A series of alumni testimonials about French colleges and universities. The alumni share their personal experiences about their courses, part-time jobs, internships, job search, etc. I have focused on alumni because it can help prospective and current students get a complete picture of the course and future opportunities.
In this particular article, Kiran was kind enough to share his Master’s experiences from SKEMA Business School.
Alumni & Course Information
| Name | Mr. Kiran Pandiyan |
| LinkedIn Profile | |
| Degree | Master of Science (MSc) “RNCP certified” |
| Course Specialization | |
| Year of Graduation | 2021 |
| College | |
| City | Paris |
| Course Intake | September 2019 |
| Course Duration (including internship) | 18 months |
| Course Fees | 17,000€ |
| Funding for the course | Bank Education Loan |
| Monthly Expenses (Rent, utilities, etc) | 600€ |
| French level before the Course | A2 |
| French level after Graduation | B1 |
| Status after Graduation | Salaried Employee |
| Current Status | Salesforce CPQ Consultant IT, Paris. Salary Range: 38-42k€ |
MSc Course Options at SKEMA
Personal Experiences during the Course
- The classes were fine but didn’t learn a lot. The exams were easy.
- The peers were okay and not very open to exchange only a few were good.
- Learning French was difficult, students and others often preferred to switch to English or wouldn’t talk a lot to you.
Return on Investment (ROI)
- ROI is good, but it depends on how the students can find a job here. If they can find it, it is worth it.
Multi-cultural Aspects of the Course
- I didn’t find it good. They worked on assignments but that’s it, there were very few who showed interest in getting involved with us.
- Indians were the 3rd highest ethnicity after French and Chinese.
- Most of the time, Indian students spent time with other Indians except a few who interacted with other people.
Part-time Job Experience
- I worked in RGIS. Fast, easy work and a little tiring also generally late at night, which affects the health.
Internship Experience
- It was good, I worked in a start up for 5 months.
- I couldn’t adapt to the new environment, so it didn’t convert to a CDI.
Job Search Experience
- The job search was quite hard, look for your strengths, analyze what suits you, and then decide on the role.
- Once you start applying, focus on improving your skills for the job.
Advice for Juniors
- Learn French, develop good competence, network a lot, and at last Start as soon as possible
Information about SKEMA Business School
- A Business school with 3 campuses in France – Lille, Paris and Sophia Antipolis.
- The Grande Ecole offers Bachelors, Masters including MBA and PhD degrees.
- Courses are taught in English.
- Seven campuses worldwide: Belo Horizonte, Lille, Paris, Raleigh, Sophia Antipolis, Stellenbosch, and Suzhou.
- More than 160 partner universities.
- Close to 100 specializations in France and abroad including 36 specializations delivering SKEMA double degree MiM/MSc and 20 double and triple degrees and diplomas with international partners.
- Multi accreditation: EQUIS, AACSB and EFMD EMBA Accredited.
- 99% of students have a job within six months of graduation (source:
SKEMA Talent & Careers)
SKEMA Global Ranking
| Course | QS World University Rankings |
| Global BBA – Bachelors in Business Administration (course website) | 2024 : 4th in France (Le Figaro) |
| Master in Management (Grande Ecole Programme) (course website) | 2024 : 23rd Worldwide |
| MSc Financial Markets and Investments(course website) | 2023 : 4th worldwide (“pre-experience masters”) |
| MSc International Business (course website) | |
| MSc International Marketing & Business Development (course website) | |
| MSc Business Consulting & Digital Transformation (course website) | |
| MSc Global Supply Chain Management & Procurement (course website) | |
| Executive Education & EMBA (course website) |
Disclaimer
- These are original testimonials collected from the alumni via Linkedin.
- Opinions expressed are from the alumni and so the author or the blog cannot be held responsible.
- These testimonials include both facts and opinions. Facts will not change but opinions might differ based on personal experiences, perspectives, etc.
