Le Havre/Caen - 2003-2004

The School - ESC Le Havre is a graduate business school with around 300 students. First year students have generally completed a 2-year degree previously, and most are 22 years old. The school really is much more like a school than a university. French students have classes for about 5 hours a day, beginning at 8.30, with the day finishing at 6pm. It is possible to study a very wide range of subjects, including statistics, IT, law, marketing, project management, political economy and French culture and law.September until January involves lectures and classes, with exams in January. During the final 5 weeks of Semester one, students are put into groups of 4, and undertake a 'Mission', where you are placed with a company, and carry out a market research project for that company involving presentations and reports. This is worth 1/3 of the credits for the semester. The first semester modules are very much a re-cap for most of the French students, and as a result, most are not too difficult. All subject teachers were really nice, although the ERASMUS department could have been more helpful!

The Town - Le Havre is not pretty. It was completely destroyed in the war, and very few buildings date from before 1945. It is arranged in a grid plan formation, with lots of high-rise apartment blocks. However, once you get used to this, it really isn't a problem. There are some areas that have been redesigned, and i t really isn't anyway near as bad as France guidebooks will have you believe. The centre-ville is definitely the place to live - its safe, with plenty of nice places to eat and drink. It is close to cafes, shopping malls, the school, the port, and about 10 minutes from the train station. Two areas with plenty of accommodation in nice areas are the hotel de ville and the beach. There are 2 bars that are very popular with students of the school that are very close to the school. There are weekly parties organised by the student organisation, usually at one of the towns 8 or so clubs. In the same way as most towns, some are student friendly on certain days and not so friendly on other days. There are huge hypermarkets and retail parks about a 10 minute drive away, and 1 medium hypermarket in the centre ville. Our flat, and most other ones, came unfurnished, and we bought mattresses, tables and fridges pretty cheaply and easily at the retail park.

Other - The school has football and rugby teams, a gym, a squash court, and a table tennis table that is pretty much the focal point of the school. Le Havre football team play in the French second division and the ground is pretty accessible. Paris is 1.5 hours by train, and costs 38 Euros, unless you buy a special card, which makes it about 25 Euros. Some of the nicest places in Northern France are close, by bus, train or car. Fecamp, Etretat, Caen, Deauville and Trouville are popular weekend visits.Le Havre can seem very strange during the weekends, and it is rare to see anyone outside on a Sunday. This is partly because of, and leads to the fact that nothing is open except McDonalds and certain bars and restaurants.Weather not that dissimilar to England - bit warmer until October, and fairly mild in the winter. We went swimming in the sea in late September; by mid October all of the 30 or so restaurants and cafes by the beach close down, and re-open again in about March.Ferry to Portsmouth ran 3 times a day when we were there. Now P and O are struggling it doesn't operate quite so often I don't think, but still at least once a day.Overall, Le Havre may not be the most romantic and beautiful place to study in France, and I think staying for just the first semester was ideal. However, it was one of the most fun times I have ever had. You grow to love the town, and the people really are friendly, and I definitely learnt a lot. Also, Graduate Business School looks brilliant on your CV!