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Information Guide for CEMS Students of International Management
Released by Cems Club Prague 2013
2
Note:
Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM)
Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST)
Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile (pending ratification)
The above mentioned schools have not been included in this guide as no students from the CEMS VSE 2012/2013 went for an exchange there.
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LET US INTRODUCE
Dear CEMSies!
The CEMS Masters in International Management has been consistently ranked as one of the best programs for pre-experienced graduates on a worldwide basis by the Financial Times. Being part of the CEMS Network will give you an immense access and benefit to the overwhelming number of students, universities, courses from across every part of the world imaginable. One of the main highlights of the CEMS MIM program is the obligatory exchange semester where every student gets to spend a semester at some of the best management schools and universities in other countries spread across the globe.
However, going on an exchange involves a lot of effort from the side of the student and often students look out for some resource to base their decisions and channelize their efforts in order to get prepared to go for an exchange.
CEMS Club Prague is proud to present the “CEMS Crossroads”, an informative yet entertaining guide that highlights the most essential components from CEMS students who have already “been there, done that!”
The main aim of the CEMS Crossroads is to help students choose their “right” school and dispelling any pre-conceived notions that they may have. This guide gives information about the choice of courses that were available during the term, the block seminar and business project which are obligatory parts of the CEMS program as experienced by students during their exchange, the activities organised by the local CEMS Club at the partner university, the accommodation options available and rounding off with the social atmosphere and essential tips for making your exchange most comfortable.
Nevertheless, we would to like to remind you that the information contained in the “CEMS Crossroads” are subject to personal evaluation of the particular students enlisted. We estimate that your experience can either be very similar or completely different, but in the end the key thing is to make the most of your exchange.
We wish you the very best for the academic year and/or the selection process and cordially welcome you to CEMS and VŠE.
We hope you will experience the best exchange semester possible!
CEMS Club Prague 2013/2014
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LIST OF SCHOOLS
Finland
Denmark
Hungary
Spain
Brazil
Russia
France
Canada
Japan
Turkey
Belgium
Singapore
Norway
Portugal
Netherlands
Sweden
UK
Australia
China
Ireland
Italy
Germany
Switzerland
Austria
Poland
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11
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21
23
25
27
29
31
33
35
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Aalto University School of Business
Copenhagen Business School
Corvinus University of Budapest
ESADE Business School
Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo-FGV
Graduate School of Management, St Petersburg State University
HEC Paris
Ivey Business School
Keio University
Koç University Graduate School of Business
Louvain School of Management
National University of Singapore
Norwegian School of Economics
Nova School of Business and Economics
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Stockholm School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science
The University of Sydney Business School
Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School
Università Bocconi
University of Cologne
University of St.Gallen
Vienna University of Economics & Business
Warsaw School of Economics
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Aalto University is a new university with centuries of experience.
The Aalto University was created from the merger of three
Finnish universities: The Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki
University of Technology and The University of Art and Design
Helsinki in 2010.
This combination opens up new possibilities for strong multi-
disciplinary education and research. The university's goal is to be
one of the leading institutions in the world in terms of research
and education in its own specialized disciplines.
AALTO UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Business Project
Aalto works with two main partners together: Nokia and Kone. Till 2012 one year was in cooperation
with one partner, the next year with the other. Since 2013 CEMS Business Project is done with both of
them. The topics vary and students are not able to choose. In groups of 3 to 4 people the work is done
during the whole stay abroad. In May final presentation with corporate representatives and CEMS Office
are done in one of the headquarters.
Term 2: Marta Dolli Dils
Aalto: Our Experience
Practical Information
AALTO UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Helsinki
PO Box 21210 (Runeberginkatu 14-16)
Helsinki FI-00076 AALTO
Finland
Phone: +358-9-43131
Fax: +358-9-4313 8708
CEMS Contact Persons:
Nora Ridgewell
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +358 40 353 8166
Rita Järventie-Thesleff
CEMS Academic Director
Workload:
24 MIN / 37,5 MAX ECTS (one course is usually worth 6 ECTS)
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 01/09/2013 - 20/12/2013
Term 2 02/01/2014 - 31/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.aalto.fi/en/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://biz.aalto.fi/en/studies/cems_studies_at_aalto_university/
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/aalto-
university-school-business#school-overview
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Social Atmosphere in
the City / Country
As wintertime in Helsinki is
super cool, students meet
inside. We organized get
together at someone’s place
( go ing out i s qu i t e
expensive).
CEMS Club Events
CEMS Club Helsinki is newly put together every semester as CEMS
Programme is a one year Master where local students spend one semester
abroad. Therefore no teambuilding/icebreaker is prepared in the beginning.
As the CEMS group in Aalto is comparably small, students get to know
each other nevertheless easily.
During the semester we organized different activities such as international
dinner, charity run, and a magazine was newly-arranged. Moreover KY Sub
– another student organization – organizes diverse activities and day or
weekend trips for Aalto Students, where Cemsies join.
Choice of Courses
The spring semester at Aalto is divided into two parts. First lectures (and
exam) period is from January till March, second from March till May. A wise
range of different courses in English is offered during the whole year.
Interesting choice goes from “Internationalization of the Firm” and
“International Human Resource Management” to courses like “Rising China
– Business and State” and different language courses.
Cross Cultural Management: This course is organized as a two week
intense course with lectures every day. Heavy preparation made it an
interesting one, going further than basic theories. Discussions about
various topics, simulations, and videos rounded the offer at Aalto. Daily
article reading prepared students for the content and short summaries
from selected courses as well as a final presentation, a business case
prepared during the two weeks were the basis for grading. This course was
obligatory for all CEMS students.
Accommodation
Aalto University offers accommodation in dormitories with good
standard. Otherwise students look for shared flats next to the
campus and unihome offers university subsidized flats near university
7
Founded in 1917 by the business community in Denmark, Copenhagen Business
School is one of the world’s leading business universities (ranked 3rd by
Eduniversal), with a strong “business university” profile underlined by the close
cooperation with the Danish business society. In its research and education, CBS
covers a broad range of subjects relevant to business in the modern world. We
constantly strive to take full advantage of this scale and diversity by combining
academic excellence with cross-disciplinarity.
Practical Information
COPENHAGEN
BUSINESS SCHOOL
Block Seminar
Our BS was about Corporate Social Responsibility, which is a rather beloved topic at CBS! It was very demanding as we needed to
read a lot beforehand and there was a demanding exam right after the seminar was over (on Saturday! :D). On the other hand I
enjoyed learning a completely new way of studying through a lot of discussions.
Business Project
Unlike other schools, you are not even allowed to indicate any preferences for Business projects as the companies choose the team
instead. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my Business Project with Novozymes. I would also say that CBS is highly theoretical and insist
us on using some frameworks or models for our research, but for practical projects which was our case, this is highly cumbersome
Term 1: Krisztína Fekete, Simona Földesová, Petr Hanuška
Term 2: Adithya Kumar
CBS: Our Experience
COPENHAGEN
BUSINESS SCHOOL
The CEMS Office, Dalgas Have 15, 2V033/34
Frederiksberg DK-2000
Denmark
Phone: +45 3815 2285/2983
Fax: +45 3815 3825
CEMS Contact Persons:
Rene Barseghian
CEMS Programme & Double Degree Manager
Phone: +45 38152285
Fax: +45 38153825
Wafa El Moumi Nielsen
CEMS & Double Degree Programme Coordinator
Phone: +4538152983
Phillip Nell
CEMS Academic Director
Workload:
The expected workload is 30 ECTS per semester. Maximum
workload is 37.5 ECTS, excluding Block Seminar. Autumn semester
(1st CEMS term) 3-5 CEMS courses—including 1 mandatory course
in Strategy Spring semester (2nd CEMS term) 1-3 CEMS courses -
including 1 mandatory course in Cross Cultural Management + 1
Business Project + CBS Master Thesis.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 02/09/2013 - 23/12/2013
Term 2 03/02/2014 - 27/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://uk.cbs.dk/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://uk.cbs.dk/uddannelser/kandidat/kandidatuddannelser/
cems_master_s_in_international_management/
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/copenhagen-
business-school?#school-overview
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Choice of Courses
Choosing the right courses is definitely NOT easy at CBS, however if you are into
"green" issues, social awareness and innovation, then you will be satisfied with the
variety of courses available!
Term 1: From what I heard, Business Plan writing is demanding but very interesting
with a real coach from a company who is there to help your team to create the
plan. The compulsory Strategy in management was interesting, however the style of
the teacher was quite "unique" and not everybody liked him! If you want to study
something "different" from what you are used to, then I recommend Managing in
Creative Economy Firms" which is refreshing to learn to think in a creative way.
Term 2: The CCM course in CBS is pretty average which involves some group
work and an oral exam at the end of the semester, however there were some
interesting guest lectures worth mentioning. The CSR course is also quite
interesting with some very good discussions and debates from guest speakers,
however be prepared to work really hard for this course as the lecturer bombards
you with readings every week!
As everybody here speaks English, personally I would not recommend taking Danish
language courses, unless you plan to return to Denmark to settle down.
Other Important Information
Your best friend for the semester will be your bike, so don´t forget to buy (do NOT lend!!! it is
too expensive) a USED bike through www.dba.dk as you will need it to get around the city and it
is something you should experience once in Copenhagen! Moreover, you can re-sell your bike
through the same website, so mostly the bike will cost you only a minimal amount of money (or
even earn some!)
Before buying, try to ask and look around if there is a project called: Biking for a greener EU
(https://www.facebook.com/BikingForAGreenerEu?fref=ts) where they will give you a bike for
free for the whole semester. The only thing you need to do in exchange is to write a couple of
blog spots about your journey with the bike.
Accommodation
This is the hardest nut to crack in Copenhagen, for sure!!! Many scams, not enough spots for incoming students + high prices! You
need to be very active and need to start searching as soon as possible.
Be very careful while choosing your dorm room otherwise ask the university to help you find a private accommodation. The ultimate
best option: contact your schoolmates who have previously been there to give you some contacts on their landlords (or even take
their room) or they can also contact their friends in Copenhagen - it will be much more easier as Danish people will prefer someone
who has been recommended to them rather than a stranger! Good luck!
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
Copenhagen can be considered as a very expensive city and also there is not too much to see. Despite these facts, there is a nice and
calm atmosphere which I really enjoyed especially when the sun was out. You need to be prepared for a lot of rain, so don´t forget
your raincoat! I would recommend you to make some smaller trips, e.g. ferry trip to Oslo, Round-the-Sound trip to Sweden, Malmo
etc.
CEMS Club Events
The CEMS Club is pretty active and organise events like Team Building Weekends, Easter Party, Sightseeing Tours, CEMS Club
Marathon, Gala Nights, Wine Tastings with Corporate partners etc. However, the only catch is you need to pay for almost all the
events, nevertheless it was a great opportunity to know a lot of people. Also, we students used to organise events within ourselves
9
Practical Information
The Corvinus University of Budapest - legal successor of the Budapest
University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration – was founded in
1948. Corvinus is the highest reputed university in its various fields in
Hungary. It defines itself as a research university, which achievements are
internationally also acknowledged. Corvinus plays a leading role not only in its
research fields but also in the Hungarian higher education. Many faculty
members and Corvinus alumni have gained high reputation and have taken
leading positions in the Hungarian business, social and political life.
CORVINUS UNIVERSITY
OF BUDAPEST
Block Seminar
There was a lot of work at the lake Balaton, I did not really have time to enjoy the lake itself.
Business Project
BP was perfect with MOL group, I can only recommend it.
Term 1: Filip Poláček
Term 2: Slavomír Bača
CUB: Our Experience
CORVINUS UNIVERSITY OF BUDAPEST
Fővám tér 8.
Budapest H-1093
Hungary
CEMS Contact Persons:
Zsuzsa Krista
CEMS Programme & Double Degree Manager
Phone: +36 1 482 52 25
Fax: +36 1 482 54 95
Gyula Zilahy
CEMS Academic Director
Workload:
The expected workload is 30 ECTS per semester. In CUB there is a
maximum of five courses which can be followed during a semester.
As a CEMS student, you must take the mandatory CEMS course
offered during your stay in CUB. You must enrol for at least three
courses during your stay.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 09/09/2013 - 20/12/2013
Term 2 03/02/2014 - 16/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://fba.uni-corvinus.hu/
section on the school web site
http://fba.uni-corvinus.hu/index.php?id=29487&no_cache=1
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/corvinus-
university-budapest?#school-overview
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Choice of Courses
There was not much to choose from. I chose
Entrepreneurship an E-business. Entrepreneurship
was quite good because of guest speakers.
E-business was terrible because of the teacher but
they may change the teacher next time.
Accommodation
Accommodation options are very cheap in the city
centre. I stayed in a 3 room apartment quite a big
one for only 500 EUR plus energy.
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
You know how we love Hungarians and they us!
Budapest is city of parties and I met great people
there so in my case I can only recommend it.
CEMS Club Events
CEMS club events here were very empty. There
was only one rotation dinner and some team
buildings nothing special.
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ESADE is a modern, outward-looking academic institution,
which contributes to the development of competent,
critically minded individuals. Through its historical links with
the corporate world and society, it has become a lively
platform for debate and social involvement.
ESADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Block Seminar:
It was a great opportunity to get some hands on experience with SEAT car company, for which we had to
do a project about marketing communication. Four managers from Germany graded our presentation! It
was really hard work, staying up until 2am, doing all readings and getting ready for final presentation.
Nevertheless, the whole experience was just awesome! Stayed in a small village near Barcelona in a 5star
hotel, all inclusive-unlimited wine and coffee to survive the amount of work and socializing ;)
Term 1: Jana Mostynova
Term 2: Judith Kraller
ESADE: Our Experience
Practical Information
ESADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Sant Cugat del Vallés
Av. Torreblanca, 59
Sant Cugat del Vallès, BA 08172
Spain
Phone: +34- 935 543 511
CEMS Contact Persons:
Maja Murko
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +34 932 806 162
Fax: +34 - 932 048 105
Alberto Gimeno
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: +34 932 806 162
Fax: +34 932 048 105
Workload:
27 - 30 ECTS per term
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 23/09/2013 - 20/12/2013
Term 2 00/00/0000 - 00/00/0000
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.esade.edu/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.esade.edu/management/eng/programmes/cems-mim
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/esade-
business-school
12
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
From what I heard, first semester is always better, since all students are new and pretty much interested in
meeting as many people as possible. However, be prepared that majority of ESADE students are not
Spanish/Catalan but Germans :D
Definitely go for the Spanish Crash Course (even though, don't forget that you will hear Catalan
everywhere). It is not just a great way to improve your Spanish, but also a perfect change to meet new
students; most 'groups of friends' actually form those week.
Exchange students might feel really overwhelmed by the amount of work (having 7 subjects while ESADE
students just 4). Some students didn't travel around Spain a lot because of that, didn't go out, socialize etc.
My advice is to take it easy, travel as much as you want, enjoy those 4 months!
CEMS Club Events
Social Events (e.g. Gala, Parties), Local
CEMS Club was mainly organising parties
and dinners, usually once in 3 weeks. They
had agreements with most clubs.
Choice of Courses
Term 1: The choice of courses was rather
disappointing during the first semester. Very
limited choice, sadly students didn't mix with
local ESADE students. Choice was 7 out of 10
subjects (3 of them in Spanish). Most courses
were really time demanding, weekly
presentations and readings, since participation in
class is compulsory and forms a very important
part of your grade. For Spanish speakers, I
would recommend Trade Category
Management. It was a very interactive class with
many field trips and small projects.
Term 2: There was a huge offer of classes, also
specific courses with specializations.
Accommodation
Don't live in Sant Cugat. It is a nice small town,
but you would get very lonely and bored. Best is
to live in Gracia-Plaza Molina/Fontana.
Business Project
We worked with the port of BCN and had a
great time, the company was friendly and helpful.
The only issue I did not like was the beginning of
the project: we had one week as preparation for
the project, all companies presented their
tasks. - everything took a lot of time.
13
ESCOLA DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO
DE EMPRESAS DE SÃO PAULO-FGV
Av 9 de Julho 2029 3º andar
Sao Paulo SP 01313-902
Brazil
Phone: +55 11 3799 77 62
Fax: +55 11 3285 47 05
CEMS Contact Persons:
Maria Cecilia Menezes
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: + 55 11 3799 3253
Fax: 55-11 3285-4705
Tales Andreassi
CEMS Academic Director
The school was established in 1954 and was a pioneer in Business
Administration teaching in Brazil. Pioneer spirit, innovation
and international excellence has marked the history of FGV-
EAESP, not only in education of youth, that are taking the path of
an executive career in public and private organizations in Brazil
and abroad, but also for managers and executives that come here
for refresher courses and to further develop their education.
ESCOLA DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO
DE EMPRESAS DE SÃO PAULO-FGV
Business Project
The business project was very interesting. I worked for Natura on a project about communicating
sustainability. I learned a lot and the company enjoyed our recommendations, which was rewarding.
Choice of Courses
I believe that all the courses that I took during my exchange semester were very interesting - Cross
Cultural Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Marketing in Latin America.
Term 2: Madeleine Latapie, Anna Katherine Lemke
EAESP: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
CEMS = 120 ECTS
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 05/08/2013 - 13/12/2013
Term 2 10/02/2014 - 27/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://eaesp.fgvsp.br/en
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/escola-de-
administracao-de-empresas-de-sao-paulo-fgv#school-overview
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Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
Sao Paulo is huge! The inner city itself has about 11 million people. Together with the suburbs, it ads up to 22
million and makes it by far the biggest city in South America. You can also feel it when living there.. the air is
not the cleanest, there are constant traffic jams and it is relatively loud (compared to Prague), with airplanes
going over the city and cars honking constantly.
On the upside however, you can find everything you desire in the city: lots of different quarters and practically
the whole world in one place: you have an awesome Japanese and Chinese area and also other areas that are
more European. Going out is great with lots of different bars and nightclubs available. Also if you like eating
out, the restaurants that are available are simply amazing. It has to be added that life in Sao Paulo is quite
expensive and you should expect to spend (at least) about 1000€ per month (including accommodation).
CEMS Club Events
During my exchange semester, the CEMS Club was
unfortunately not as active as the one in Prague. But they still
had a great welcome event and organized one company visit
throughout the semester. Also, one CEMS cocktail with the
corporate partners took place.
Otherwise, it was mostly us exchange students who organized
things amongst ourselves. This is also due to the fact that a lot
of the local CEMSies are abroad while the exchange students
are there.
Accommodation
Unfortunately, FGV does not provide student housing.
Therefore, you will have to look for accommodation yourself.
However, the CEMS Coordinator from FGV will send you a
list of accommodation offerings in advance. Also, a lot of
CEMSies found accommodation via the student company
“urbantrees”. You should expect to pay at least 450 – 500€
for a room in a shared apartment. Everybody usually lives in
the areas in “Bela Vista” or “Jardins”, both safe neighborhoods
very close to FGV. I personally lived in Jardins and would
recommend it since it is a nicer neighborhood than Bela Vista.
Important Areas in the City:
Jardins and Bela Vista:
Neighborhoods around FGV. Very safe and nice
areas. Most of the CEMSies live in those
neighborhoods.
Avenida Paulista:
one of the biggest and most famous streets in Sao
Paulo. Home to one of the major business districts
of the city. Divides the neighborhoods of Jardins and
Bela Vista.
Rua Augusta:
Close to the Jardins neighborhood. Lots of bars and
clubs and good for going out or grabbing a beer.
Vila Madalena:
Young and hip quarter of the city. Lots of bars and
clubs and perfect for going out.
15
The Graduate School of Management (GSOM) is a part of St.
Petersburg University, the oldest institution of higher education in
Russia. GSOM was created in alliance with the Haas School of Business,
University of California at Berkeley in 1993.
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT,
ST. PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY
Business Project:
Amazing. I had the best team and very interesting project. Even though the company expected us to prove
something else, the data proved showed other direction. However, in the end both sides were satisfied with
the research and recommendations.
BP with Henkel: Development of distribution strategy for a new product on Russian market (decorative
stickers). Unfortunately, I was given a topic I didn't not want - logistics - and that I had no background in
(neither other two of my team members) therefore, work was quite tough for us. We never got to know
how the projects and topics were allocated. Communication with Henkel was difficult as they did not stay in
touch with us during the project, we saw them at the beginning and during our final presentation.
Term 2: Igor Lučanský, Jana Dubovská
GSOM : Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
Block Seminar – 3 ECTS
Fall Semester: 5 courses – 30 ECTS, Skills Seminar – 1 ECTS Spring
Semester: 3 courses – 15 ECTS, Business Project – 15 ECTS. Skills
Seminar – 1 ECTS
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 01/09/2013 – 11/01/2014 Term 2 26/02/2014 – 15/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.gsom.spbu.ru/en/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.gsom.spbu.ru/en/graduate/cems/
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/graduate-
school-management-st-petersburg-state-university?#school-
overview
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT,
SAINT PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY
Volkhovskiy pereulok, 3
St.Petersburg 199004
Russia
Phone: 007812 3238448
Fax: 007812 3238447
CEMS Contact Persons:
Olesya Ustimenko
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +7 812 323 8448
Yuri E. Blagov
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: 7 812 350 8155
Fax: 7 812 350 0406
16
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
In Russia do not ask why or when or how. Just do it and wait. If you try to challenge their way of life, they
will challenge your patience. It is a tough country, expect unexpected. The best way is to tell yourself: this
is the way it is, you can't change it, accept it, deal with it, go on ;) Behave like a local, drinking vodka
helps :)
CEMS Club Events
Very inactive, unorganized, would need a better leadership. We had only a few events, one was a trip to
Moscow, then twice lunch in the centre and a goodbye BBQ, where I was the only foreign student, but I got
to practice my Russian that's why I love it. Really, I wouldn’t say that there was any Cems Club. We were
entertaining ourselves more at the dorms with international students, not only Cemsies.
Choice of Courses
International Accounting and Analysis: already
the name of the course itself might mean
'boredom' but the professor that taught this
subject is truly the best one at GSOM and one of
the best ones that I have ever had. She can make
accounting interesting which is quite a tough job
I think ;) The class was intensive, every second
day for 4 weeks and in cooperation with PWC,
which made it not only theoretical but also
practical. I highly recommend taking this one!
Business Government Relations: We thought
that this would be the most exciting subject
because government and the finance allocation
are one of the most discussed subjects in Russia.
I was disappointed, the teacher's English skills
were great but that's it. It was really boring and
usually I was watching my classmate playing car
games on his iPad. Cross Cultural Management -
standard, anyway, we had to take it as our CEMS
curriculum says so.
17
Founded in 1881 by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and
Industry and founding member of ParisTech, HEC Paris has a
permanent faculty of 115 professors, more than 4,000 students
and over 8,500 managers and executives in training every year.
HEC PARIS
Business Project
Overall experience was good. However, our company manager was abroad for most of the time which
meant bi-monthly skype meetings. As a note: some companies do expect you to work as a full-time intern
almost during this time so at times students had to talk to their managers and re-discuss results.
Term 2: Melissa Lee-Palis
HEC: Our Experience
Practical Information
HEC PARIS
HEC Campus
1, rue de la Libération
Jouy-en-Josas 78350
France
Phone: +33 1 39 67 70 00
CEMS Contact Persons:
Carina Ferreira
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +33 1 39 67 74 92
Fax: +33 1 39 67 94 36
Eloïc-Anil Peyrache
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: 33 1 39 67 72 95
Workload:
CEMS = 120 ECS
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.hec.edu/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.hec.edu/MSc/International-Network/Partnerships
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/hec-paris
18
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
HEC has great student parties and it is very well known for their
social outing, clubs, and social reputation around France.
However, one really needs to push hard to meet people even
with all of these events as 1 semester is not enough time to
mingle especially if you only do one part of the semester - which
means that in the end you are only on campus for 3 months. I
would also like to point out that CEMS HEC is mixed with the
normal MIB program year students for all courses and social
events. This made the CEMS spirit a bit weak at times as half of
the students were completing another program yet completely
aligned with CEMS. In terms of social environment, it was
different as all the students from the other program had already
been on campus for 6 months which meant they knew the ins and
outs of the campus and its life as well as had created their own
social network of friends. Students from this program were in the
end in charge of the CEMS/MIB club. The other CEMS students
who where just returning back from their semester abroad were
also in a different type of social environment as all of these
student had done their bachelor´s (4 years) in the same school
and thus had created their own social network.
Choice of Courses
What I liked and disliked at the same time was that, depending on
the courses you choose, you either studied the first 3 months or
the last 3 months of the semester. In my experience I took the first
month courses as these were the ones that interested me the
most. This meant, however, that I was finished with my semester in
April which has it both pros and cons. The choices for courses
were very limited as we could only choose from 6 CEMS courses.
This meant that not everyone got all the courses they needed or
wanted as there was limited space. I would not recommend
students to take most of their electives during their semester
abroad in HEC as space is limited for each course and it is possible
you will not fulfill all the credits that you hoped for. For marketing
or management of luxury brands I would highly recommend taking
Luxury Strategy. Also, during the second part of the semester
students have to choice to apply for an intense 2 month certificate.
There are 5-6 certificates you can apply to according to your
interest. Unfortunately, CEMS visiting students do not get priority
and selection is limited.
Accommodation
During your courses I would recommend to stay in the residence which is very expensive compared to czech
standards (you can get a monthly grant from the french government if you stay longer than 3 months). There
are several type of residences on campus and depending on the term you go and availability you might have
the option to have a common kitchen. Otherwise, there is a cafeteria with specific lunch and diner hours for a
very good price. One can also live off-campus in Paris but the commute can be anywhere between 1h-
1h40min. Living in Paris is possible, if you find a ride share with French students. The school is beautiful and
during the hotter months you can go to the school lake and waterfall to do BBQs. The classrooms and study
rooms are in perfect condition. You have a gym, tennis courts, football field, and many other sport areas. The
only downside is that it is located in the very outskirts of Paris with very limited transport. For this reason
there is a daily shuttle between School and the train station where you can take a direct train into Paris and
be there in 40min. There is a small town where the school is located with a supermarket, a post office,
pharmacies and other small necessity stores but that is it.
19
Ivey is consistently ranked as one of Canada's best business
schools and top 100 in the world. Rankings such as Maclean's
and Businessweek have consistently ranked Ivey among
Canada's best business schools. Its undergraduate program
(HBA) offers education and experience to students mainly
through case studies. Ivey's MBA program has been ranked the
second best in Canada by Businessweek, behind Queen's
School of Business' MBA Program.
IVEY BUSINESS SCHOOL
Business Project
In Canada, CEMS is not really well known and therefore the projects are not provided by large
international companies. The companies are small and medium sized and the projects are often focused on
the healthcare in the North America.
Term 2: Lukáš Krupka
Ivey: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
The Ivey Business School requires that each exchange student take
a full-load (2.0 credits) while in the Ivey School, irrespective of
whether credit may be obtained at the home university.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 02/09/2013 – 13/12/2013 Term 2 06/01/2014 – 11/04/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/ CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/msc/program-overview/cems-option/
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/ivey-
business-school#school-overview
IVEY BUSINESS SCHOOL
Ivey Business School at Western University
1255 Western Road
London, ON N6G 0N1
Canada
Phone: 1 519-661-2010
Fax: 1 519-850-2521
CEMS Contact Persons:
Larysa Gamula
Director MBA & MSc Program Services
Phone: 519-661-3023
Chris Williams
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: 519-850-2556
20
Socia l Atmosphere in the
City / Country
Canadian students are amazing and really
nice. You will create a great group of all
students together! The university
provides a gym and a lot of sport
activities for free. I highly recommend to
look for the western outdoor club that
organizes e.g. winter camping and other
outdoor activities.
Canada is SUPER and AMAZING! You
will love it!
CEMS Club Events
CEMS Club is not well developed at the
Ivey Business School. They organized only
one excursion and one gala night. Unfor-
tunately, there is no cooperation with
corporate partners because it is not usual
in Canada to cooperate with them.
Choice of Courses
The school does not propose a lot of
electives. Usually there are 3 or 4
e l e c t i v e s , e . g . i n n o v a t i o n ,
entrepreneurship, financial derivatives and
global supply chain. Ivey system of teaching
is based on cases and case method. You
usually have to read the case before and
then you discuss it during the class. One
course takes 180 minutes per week (it is
usually one morning).
Accommodation
The school does not propose special
accommodation for students. You have to
find your own accommodation. You have
to rent a flat usually with someone. It is
not so difficult because there are a lot of
possibilities to rent a flat or house. Usually
with the internet it costs around 650
CAD.
21
KEIO UNIVERSITY
Keio University 2-15-45 Mita Minato-Ku
Tokyo 108-8345
Japan
CEMS Contact Persons:
Chihiro Ueda
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +81-3-5427-1617
Colin McKenzie
CEMS Academic Director
Keio has a proud history as Japan's very first private
institution of higher learning, which dates back to the
formation of a school for Dutch studies in 1858 in Edo
(now Tokyo) by founder Yukichi Fukuzawa. Since the
school's inception, the students of Keio have risen to
the forefront of innovation in every imaginable academic
field, emerging as social and economic leaders.
KEIO UNIVERSITY
Business Project
The Business Project was definitely challenging, but it was a fun learning experience. I worked for
Kikkoman, which is a soy sauce manufacturing company (at least that's what it's known for globally),
although it produces a lot of different things in Japan and SEE. Anyway we concentrated on their soy sauce
and made a globally applicable framework for them on how they could sell their product better, with a
case study of the Czech Republic. A lot of fun and a lot of new insights and just learning how to work as a
team how to present things to a company, and of course how to behave in Japan in front of company
people.
Term 2: Ondrej Calábek
KEIO: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
At least 7 subjects (10 hours of class time/week) per semester
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 04/09/2013 - 31/01/2014
Term 2 21/03/2014 - 31/07/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.ic.keio.ac.jp/en
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.ic.keio.ac.jp/en/study/cems/index.html
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/keio-
university?#school-overview
22
Choice of Courses
There were enough courses offered, unfortunately there was a bit of an
overlap with our business projects and the courses themselves, I could
only take about 4 courses and one of them was on Saturday!
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
Where do I even begin - it's completely different even
more so for someone who isn't from Asia, i.e. Czechs.
Everyone is super polite and super nice. Basic Japanese
is strongly advised, although not necessary for the most
important things. The city is packed, it's so crowded,
that's what shocked me the most. It's extremely safe
there, no way can you get robbed or hurt by anyone. I
even tested it out I left my books on the metro (not on
purpose of course) and then later during the week just
went to a lost and found to pick them up.
Other Important Information
Have an open mind, be ready to get blown away, have
some money saved up, it's gonna be expensive settling in
and living costs in Japan are pretty crazy, especially
compared to the Czech Republic.
CEMS Club Events
There were mostly corporate events
and we seldom went out for dinners.
We basically had to make our own
CEMS club in Tokyo since there
aren't really any local students and I
believe they currently have 4 CEMS
students in total, who are going
abroad for two semesters.
KEIO: Our Experience
Accommodation
What can I say, it's Japan... My room was tiny, although it was
reasonable for Tokyo. I had everything I needed in my room, a
fridge, microwave, shower, toilet, bed, table, chair, cooking
area, washing machine, even had my own little balcony.
Although I have to admit it was a lot better than Jarov dorms
and I had a room all to myself, the only difference is that it cost
23
With the mission to be the centre of excellence providing top-notch
education, Koç Graduate School of Business is proud to raise the
leaders for the 21st century. Koç University graduates are trained to
be global leaders who are able to align people with the organization’s
mission and shared values in order to sustain excellent results for an
extended period of time. They make decisions to create value for their
organizations and for the society.
KOÇ UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Block Seminar:
The topic was CRM. It was quite interesting, with many real-life examples, unfortunately only through case
studies. I would rather appreciate experiences from the actual business people.
Term 1: Nikola Klimešová
Koç : Our Experience
Practical Information
KOÇ UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Rumelifeneri Yolu Sariyer
Istanbul 34450
Turkey
CEMS Contact Persons:
Burcak Cullu
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: 0090 212 3381875
CEMS Academic Director
Nida Bektas
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: 00902123381303
Workload:
15 credits (=30 ECTS) is the maximum number of credits a student
may take at Koç in any one Term/Semester, excluding the credits
for Block Seminar and Skill Seminars.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 16/09/2013 – 27/12/2013
Term 2 03/02/2014 – 16/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.gsb.ku.edu.tr/index.php
CEMS section on the school web site
h t t p : / / w w w . g s b . k u . e d u . t r / i n d e x . p h p ?
option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=57&Itemid=226
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/koc-
university-graduate-school-business?#school-overview
24
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
Go for Istanbul! It is a huge city, but it is
amazing, if your spirit is at least a little bit
adventurous.
CEMS Club Events
Cems Club Istanbul was mostly preparing
parties for us, but the activity of the
international student club was much bigger.
Choice of Courses
There were about 12 CEMS courses to
choose from. Some of them very inspiring
(Developing intellectual financial capital,
International brand management), some of
them rather boring (Business conflict
resolutions).
Accommodation
Do not stay in apartments offered by the
university. They are expensive and far, far
away from the "real" Istanbul :)
25
Located close to the capital of Europe, LSM, the exclusive
Belgian member school of CEMS, offers high-level teaching
based on advanced research. LSM is part of one of the oldest
full universities in Europe, allowing real interdisciplinary and
multicultural exchanges. LSM offers personalized programmes
and highly specialised options, based on participative teaching
methods. By tradition and by choice LSM’s mission is to put
human values at the heart of decisions.
LOUVAIN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Block Seminar:
Great! It was Supply Chain Management, and although the whole week was quite crazy on schedule, we
have really enjoyed it, especially the company visits (L’Oréal DC for luxury products division, Maersk
Logistics, Stella Artois:)) and the exam was quite what was expected from us to know :)
Term 1: Jana Horáčková, Silvie Dittertová, Pavlína Fojitková
LSM: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
25 ECTS is the minimum number of ECTS credits a student may take
at LSM. 35 ECTS is the maximum credits number.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 16/09/2013 – 20/12/2013 Term 2 27/01/2014 – 23/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.uclouvain.be/en-lsm.html
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.uclouvain.be/en-204247.html
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/louvain-
school-management?#school-overview
LOUVAIN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Place des Doyens, 1
Louvain-La-Neuve B-1348
Belgium
Phone: +32-10-47.90.29
Fax: +32-10-47.83.24
CEMS Contact Persons:
Ambra Cardinali
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +32 0 10 47 90 29
Frank Janssen
CEMS Academic Director
26
Other Important Information
Recommending for students who learn/know
French, the whole region is francophone :))
CEMS Club Events
The Club was very active. There were also some
corporate events (company presentations, corporate
get-togethers, etc.), CSR / volunteering events and
social events (e.g. gala, parties).
Choice of Courses
We were obliged to have only Innovation and
Corporate Strategy, and the rest was on us to
choose.
27
For over 45 years, NUS Business School has offered a
rigorous, relevant and rewarding business education to
outstanding men and women from across the world. The
school remains distinctive among the world's leading business
schools by offering the best of global knowledge with deep
Asian insights, preparing students to lead Asian businesses to
the forefront of the world economy and to help global
businesses succeed in Asia.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
OF SINGAPORE
Block Seminar:
It was quite practical and interactive with nice team building activities. Only drawback was that I covered the
topic several times before.
Term 1: Vladimír Soukup
Term 2: Michal Dufek
NUS: Our Experience
Practical Information
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
NUS Business School Mochtar Riady
Building, BIZ 1 2-7, 15 Kent Ridge Drive
Singapore 119245
Singapore
CEMS Contact Persons:
Carol Loke, Saul Sio
CEMS Programme Managers
Phone: +65 6516 6507
Phone: +65 6516 8660
Fax: +65 6777 1296
Ravi Jain
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: +65 65167947
Workload:
CEMS requirements for each term apply.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 05/08/2013 - 07/12/2013
Term 2 13/01/2014 - 10/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://bba.nus.edu/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://bba.nus.edu/concurrent_msc-cems.html
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/national-
university-singapore?#school-overview
28
Accommodation
This year all the Cemsies got accommodation but its not the case all the time. Its very crucial to make it a
priority to sort it out and fill in the forms on time. Otherwise it can happen that you dont get a room and
then it becomes a very expensive semester.
CEMS Club Events
Since they have either very few or no local
Cems students, its entirely upto the exchange
students to take care of the Cems Club.
Choice of Courses
Term 1: The variety of courses wasn't very big
as the MSC program was just starting in NUS.
Generally the quality of courses was really high
and they were much more time-consuming
than at VSE requiring preparations from lesson
to lesson. I especially liked Asian business
environment class and analytical tools for
consulting as they were both very insightful.
Term 2: I believe we had five courses available
for choice except the mandatory Cross cultural
management. I personally must recommend
Venture capital. Mr. Sampsa is one of the best
(knowledge and ability to teach) professor I've
Business Project
Business project was interesting. I would say
that the company little underestimate what
CEMS student can bring to them. Thus
sometimes I have feeling they did not pay
enough attention to what we were doing.
However, overall it was positive experience.
Social Atmosphere in the
City / Country
I can highly recommend Singapore
in all possible extends. It's one of
the cities on earth you want to
see in your life. Secondly, it's hub
for whole SEA and it's easy to
explore the region from
Singapore. School is very
demanding and it serves very well
as eye opener how hard you have
to work to be successful. I cannot
forget to admire warm and
friendly Asian culture. Singapore is
number 1 choice ;)
29
NHH was founded in 1936 as an independent, public institution
and, together with its affiliated institutes SNF and AFF,
constitutes the largest concentrated centre for research and
study in the fields of economics and business administration in
Norway.
NORWEGIAN SCHOOL
OF ECONOMICS
Block Seminar:
Great location and accommodation, trips and food. The topic was rather boring and the exam was quite
weird. On the other hand we got the chance to meet interesting people and got a very good insight to the
discussed field.
Term 1: Ján Búza, Veronika Zapletalová NHH : Our Experience
Practical Information
NORWEGIAN SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
Helleveien 30
Bergen N - 5045
Norway
Phone: +47 55 95 93 00
Fax: +47 55 95 97 47
CEMS Contact Persons:
Nina Gry Stein
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: 47 55 95 92 67
Fax: 47 55 95 97 47
Norunn Johanne Økland
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: 47 55 95 93 00
Fax: 47 55 95 97 47
Tor Aase Johannessen
CEMS Academic Director
Workload:
All courses constitute 7,5 ECTS credits. A full workload is 30 ECTS
credits (4 courses).
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 12/08/2013 – 20/12/2013 Term 2 01/2014 – 06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.nhh.no/en/home.aspx
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.nhh.no/en/study-at-nhh/master-programmes/master-
in-international-business/international-opportunities/cems-
master.aspx
School overview
http:/ /www.cems.org/academic -members/our-members/
norwegian-school-economics#school-overview
30
Social Atmosphere in the
City / Country
Norway is a great country if
you do not take constant rain
and ridiculous prices into
account. Norway is very
expensive so the Erasmus
money doesn’t even pay for
the accommodation - be
prepared to that. Bring enough
sport clothes - you will need it.
Also, if you do not like nature
don’t go there :)
CEMS Club Events
Somewhat active and organised events like
teambuilding and social events including
parties and trips.
Choice of Courses
Obligatory CEMS courses are OK, try to
talk a lot and read during the semester
otherwise you will have to study a lot
before the exams. Not obligatory courses
(all the Erasmus students usually choose
the same) are usually quite boring but also
not very difficult to pass in case you do not
mind getting average grades. You should
attend lectures. there is a lot of team
works during the semester so try to
organize the dates for the presentations.
The choice wasn't very wide. I took
compulsory strategy course (International
and Corporate Strategy). It was quite ok,
even though a bit boring. The second was
The Energy, Resource and Environmental
Industrial Sector. This one was super easy.
Requirement was only to write a short
essay and attendance wasn't compulsory.
Consumer Behaviour was the third one. It
was the most interesting course I have
ever had. The professor was great and the
bigger part of the course was aimed at
behavioural economics, psychology etc.
Brand Equity and Pricing was the last. The
subject itself was interesting, but lectures
were dull and only copied the book.
Accommodation
It is quite difficult to find private accommodation because it is very expensive so take the dorms. Try to come
during the day when you arrive to Bergen so you get the chance to choose your room (there are some with the view).
31
Founded in 1978, the Nova School of Business and Economics is the
most prestigious Portuguese school in the areas of Economics,
Management and Finance, and a reference in research, teaching and
Executive Education. Nova School of Business and Economics holds
the Triple Crown accreditation, and is the exclusive Portuguese
member school of CEMS. Nova SBE’s international vocation is evident
– with three Masters programs and Executive Education in the
Financial Times ranking, the school is considered to be amongst the
top 40 business schools in Europe.
NOVA SCHOOL
OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Block Seminar:
It was really nice. Perfect teacher and amazing place (hotel next to the beach). I learnt a lot and had a
chance to get to know with my future classmates in Lisbon.
Term 1: Jana Schneiderová
Term 2: Tereza Nešporová
NOVA: Our Experience
Practical Information
NOVA SCHOOL
OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Campus de Campolide
Lisboa 1099-032
Portugal
Phone: +351213801600
Fax: +351213871105
CEMS Contact Persons:
Rita Mendia
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +351 21 382 2722
Silvia Simoes
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +351 213 822 753
Luís Almeida Costa
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: +351 21 382 2706
Fax: +351 21 387 39 73
Workload:
35 ECTS is the maximum number of ECTS credits a student may
take at NOVA in any one Term/Semester. 1 ECTS = 28 hrs of
study, including lectures, assessment, individual and group works.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 25/08/2013 – 16/12/2013
Term 2 30/01/2014 – 30/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.novasbe.unl.pt/en/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.novasbe.unl.pt/en/programs/cems-mims
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/nova-
school-business-and-economics?#school-overview
32
Social Atmosphere in the
City / Country
The nightlife in Lisbon is
unbeatable :)
CEMS Club Events
When I was Lisbon, CEMS club was not very active,
but the university ESN (Erasmus organisation) was
really helpful and active. They were organising for
example beer festival, trips to Porto, Southern
Portugal, Madeira, Morocco and many others. There
were regular national dinners and you could really lots
of international students not only from CEMS.
Choice of Courses
Term 1: I loved all courses with Daniel Traca - former
employee in World bank. Really amazing guy.
Term 2: Brand Management - definitely worth it :)
Accommodation
The CEMS office provided us with a list of some apartments near the University, so it was not difficult to find
a flat, unfortunately there are no dorms. The prices are around 300 Euros per month. Most of the flats in
Lisbon are really huge, the only disadvantage is that some of them don´t have central heating. If you want to
have electronic heater you might have to pay for it additionally. You should be careful when you are arranging
accommodation contract.
Business Project
It was a bit difficult to work with Portuguese people.
Do not choose financially oriented business projects.
33
Practical Information ROTTERDAM SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
ERASMUS UNIVERSITY
Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
Rotterdam NL-3062 PA
Netherlands
Phone: +31 10 408 8677
Fax: +31 10 408 9024
CEMS Contact Persons:
Marlies Koolhaas
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +31 10 40 88 677
Fax: +31 10 408 9024
Rene Olie
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: +31 10 4082001
As one of Europe’s largest international business schools, RSM reaches an
expansive international audience of future and current leaders through its
portfolio of programmes, services and academic activities.
The Dutch are known worldwide as an outward-looking society, accepting of
diversity, quick to embrace innovation, progressive, and cooperative. These are
all values we share at RSM and which are reflected in the learning environment.
Students of diverse origins interact comfortably in our programmes, debating,
creating and collaborating in a community of equals. Difference not only co-
exists, it is an important part of learning: teaching methods are designed to
develop students’ ability to connect across diversity and communicate
effectively cross-culturally.
ROTTERDAM
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Block Seminar
My Block Seminar was probably the best experience of my whole exchange. It was held at European Space Agency and focused on
another Dutch specialty – entrepreneurship. In a team of six, we were consulting the directors of a start-up company, trying to
bring an originally space technology to mass market. In just five days, we were asked to understand the technology and analyze
several potential markets in terms of entry feasibility. In order to help us, we received several presentations as well as continuous
team-specific coaching from a McKinsey consultant. Bringing together the amazing world of space technology, real company
exposure and consulting, it was a very special, highly rewarding week.
Term 1: Šimon Kolář
RSM: Our Experience
Workload:
About 30 ECTS per semester.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 23/08/2013 - 21/12/2013
Term 2 29/01/2014 - 06/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.rsm.nl/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.rsm.nl/master/msc-international-management-cems/
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/rotterdam-
school-management-erasmus-university#school-overview
34
Choice of Courses
The choice of courses at RSM is extremely diverse, thanks to its broad spectrum of
Master’s programs in English. Besides the six CEMS Core courses, I could choose from
around 30 non-CEMS courses ranging from strategy, marketing and finance to
entrepreneurship, supply chain management, corporate governance or Chinese business.
The CEMS courses are generally very tough but are oriented far more on soft skills such
as problem solving than acquiring any actual knowledge. The non-CEMS courses are
varying in their difficulty as well as added value – some are very basic, some
recommendable only for those with previous knowledge in the respective field. I was
focusing on finance and generally happy with the choice and level of finance courses
(after all, RSM is one of top finance schools in Europe). In particular, I loved the “M&A
and Restructurings” course. Interesting was the CEMS course “Financial Management &
Control”, very innovative and research-based. On the other hand, I can’t really
recommend “Accounting for Decision-Making”, which proved to be extremely difficult
and time consuming.
Accommodation
Rotterdam being a rather small city with a huge and ever-changing student community is infamous for its short-term housing issues.
However, the situation has been improving lately – a CEMS start-up Housing. Anywhere as well as many Facebook groups were
founded where you can easily find a shared flat at very good prices. I personally used the university dorms, which, confusingly, are run
by an independent company. Besides the awful administration, I was happy with the accommodation. I chose F-building, the dorm based
on campus itself. Not the cheapest one, but the 3-minutes walking distance to classroom and library across the road more than made
up for it (and believe me, on RSM, you will be grateful for every second spared for studying). Other dorms on offer, such as
International Student House and Casa Erasmus are also within easy biking distance from uni. The room was huge, with a kitchen corner
inside and bathrooms shared only by three rooms, cleaned every week. And finally, great internet connection is included, incomparable
to the tragic university network.
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
The Netherlands is a very open, friendly and international
country. Everybody speaks excellent English, is helpful and
friendly, which makes you feel at home quite quickly. What
you will notice immediately is the biking culture – not having
a bike in The Netherlands is quite impossible. It’s cheaper,
quicker and more reliable than the quite modest public
transport system, but it’s also a culturally immersing
experience. Rotterdam is the business center of the
country, with headquarters of prominent multinationals such
as Unilever and essentially the most important European
port located there, which makes it an interesting and
dynamic place, while still being a typically small, nice Dutch
town.
CEMS Club Events
Although RSM is famous for its incredible workload, the CEMS Club at my time was
very active, providing one “party-type” and one “activity-type” event each week.
Especially the crazy treasure hunt around Rotterdam is unforgettable. The company
events were even better. The traditional “Shell Day”, specifically designed for CEMS
students at the R&D center of this famous Dutch company is a highlight, a port trip with
the logistics and shipping company APL was also great. The university itself organized
also an interesting panel discussion with CEMS alumni from different industries.
35
The Stockholm School of Economics, with more than
100 years of history is the most appreciated business
school in Scandinavian region. The combination of
research and education is one of our main goals to
achieve. That creates an unique study environment for
the small number of highly selected students with active
contacts with gifted lecturers at SSE to search and
develop your talents for the future. The tradition of
generous support from the Swedish Business Community
is another character SSE has been thankful for. You will
come across corporate presentations and other activities
almost every day somewhere in the SSE campus.
STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
Block Seminar:
The CEMS Block Seminar at SSE was very well organized and took place both on the school premises as
well as on one of the Stockolm Archipelago islands. The topic was covered in a very interesting fashion
and I believe we all took a lot from it.
Term 1: Martin Hanuška
Term 2: Zaruhi Harutyunyan SSE : Our Experience
Practical Information
STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
Sveavägen 65, P.O. Box 6501
Stockholm S-113 83
Sweden
CEMS Contact Persons:
Kazune Funato Hallgren
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +46 8 736 93 70
Fax: +46 8 347540
Magnus Mähring
CEMS Academic Director
Workload:
Minimum 24 ECTS, maximum 30 ECTS.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 26/08/2013 – 21/12/2013
Term 2 03/02/2014 – 20/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.hhs.se/Pages/default.aspx
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.hhs.se/Education/MSc/MBM/IB/Pages/default.aspx
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/
stockholm-school-economics?#school-overview
36
Social Atmosphere in the
City / Country
The city does make you feel
welcomed and not treat you as
a fore i gner as a lmost
everything is well organised
and structured. There are
plenty of places to visit in and
around Stockholm. However
the only deterrent things are
the prices, everything is super
expensive!!!
CEMS Club Events
CEMS Club at SSE as not as big of a thing as at VŠE but I
believe it is because the school is so family-like that there
is no real need to unite even more. Be ready for a few
parties but do not set your expectations too high.
Choice of Courses
The courses in general were thoroughly thought out and
organized. The content was challenging and the methods
were engaging. In the term 2, I would recommend taking
courses from SSES (Stockholm School of
Entrepreneurship); although they are not CEMS
accredited, they can be counted as electives. The one I
took was THE BEST course I have taken so far. Also the
professors are very subjective and do not judge you
based on your personality or way of interaction.
Accommodation
Accommodation provided by the school is relatively affordable. I shared a room at Saltis and I think it was the
best choice. Centrally located just 200 m from the school with a supermarket in the building there is not
Business Project:
Very basic project and not in close connection with
International Management. The workload was
unexpectedly little and for me personally the project
didn't add any value.
37
The London School of Economics and Political Science offers
a unique opportunity to study the social sciences in a
university institution with a worldwide academic reputation,
while enjoying the cultural, social and recreational facilities of
one of the world's greatest capital cities. Many influential
developments in thinking about society, economics and
politics have originated in work done here, including the
basis of the modern welfare state and the development of
free-market economics.
LONDON SCHOOL
OF ECONOMICS
Block Seminar:
Great time to make 'out of the comfort zone' your new comfort zone, break the ice and get to know the
CEMS exchange crew and acquire always useful out-of-the-box-knowledge.
Term 1: Kateřina Haláková LSE : Our Experience
Practical Information
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS & PO-
LITICAL SCIENCES
54 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London WCA 3LJ
United Kingdom
CEMS Contact Persons:
Maryane Mwaniki
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +44 (0) 207 106 1211
Fax: +44 (0) 207 955 6410
Emma Soane
CEMS Academic Director
Workload:
Four half units= 30 ECTS
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 20/09/2013 – 13/12/2013
Term 2 08/01/2014 – 21/03/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.lse.ac.uk/home.aspx
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.lse.ac.uk/management/programmes/msc/masters-in-
management/international-options/cems/home.aspx
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/london-
school-economics-and-political-science?#school-overview
38
Social Atmosphere in the
City / Country
Go for it guys! LSE is an amazing
possibility to experience world
class professors in action! Plus
don't miss out on the Public
Lectures and various open
seminars, which bring a hands-on-
approach delivered by successful
professionals. London is always a
great choice! :)
CEMS Club Events
Corporate Events (company presentations,
corporate get-togethers, etc.), team building
events, social events (e.g. gala, parties).
Choice of Courses
Choosing classes was tough - they were all
interesting! However, as the LSE electives
(really cool classes) are being taught only in
the spring semester, they weren't available to
those of us coming for term 1. I can definitely
recommend Principles of Decision Science -
an eye opening course of how biased our
decisions in everyday can be.
Accommodation
Living in a flat in London was amazing time! I
shared the place with three other students
from St. Gallen, LSE and CBS and we clicked
together perfectly. We created kind of a
f o s t e r f am i l y f o r e ach o the r ,
where Sunday dinners, predrinks or parties
were just few of many family activities that
took place in the "penthouse" ;)
39
The University of Sydney (commonly referred to as Sydney
University, USyd or simply, Sydney) is a public Australian
university in Sydney. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest
university in Australia and Oceania and often regarded as one
of its most prestigious universities.
The University of Sydney is organised into 16 faculties and
schools, through which it offers bachelor's degrees, master's
degrees and doctoral degrees. In 2011 it had 32,393
undergraduate and 16,627 graduate students. The main
campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and
Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Business Project:
The variety of topics and companies was very broad. The selection was based on a pitching session with
company and university representatives to ensure a high extend of diversity within the teams.
Term 2: Lea Kreutzmann USYD : Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
Students must be enrolled in 24 Credits point per semester (approx
30 hours a week). Courses take place throughout the entire
semester (10 weeks) and/or in block seminars.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 12/08/2013 – 15/11/2013
Term 2 03/03/2014 – 28/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://sydney.edu.au/business/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://mmgt.econ.usyd.edu.au/cems_mim
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/
university-sydney-business-school?#school-overview
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Merewether Building (H04)
The University of Sydney Level 2, Merewether Build-
ing
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia
CEMS Contact Persons:
Lance Graham
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +61 2 9036 9373
Fax: +61 2 9351 4433
Kristine Dery
CEMS Academic Director
40
S o c i a l A tmo sp here in the
City / Country
The atmosphere is very nice because
there are many nationalities, Cems
students study together with master of
management people so its great to meet
with Australians. Plus we did a lot as a
group, very nice to feel home that far
away :) awesome Cems family!
CEMS Club Events
Cems Club just started, so it was different
from Prague Cems Club.
Choice of Courses
Besides the CEMS classes I took a class
called Business Tools which was
recommended by former CEMS students.
It was very helpful and practically oriented.
Lecturers are from various backgrounds
and there are many electives Cemsies can
Accommodation
In general, accommodation is expensive
and the University has some houses that
have a good value for money.
Other Important
Information
I would say it is most
important to plan early
because there is a lot
to hand in and also
because of the visa. The
semester is relatively
short so it makes sense
to travel a lot.
41
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF
ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
Room 116, Wei Lun Building of Economics
and Management HaiDian District
Beijing 10084
China
Phone: 86 10 62796274
CEMS Contact Persons:
Linna Li
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: 8610 6279 8305
Wei Chi
CEMS Academic Director
For over twenty years Tsinghua University School of
Economics and Management has been growing fast along
with the reform, opening-up and development of the
Chinese economy. Today we continue to strive for
building a world-class school of economics and
management. The School benefits from the synergy of
bringing two academic disciplines of economics and
management into one institution. The School is committed
to the excellence of both research and teaching for the
purpose of advancing knowledge and educating leaders.
The School cherishes ideas and theories, and at the same
time values practical solutions and actions. The School
combines China roots with global reach, and works to
contribute to the development of China’s economy and
society as well as to make an impact in the world.
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF
ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
Block Seminar
The Block Seminar was very interesting, but not so demanding. We had very good teachers talking about
many China-related topics (both macro, micro and business related). A part of the Block Seminar was also
an excursion to Schneider Electric (Energy Management), and lots of great food :)
The final project which we had to do was a short presentation focusing on one chosen topic (which we did
in 2 afternoons). Overall, nice :)
Term 1: Michal Koža
TSEM: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
As for CEMS MIM students, the minimum credit requirement for
Strategy and other courses is 30 ETCS. Apart from this, there will
be a mandatory blockseminar of 3 ETCS and a two-day Business
Communication seminar.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 08/09/2013 - 17/01/2014
Term 2 00/02/2014 - 00/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.sem.tsinghua.edu.cn/portalweb/appmanager/portal/
semEN
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/tsinghua-
university-school-economics-and-management?#school-overview
42
Choice of Courses
Excellent choice of both CEMS and MBA courses. The International
Strategy Course was the best CEMS subject I have ever had (taught
by Steven White). Except that we had a wide variety of subjects on
strategy, finance, international marketing, internet technologies
(network theory), management history or leadership (a very
interesting course from McKinsey, introducing McK consultants and
CEOs of various companies talking about various topics every second
week).
CEMS Club Events
The CEMS Club didn't exist yet (I was in the first CEMS exchange student group.)
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
Beijing is tough, but the experience (and Tsinghua University) is excellent.
The courses are excellent, and enjoying a late xiaochi snack with
Tsingdao beer near the campus gate at 23:00 in the evening with
Chinese friends is just an unforgettable memory :)
Accommodation
The accommodation provided by the school in the school dorms is
the safest, quickest and probably even the cheapest choice you can
make. The dorm rooms are located in the north-east part of the
campus close to the school supermarket, teaching buildings and the
bus stop. A single bed dorm room costs around 2400 RMB/month, is
being cleaned regularly by nice cleaning ladies and offers enough
privacy. On the other hand, visits are quite limited and hot shower is
available only during some 8 hours in 3 separate "hot water windows",
but I would still consider it the most comfortable solution, compared
to the variant of trying to find a flat somewhere around NW Beijing
on your own.
43
UCD MICHAEL SMURFIT
GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School,
Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co
Dublin
County Dublin
Ireland
Phone: +35317168088
Fax: +35312831911
CEMS Contact Persons:
Suzanne Kealy
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +353 1 7168088
Fax: +353 1 2831911
Dorota Piaskowska
CEMS Academic Director
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School is Ireland's
leading business school and research centre. At our dedicated
Blackrock campus, close to the centre of Dublin city, we offer
a wide range of postgraduate business programmes that equip
students to become the business leaders of the future.
Our success is down to an unwavering commitment to
excellence. We are one of less than 60 schools worldwide to
hold triple accreditation from the US, Europe and the UK
accrediting bodies. (AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA).
UCD MICHAEL SMURFIT
GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Business Project
We could choose from 6 business projects out of which 5 projects were realized. CEMS class had to divide itself into groups
according to personal preferences. My business project was with Accenture about Irish digital consumers. Generally the project
was pretty good. The scope of the project has changed several times over the semester. The main task was to create and analyse
an online survey and have it filled by as many people staying in Ireland as possible.
Term 2: Eliška Brabencová
UCD: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
CEMS = 120 ECTS
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 09/09/2013 - 20/12/2013
Term 2 20/01/2014 - 17/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.smurfitschool.ie/
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.smurfitschool.ie/mastersprogrammes/management/
mscininternationalmanagementcemsmim/
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/ucd-
michael-smurfit-graduate-business-school?#school-overview
44
Choice of Courses
CEMS students could choose 1 out of 11 elective courses besides compulsory
CEMS classes (Business Project and Cross-cultural Management). Although the
offer was quite wide, it did not include for example any marketing course. My
choice was Project Management which was quite good. The course involved a lot
of group work, regular preparation for classes, group project presentation plus
report and individual project report.
Other Important Information
Try to travel as much as possible. There are
many international people in Dublin and
therefore if you want to experience true
Irish culture, you have to get out of Dublin.
ISS (International Students’ Society) at UCD
is organizing weekend trips which I can only
recommend (cheap and great travel with
young people).
CEMS Club Events
All local CEMS students are going for an exchange in spring
semester and therefore we were only incoming students
there. We had to form our own CEMS Club. There were very
few official events organized by the CEMS Club. Examples of
social events: weekend at Belfast, paintball, 2 international
dinners. As for corporate events, CEMS Club organized a
presentation and tour at Google offices. In the beginning of
the semester, there was a welcome dinner and visit of
Guinness Storehouse organized by local CEMS office. The
CEMS Club Dublin’s performance was generally rather bad
compared to the CEMS Club Prague.
Accommodation
UCD offers dormitories on campus. Personally I considered them expensive for
what you get (2300 EUR per semester, single room, bathroom on the floor,
kitchen only in the first floor). It is possible to find private accommodation either
close to the university or in the centre for cheaper price. Although you should
keep in mind that it’s good to live close to other CEMS students. The
dormitories as well as other buildings are generally very cold and heating is
expensive, so bring lot of warm clothes.
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
UCD is located in Blackrock (south of Dublin around half an hour from the centre).
There are very few pubs and entertainment possibilities in Blackrock. Mostly we
were going out in the centre which has lot to offer. Dublin has great pubs with Irish
music and lot of clubs. Irish people are generally very friendly and the atmosphere is
amazing.
45
Term 1: Aneta Lačevova
Term 2: Philipp Widauer
UNIVERSITÀ BOCCONI
Via Sarfatti, 25
Milan 20136
Italy
CEMS Contact Persons:
Samantha Ballabio
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +39 02 5836 2203
Emanuela Prandelli
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: +390258366824
Università Bocconi, founded in 1902, was the first Italian university
to grant a degree in economics.
For a century, Bocconi has played a leading role in Italy's social
and economic modernization. It has remained true to its founding
values of being a major research university, with democratic
values and open to the world, as well as financially and politically
independent.
UNIVERSITÀ BOCCONI
Block Seminar
It was interesting and a lot of hard work but since there were three tracks of Block Seminar in Milan, I got
a chance to meet a lot of CEMSies from different universities.
Business Project
In March, the CEMS coordinators introduced the different companies. We could list our top 10 priorities
and were grouped in teams of 8 persons. My team and I were working with EADS (Airbus). The overall
task was to find ways to attract passive, experienced engineers for the European production facilities of
Airbus. The cooperation within the team but also with our coordinators from Airbus and the university
was efficient and well structured. No doubt, it is a very time consuming project and they demand a high
output - so don't underestimate the workload.
UB: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
Exchange students: min. 2 – max. 6 courses.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 09/09/2013 - 09/12/2013
Term 2 10/02/2014 - 27/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.unibocconi.eu/wps/wcm/connect/SitoPubblico_EN/
Navigation+Tree/Home/?lang=en
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.ir.unibocconi.eu/cems
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/
universita-bocconi
46
Social Atmosphere in the
City / Country
Milan itself is not the nicest city
I have seen but the atmosphere
at some places is quite unique,
not the mention the food and
the coffee. The fellow CEMSies
at Bocconi were all nice and
helpful and I made some really
good friends there. Finding a
n ice accommodat ion i s
probably the hardest part in
Milan. Expect to pay 600 EUR a
month or more for a single
room close to Bocconi.
CEMS Club Events
The CEMS Club in Milan was always very active and organised many reception activities including Italian
dinner, events with Corporate partners, through which they introduced us to the Italian culture.
Choice of Courses
Term 1: Most of the courses were interactive and interesting.
Almost all of the courses included some kind of group work and
assignments that were due throughout the semester, so the final
grade didn't depend as much on the final exam. Because of the way
the grading system in Bocconi works all CEMS students were very
motivated and worked hard to achieve their best.
Term 2: I believe that all the courses that I took during my
exchange semester were very interesting - Cross Cultural
Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Marketing in
Latin America.
Cross Cultural Management: With the help of quite creative tools,
the prof gave valuable insights into various cultures. We worked on
a Virtual Team Project with other CEMS students from Australia
and Russia. In addition, we formed groups and every week, one
team had to do a presentation on a specific cultural region. Guest
speakers from the respective regions were present to give input,
assess and discuss the results. Finally, every team had to hand in a
research paper. There was no written or oral exam. This course
was obligatory for all CEMS students. Bocconi offers plenty of
courses - just go for whatever interests you.
Accommodation
The dormitories were of very good standard compared to Czech
dormitories but also much more expensive (600 EUR a month).
When choosing your accommodation consider whether you would
like to get to know the local culture and learn the local language
(flat) or get a true Erasmus international experience
(dormitories) ;)
47
UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE
Aachener Str. 209
Cologne D-50931
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)221 470 - 3738
Fax: +49 (0)221 470 - 5145
CEMS Contact Persons:
Christoph Karl
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +49 221 470 2779
Fax: +49 221 470 5145
Monika Trapp
CEMS Academic Director
Founded in 1388, the University of Cologne is one of the oldest and
largest universities in Germany with a long-standing tradition. It has
gained a consistent and outstanding reputation for maintaining the
highest standards in research and education and has recently been
awarded as University of Excellence in Germany. The Cologne
Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo-
Faculty), one of the six schools of the University and Germany’s
largest and most reputable Faculty of its type is EQUIS accredited.
It is well-known for offering students a vast scope of study fields
and specializations.
UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE
Block Seminar
The Block Seminar took place in the lovely Oberwesel town that is a part of the Rhine wine region. It was
really nice to spend some time out of the city and was a great opportunity to get to know the local
students better. The topic was Sustainability of Tourism and we had a chance to hear several interesting
lectures from professors from other CEMS universities. In the end we were invited for a great wine
evening by AT Kearney. It was a great week.
Term 1: Pavlína Pašková, Hana Zachová, Barbora Hegyiová
Term 2: Aylin Akyolová
UoC: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
30 ECTS, roughly 5 courses with 20 contact hours/week.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 02/09/2013 - 20/12/2013
Term 2 04/03/2014 - 23/07/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.wiso.uni-koeln.de/14268.html?&L=1
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.wiso.uni-koeln.de/16140.html?&L=1
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/university
-cologne
48
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
Cologne is a wonderful city especially during the Carnival.
There is also a language course offered by the faculty that is
for free. I had a great time and I have priceless memories
from my semester in Cologne.
CEMS Club Events
I was slightly disappointed with the CEMS club in Cologne
when comparing it to CEMS club Prague.
Business Project
Good opportunity to get to know the company and
practical experience in the subject. Both academic
advisor and company were helpful. However, I would
appreciate more personal contact with the company
and working on the project on the company
premises.
Choice of Courses
Term 1: The choice of courses was sufficient. I would
definitely recommend the International Marketing
with Tina Mueller and the Block course before
semester with professor Buechler - From Design to
Launch.
Term 2: The choice was sufficient. What I liked was
that the attendance was not compulsory and that
most of the classes lasted only half of the semester.
However, not compulsory attendance in classes
makes the bonding among students more difficult.
49
The University of St. Gallen (HSG) was founded as a “Business
Academy” in 1898 — in the heyday of St. Gallen embroidery - and
offered its first lectures in 1899. We continue to pursue the goal
of providing our more than 7,000 students with a practice-
oriented education, guided by an integrative view of management,
economics, law, social sciences and international affairs. With
success: the University of St. Gallen has constantly been ranked
among the top business schools in Europe.
UNIVERSITY OF ST. GALLEN
Block Seminar:
Very intensive and insightful. Everyday we've met another company while discussing another topic on
Sustainability. We also had some company visits. Block seminar also required preparation one month in
advance, we needed to prepare a poster to some question. At the end we had huge presentation
challenged by consultants from Bain&Co.
Term 1: Lívia Botková
Term 2: Johannes J Ernst GSOM : Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
A minimum workload of 24 ECTS is required for CEMS. Maximum
allowed workload per semester for CEMS is 37.5 ECTS. (Overall
course workload for CEMS is 45 ECTS, whereof at least 30 ECTS
must be accomplished during the official CEMS MIM year). Students
should also follow the minimum requirements of their home
university. At HSG 1 ECTS equals 30 hours of course work (in and
out of class).
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 12/09/2013 – 21/12/2013
Term 2 13/02/2014 – 24/05/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.unisg.ch/en.aspx
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.unisg.ch/en/Studium/Master/CEMS.aspx
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/university-
stgallen?#school-overview
UNIVERSITY OF SAINT GALLEN
Dufourstrasse 50
St.Gallen CH 9000
Switzerland
CEMS Contact Persons:
Diana Brunner
Jacqueline Meier-Kueng
CEMS Program Managers
Phone: +41 71 224 27 58
Phone: +41 71 224 31 06
Fax: +41 71 224 24 45
Juergen Bruecker
CEMS Academic Director
Phone: + 41 71 224 29 20
HSG: Our Experience
50
Social Atmosphere in the City / Country
St. Gallen was the best choice. You'll get to meet very smart people that like to challenge themselves and work
hard on their study duties. The university has amazing library so I encourage you to collect some material if
you know the topic of your thesis. Also, prepare to get broke, because nothing comes cheap in that country. If
you wish to travel, get info about promotions and travel by train. Swiss people also usually don't prefer
speaking German, so don't get overexcited about improving your language skills, but you'll definitely meet a lot
of Germans. Tip: Getting caught without a ticket in the bus will cost you 100 CHF ;)
CEMS Club Events
CEMS Club St. Gallen did several events during semester - there was rotation dinner with cool companies,
there was running dinner and trips to other Swiss cities. CEMS Club also took care of organizing trip to
Budapest forum. It wasn't one of the most active Clubs, but it was in my opinion sufficient and there was also
very active Buddy System in case you would need more socializing.
Accommodation
Accommodation is organized in shared flats. You can book those with help of housing office and it is the best
choice you could make (you can indicate your budget, but there is no other possibility to influence what flat at
what price you're going to get). I tried to search on my own first, but the half year period was either too short
or they wanted to see me in person in advance. So don't waste your time on that even if there is slight chance
of saving 100 CHF, most probably you won't succeed without having a friend who would recommend you or
having very open-minded roommates.
Choice of Courses
Term 1: There was variety of different courses, Cems exclusives in English
and some of CEMS electives also in German. The registration was a bit more
complicated because it included bidding process and in the beginning you
might not get into course because you just bid too little. You need to
strategize. Best course was with the BRIC topic. The most challenging
experience was Strategic change. We should write academic paper based on
difficult studies on change management and do it with some company or club
(NGO, ...) that underwent the change.
Term 2: Advance Corporate Strategy: Lecture by two Profs. of which one
got a honors degree from Harvard by M. Porter. Outstanding knowledge gain.
Intercultural Management Communications: Also lectured by the same Prof at
Stanford. Top course with pragmatic guidelines and insight, latest lecture
techniques. International Management of Information and Communication
Technology: ICT and its role in a company. Lectured by two people. One of
them is the former CIO of Avis.
Business Project
Topic: Wealth Management after the Strategic Inflection Point. Company: PwC Zurich, Financial Consultant
department. Good insights into the company, its culture and its clients, interesting topic. Time pressure, complex
topic, consulting consultants at a top level is challenging, stakeholder conflict of interest: client vs. University.
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SGH is the oldest and the most prestigious university of
economics and management in Poland. Our unique selling
points are: carefully selected course offer delivered by top
experts in their field and top international companies, rich
leisure time offer provided by several student organisations
dedicated to international students, possibility to meet
people who change the history of Europe and were
successfully contributing to systemic transformation in
Central and Eastern Europe.
WARSAW SCHOOL
OF ECONOMICS
Block Seminar:
It was great, with experienced investors, brilliant people, practical focused.
Term 1: Norbert Sčepan SGH : Our Experience
Practical Information
WARSAW SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
al. Niepodleglosci 162
Warsaw 02-554
Poland
Phone: +48 22 564 92 13 or 98 42
Fax: +48 22 564 86 16
CEMS Contact Persons:
Grzegorz M. Augustyniak
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +48 (22) 564 9842
Fax: +48 (22) 564 8616
Agata Augustyniak
CEMS Program Manager
Phone: +48 22 564 9760
Fax: +48 22 564 8616
Workload:
SGH requires from students 30 ECTS per semester (most courses
have 4.0 ECTS, core 7.5 ECTS)
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 01/10/2013 – 20/12/2013 Term 2 22/02/2014 – 15/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.sgh.waw.pl/index_en.html
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.sgh.waw.pl/crpm_-en/cems-en?set_language=en
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/warsaw-
school-economics?#school-overview
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Social Atmosphere in the
City / Country
Very good, I enjoyed spending
time with other CEMSies and
Erasmus students, ESN did quite a
good job.
CEMS Club Events
We were disappointed - CEMS Club
organised events for themselves to which
we, exchange students, were invited only
sometimes. They did not know about our
schedule. So, obviously, we were not able to
attend the party the day before the exam of
our core course. They were actually not
CEMS students, but want-to-be-CEMS
students.
Choice of Courses
Students can add / delete CEMS courses
from study plan during the first weeks even
without the permission of the lecturer.
Students can register any course, but only
CEMS courses will be recognized for CEMS
curriculum.
Accommodation
University accommodation is perfect, if you
are a party guy that does not care about
others. If not, you should rather look for
something else (this might have changed in
the meantime). Also, toilets, bathrooms and
kitchen shared for the whole floor aren’t
very convenient.
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VIENNA UNIVERSITY
OF ECONOMICS & BUSINESS
Augasse 2-6
Wien 1090
Austria
Phone: 0043-1-31336-4311
CEMS Contact Persons:
Steffi Winterfeld
CEMS Programme Manager
Phone: +43 (0)1 31336-4311
Jonas Puck
CEMS Academic Director
With about 26,800 students from Austria and abroad, WU
(Vienna University of Economics and Business) is the EU’s largest
educational institution for business and economics, business law,
and social sciences. WU's close ties to the corporate world and
the resulting excellent job prospects, along with the wide range of
programs available and the positive experiences of its graduates,
all contribute to its success.
VIENNA UNIVERSITY
OF ECONOMICS & BUSINESS
Business Project
My business project was with the Commerzbank and it was cool. it was fast, to the point with the advice
that was later on implemented in the bank's strategy!
Term 1: Ondřej Hovádek
Term 2: Oleksandra Bubela
WU: Our Experience
Practical Information
Workload:
CEMS limits of 24 min. / 37.5 max.
Term dates: 2013/2014
Term 1 16/09/2013 - 30/12/2013
Term 2 01/03/2014 - 30/06/2014
Important Links:
School home page
http://www.wu.ac.at/start/en
CEMS section on the school web site
http://www.wu.ac.at/cems
School overview
http://www.cems.org/academic-members/our-members/vienna-
university-economics-business
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Choice of Courses
Term 1: The choice of courses was available only partially, I
wanted to study in German but was not allowed (even though
CEMS is always presenting itself as a program supporting two
foreign language studies) - that was a big disappointment of the
CEMS in Vienna. Nevertheless the ordinary courses were good
with a lot of interaction and a lot of case studies as well as
presentations. To future students I'd recommend to attend the
German preparatory and culture courses before the semester
starts, it was the best choice I could have made.
Term 2: The choice of courses was quite good but outside of
CCM and bus project. The course was CEE with Dikova. I would
not recommend this course as I didn't like how the teacher was
grading and teaching the course. she seemed to be quite stubborn
and inflexible :(
Other Important Information
Term 1: To future students I'd recommend to attend the
German preparatory and culture courses before the
semester starts, it was the best choice I could have made.
Plus the semester in Vienna was my best during my
University studies - stay as active as possible.
Term 2: There is also a language group German Language
Cafe FB group for those wanting to practice some
German. Also at vhs.at you can find a cool variety of
courses for different languages that are not expensive. As a
semester starts late in March there is a point to move in
earlier for a language course which is also offered by the
university together with the cultural program ;) Other
than that. ..if you are going to Vienna for an exchange you
are sure to have awesome time and, be aware, you Will
fall in love with this city :)
CEMS Club Events
Pretty active, organises a lot of events like Gala Nights, Parties,
Corporate Events, etc.
WU: Our Experience
Accommodation
In no way stay in the dormitories. They are mostly overpriced and
not in an amazing condition. look up the rooms for rent at
jobwohnen. In all the city's students share apartments and it is not
hard to find a room in one of the apartments.
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Information Guide for CEMS Students of International Management
©Cems Club Prague 2013
Used photographs are property of their respective authors.
Editor: Adithya B. Kumar
Design: Nina Jakešová
For more information please visit
cemsmim.vse.cz or www.cems.cz for student activities.
