ESSEC School of Business

Transcription

1 Education Abroad Pre-Departure Information for ESSEC School of Business CONTENTS: Application Materials Checklist Visas and Travel Documents Payment Information Health Insurance Academics Program Contact Information Arrival and Onsite Orientation Housing Arrangements Communication Living in your host city

2 APPLICATION MATERIALS CHECKLIST Since this program is an exchange program (i.e., you are enrolling in this institution like any local student and choosing your classes from the regular selection of classes available to local students), you must complete additional application materials and paperwork in order to complete your acceptance on-site. These additional materials are included with this orientation packet, unless they are available on-line (in which case the appropriate website where you can find the materials will be indicated in the checklist below). Items to submit for your Academic enrollment: ECTS Learning Agreement EPSCI/CIEL applications 3 passport-sized identity photos Copy of Birth certificate translated into French Items to submit for your housing application (details in Housing section): ALEGESSEC membership form and photo Housing contract Deposit transfer form Copy of Birth certificate translated into French Please submit all of the materials on the checklist to your Education Abroad Adviser by: NOVEMBER 1ST What happens next? Your Education Abroad Adviser will send all completed forms and supporting materials (from the checklist) to your host institution for processing. Once your host institution has reviewed the materials, the international office there will be in contact with you (either by mail or by ) and will send you further materials (which may include arrival information, housing documents, acceptance-of-offer forms that you must sign and return to the host institution independently, or other items). Be alert to any mailings that are sent to you from your host institution, read everything carefully, and (if you are required to submit any further documentation to your host institution) be sure to respond to this request in a timely way. IMPORTANT GENERAL ADVICE: Read everything carefully! Ask your Education Abroad Adviser about anything you don t understand after reading these instructions. Do not leave sections of the application blank unless you are advised to do so. Turn in all of the materials on the Items to submit checklist to your Education Abroad Adviser by the required deadline or you will have to be sure they arrive on-site by the institution s final deadline individually. Failure to submit all required materials could result in your application being denied by your host institution. -2 -

3 VISAS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS A visa is REQUIRED to study abroad in France What is a visa? A Visa is a sticker that goes into your passport, giving you official permission to be in someone else s country. The process: You will need a current passport (valid up to six months after your program ends), a registration number from CampusFrance, and particular documents in order to receive your visa. A guide is available for your reference on our website. Visa requirements for France vary by consulate. You should begin by consulting your consulate s website (the state in which you hold permanent residency) in order to find the list of materials you will need to obtain your visa. Please note that some French consulates require you to obtain your visa in person. You are responsible for completing the necessary forms, gathering the supporting documents, and following through on the entire process. It is extremely important that you complete each step in this process promptly and carefully. Apply immediately for a passport if you do not yet have one. You will need it to get your visa. PAYMENT INFORMATION PLEASE share the basic payment details with your parents if they are paying (in whole or in part) for your education abroad program! Fees you will pay to the Penn State Bursar s Office: Penn State tuition and technology fees (University Park rate); these will be labeled TUITION and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FEE on your bill. If you are an out-of-state student, you will pay the out-of-state tuition supplement, as usual. Please note that you should NOT pay tuition directly to your host institution, and if you receive a tuition bill from your host institution you should disregard it as an error. Education Abroad administrative fee (for administrative services provided by the Education Abroad office) and Penn State HTH WorldWide insurance fee (compulsory for all education abroad participants); these two fees will be added together and the total of the two will be labeled OEA ADMIN FEE on your bill. The education abroad fees will appear in the Transactions Since Last Bill and/or Prior Semester Balance section of the Penn State bill you will receive from the Bursar s Office in the semester before your departure. Please note that the Bursar s Office will send bills for education abroad -3 -

4 participants about two weeks later than those for other students. Fees you will pay on-site, either at your host institution or in your host city: Housing (to the housing office at your host institution or to private landlord, depending on where your program) your host institution will provide further information about how to make the payment Food if you are living in a place where you are cooking for yourself, you will be shopping for groceries Books Other personal expenses (entertainment, public transportation, laundry, personal travel, etc.) Please review the billable and non-billable cost information at : HEALTH INSURANCE Penn State policy: All students have been issued a comprehensive policy with HTH Health Care: Receipts for medical costs should be submitted to: HTH Worldwide Insurance Services PO Box 968 Horsham, PA (Toll-Free) (Fax) 24/7 Emergency Service: Through participation in HTH Worldwide Insurance, each student is eligible for HTH Global Health and Safety services when traveling away from his/her permanent home or campus address or abroad. Services are accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You may also need to purchase a separate French medical assistance insurance when you arrive onsite. ACADEMICS The academic program: You will take regular courses with local students at this institution. The majority of your classes will be business classes, taught in either French or English, depending on your level of French language competence. You must take at least one language class. These are available on many levels, from beginning to advanced. Academic or foreign student advisers on-site can assist you with enrollment; however, they cannot advise you on how your courses abroad will fulfill Penn State degree requirements. -4 -

5 Course and credit information: Students may choose courses from a variety of options from business to language and civilization. International coordinators in Smeal can help you select appropriate courses from a course catalogue that you may reference. You may select from courses with ESSEC students and courses for international students. You should Please consult with your academic advisor for more course selection information. Grades and credits will transfer. Penn State students are not allowed to take courses pass/fail. Grade conversion scale: You will receive grades according to the French system, which is significantly different than the US system. The French number grading system will be translated to the US system in the following manner: French Grade US Grade (1-20) (A-F) A A B B B C C C D F As with any Penn State course, grades are determined by the student s course instructors. Penn State s Office of Education Abroad records these grades on the student s Penn State transcript. Classes overseas may not be audited or taken on the pass/fail basis. PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION ON-SITE COORDINATOR: (first point of contact for any problems at host institution) MAILING ADDRESS: Département des Relations Internationales EPSCI-Groupe ESSEC Avenue Bernard Hirsch-B.P Cergy-Pontoise Cedex France Welcome/Academic Information: Mr. Paul Evensen Incoming Manager, International Relations phone: fax: Ms. Tracey Moore EPSCI International Relations Assistant Tel: Fax: mooret@essec.fr -5 -

6 Emergency Contact Information: First call On-site Coordinator Housing Information: Ms. Morgane Morice Assistant, Alegessec Housing Service Tel: Emergency numbers at Penn State (during Penn State business hours): (814) Education Abroad Advisor (office) (814) , John Keller, Director, Education Abroad (office) After-Hours Emergency Number (e.g., in case of a life-threatening accident or illness abroad): (814) , Penn State Police Services Police Services will notify the appropriate EA staff member(s) regarding true emergency calls received after hours ARRIVAL AND ONSITE ORIENTATION Know what is expected! In order to be well-prepared for your program, be sure to read all your pre-arrival materials carefully! Arrival on-site: If at all possible, try to arrive on-site on the suggested arrival date. If you arrive prior to that date, you must be prepared to be responsible for your own lodging and meals for any days/nights prior to the suggested arrival date. In any case, do not arrive late for the start of your program! If you arrive late, you may miss on-site orientation and registration, and you will start off your experience abroad feeling like you are at a disadvantage. If you must arrive after the suggested arrival date, at least make sure you are there prior to the start of your on-site orientation program. Getting to ESSEC from the airport (Roissy-Charles DeGaulle): There are two main options: Taxi and RER train. Taxi: It may be expensive, but it is highly recommended to take a taxi from the airport to Cergy-Pontoise (ESSEC). It is an easy option when traveling with a lot of luggage. The trip will cost approximately 60 Euro (daytime fare). A recommended English-speaking taxi company is available: Serine Taxis Ph. (33) Website: serine95@wanadoo.fr If you have more than one person arriving at the same time, there is the option of a pre-booked minibus that costs about 85 Euro. Contact Serine to look into the details of their services. RER Train: Getting to ESSEC by train can take approximately two hours. It may be long with lots of baggage. Upon arrival at Charles DeGaulle (CDG) look for signs referencing SNCF/RER/Trains. A free shuttle bus provides transportation to the appropriate terminal (2F). -6 -

7 Train : Take the RER B. There is only one possible direction since CDG airport is the final stop, so any departing train goes to Paris. At Châtelet Les Halles, change trains and get the RER A direction Cergy-le-Haut, which departs from the platform just across from the RER B. On the platforms you will see TV monitors displaying schedules and destinations of incoming trains. Signboards indicate all the stations the next train will serve. In your case the lights should be lit up for : Cergy Préfecture, Cergy St. Christophe and Cergy Le Haut (final stop). Essec is located at Cergy Préfecture. The train ticket costs about uros (mention that you want to go to CERGY Préfecture when you buy your ticket) since you are crossing all 5 zones of Paris, the whole journey will probably take you about one and a half hours. For more details, you can consult the Paris rail network sites : or On-site orientation: You will have the opportunity to participate in an on-site orientation program after your arrival, which typically includes course registration, presentations on your host city and cultural adaptation, and local health and safety information. All of this information is important so be sure to attend your on-site orientation program! HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS You can be housed in one of two residences, operated by Alegessec Residences, are owned and run by the Groupe Essec. The residences, Foyer des Linandes or Foyer de Cergy-Le Haut, are located offcampus, and provide a safe environment and high standards of accommodations. Rooms are equipped with necessary furniture (bed, closet, etc.) and electrical appliances. Each room has a broadband Internet connection (not included in the rent). A private shuttle bus operates between the two residences and the ESSEC campus on weekdays in the morning and evenings. Be sure you consult the housing website ( to find out more about the rooms available in these residences. Along with your ESSEC application, you have (or will have) been given instructions and forms regarding housing in residences. Important housing forms include: Algessec Association Membership form Housing Contract form Non-EU citizens: Birth certificate (copy translated into French by certified translator), or EU citizenship passport identification Deposit Transfer Form (this document gives Algessec bank account details which you should give your bank to enable them to complete the transfer) Crockery/Linen Kit request form (optional) Complete instructions on how to complete the housing forms are included in the ESSEC packet. Return your ESSEC application, housing, and other forms by the deadline given by your Education Abroad Adviser; they will be batched -7 -

8 directly to France. If you do not turn them in by the EA deadline, you will have to mail your forms independently before ESSEC s deadline. Confirmation of your reservation will be sent by one month before your arrival by the housing services. Due to the demand for rooms, accommodation cannot be guaranteed to students who do not respect deadlines or do not send deposit checks with their forms. Be sure that you meet the appropriate deadlines. COMMUNICATION Computer facilities High-speed internet access is available in residence housing. This new service allows for access to Skype and other activities on the internet. However, internet costs are not included in room rent; students must pay an additional 15 euros, which will be automatically added. Cell Phones: There are a couple of options for cell phone use in France. 1. You may want to buy a new phone to use in France, or 2. You may want to use your current phone. If so, you need to buy a new French SIM card. (Note: For students from Asia, Canada and the Americas, you will need a three-band telephone) For short stays in France, the easiest option is to buy a carte prepayée, a prepaid or pay-as-yougo rechargeable card. You can buy recharges as you need them from any tabac. Prices range from: 10 euros for 25 minutes to 95 euros for 4½ hours LIVING IN CERGY: About Cergy: Cergy-Pontoise has all the assets of a dynamic new city, making student life here pleasant and efficient. A student city just 30 minutes from Paris by train, Cergy-Pontoise is surrounded by typical Oise villages where well-known Impressionist painters sought inspiration. Abbeys, châteaux, parks and gardens. The banks of the Oise Rivers are beautiful to see and enjoy. This is an area that inspired the Impressionists a hundred years ago. Cergy-Pontoise has a lot to offer in terms of activities and infrastructure: the large Neuville nature park, a municipal swimming pool and skating rink, a theater and a music conservatory are all easily accessible near campus. The School is a five-minute walk from the railroad station (Cergy-Prefecture station). A few doors away are the Préfecture, banks, City Hall and Police offices. All are easily accessible for administrative needs or to obtain help. -8 -