Remember waking up at 8am on a Tuesday 4 months before next semester even starts, racing to grab open spots in classes during registration? Not a thing in France. A fifty-minute class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday or an hour and fifteen class on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Not in France. Class at the same time in the same classroom every week? Not in France. Skipping class on an occasional Friday? Not in France

But as crazy as that might sound, it’s not all bad, and that is just the beginning. In France, class registration takes place both online and in person, the week before the start of classes, while the urgency of seats may be similar to the US it was definitely a change waiting all summer before even knowing what classes we could take and there’s no stress of preparing ahead of time because you cannot. And speaking of classes, they only happen one day each week and usually for three to four hours with a fifteen-minute break in the middle. In addition, your finance class might be on Tuesdays at 4pm-7pm in classroom A one week but next week class could be from 2-5pm in classroom B. Always check your schedule, every morning.

Even more contrasting from our academic life in the US, want a beer after the Thursday evening class? The lobby of most business schools in France have student bars where one can get a discounted coffee, beer or beverage of choice, the bar is a also a favorite meeting place for group projects. Had a glass of wine before 10am? This semester I took a visitor specific class called Global Wine Business, where we studied not only the production of the grape from vine to glass, the difference in grapes but also the ins and outs of the industry. While our class started at 9am, it did not defer the professor from hosting wine tastings to develop our pallets and expand our wine knowledge.

Possibly the best part and biggest difference between classes is the blend of cultures in one classroom. From Taiwan to Argentina, your neighbors in the international classes will provide a routine and outlook on classroom life that is bound to be different. In my intercultural management class, we often talk about cultural competence and diversity of thought, and through all of my classes abroad these are skills I have to use. Group projects are always interesting, from language barriers to completely different approaches to problems, international classes teach how to open your eyes to other cultures and ideas that may never have been introduced in other environments.