The Food
…is delicious. French cooking lives up to its hype, from the buttery escargots, to well-seasoned meats, to rich cheese, to even the 59 cent baguettes. However, the HEC campus is unfortunately located in a very small town that does not offer much variety. And although you can find a number of international restaurants in Paris, the suburbs are almost always just stuck with the basics of French food.
The Classes
…are mostly enjoyable. The academic system is a little more lax. I only see professors once a week. I rarely have homework. And apart from the French accents, the lectures are reasonably understandable. The only flaw is that because the system is lax, the professors can do almost whatever they want. They don’t pass out notes and they don’t have regular office hours. They can cancel a certain class session and reschedule it for another random day if they wish. Sometimes this can be inconvenient.
The People
…are mostly lovely. The students are usually welcoming and very curious to learn about New York. Every student I’ve spoken to so far is aware of NYU. They are very knowledgeable about the US, from Hollywood, to our business, to Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency. It’s actually a bit scary sometimes.
Surprises
…include most shops and restaurants being closed on Sundays, business closed for a complete hour for lunch during weekdays, restaurants not being open until 7 PM for dinner, the lack of sale of iced coffee anywhere, and the lack of separation of male and female restrooms. The French don’t seem to find any awkwardness in the fact that male and female stalls are right next to each other in the same room at times.
Overall I’m extremely grateful to be here, but living in France has made me appreciate New York even more :)