year above undertakes to accompany you in discovering the School and your new city.
Arrival on your campus
If you have moved into your accommodation a day or two before the start of the school year, you will probably have had time to organise your journey to school. If not, it is advisable to prepare well for your arrival on the first day of school so that you can arrive at your new school with peace of mind.
Meet a variety of profiles throughout your studies
Throughout your course, you will meet students from all walks of life: geographical, academic and sociological. These diverse profiles will contribute to your personal enrichment.
Indeed, the recruitment process for Business Schools has diversified considerably, even if the preparatory class remains an important entry route for many schools. It is now common to enter a school directly after High School, after 1 to 5 years in higher education, whether in France or abroad.
From a social point of view, it should be noted that the number of grant-holders entering a Business School is constantly increasing. To reduce the cost of tuition fees, many schools offer work-study programmes that allow you to be exempted from tuition fees and to receive a salary while gaining professional experience during your studies. These programmes are available to international students under specific conditions.
By meeting and working with students from a variety of backgrounds, you learn to interact with a wide range of ways of thinking, working habits and personalities.
This mix leaves room for diversity and tolerance and fosters your intellectual openness as well as your ability to interact with multiple profiles throughout your studies and in the professional world.
Each year, EM Normandie welcomes more than 5,000 students on its 5 campuses in France and internationally (Caen, Le Havre, Paris, Dublin and Oxford). There are also more than 700 international students from 65 countries enrolled in its programmes. The School is a leader for work-study programmes with over 1,000 students enrolled in a one or two-year course each year.
Prepare your admission at EM Normandie
Build your network and make lasting connections from the start
Networking is essential for your future professional integration and career development. You probably use sites like LinkedIn to keep in touch with people you met during your internships for example. This is a good start to building a professional network and adopting the network reflex.
When you enter a Business School, you have the opportunity to join the Alumni network, which is made up of former students - both young and old graduates - and for some institutions, current students. These members are generally spread around the world and their number varies according to the longevity of your School.
By joining the Alumni network, you benefit from many advantages:
- Consult a database of job and internship advertisements compiled by members of the network who are currently working and take advantage of the professional opportunities offered by their companies.
- Collaborate and exchange with the professionals in your network on your respective experiences during events organised by your School.
- Develop your career and deepen your professional project thanks to the testimonies of Alumni on their professional experience and the opportunities offered by your network.
- Unite around common values that you share with the community of students and graduates.
The EM Normandie Alumni network is made up of +20,000 members, students and graduates from all over the world. +9,000 work-study and internship opportunities are offered each year, including 1,500 exclusively to EM Normandie students. Benefit from personalised support during and after your training and take part in the association's professional and festive events throughout the year, during your studies and afterwards!
