My name is Ben Briggs and I’m a junior majoring in Global Management and Finance in CBA. On campus, I’m the Communications Subteam Lead for Pitt Formula SAE, and I work for the School of Computing and Information as their Marketing Intern. Professionally, I have completed internships in the fields of corporate communications and auditing, and I’m interested in working in banking or the public sector.

I am currently studying at NEOMA Business School in Reims, France, as an exchange student. NEOMA is an international school with students from around the world, and English is its primary language of instruction. I chose to study in France because I have always had a deep fascination with its culture, cuisine, and language. I picked NEOMA because I wanted to have an authentic cultural experience. Reims is not very touristy, so I have the chance to practice (and fail at) conversations in French, and it is quite close to Paris, which gives me access to the rest of Europe. I also wanted to experience an international perspective on business, so having local instructors allows me to see business through a different lens. Because there are not any other Pitt students on my campus, I knew I would have a great opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds. NEOMA also gives me the opportunity to take classes with French students as well as with other exchange students.

So far I’m absolutely loving the program! Though the classes are 3 hours long, they are super engaging and involve much more classroom participation than I am used to. The students are all very happy to engage, and the atmosphere is great. There are a lot of group projects, which have been an excellent opportunity to connect with my classmates. Additionally, the class sizes are much smaller, which I really enjoy. I would definitely say that the classes are easier coursework-wise, but I’m way more engaged than in US classes. NEOMA also has a ton of great student organizations that organize both professional and social events for the whole school, as well as specific events for exchange students. I also love the mid-class coffee break because they have the best hot chocolate in the world.

My neighborhood is really nice; I’m a 4-minute walk from campus and a 20-minute tram ride to downtown. There is a boulangerie (bakery) directly below me, and I’m definitely already addicted to French baked goods. My residence hall is pretty nice and I’ve met French students from other local universities who also live here. I have a single room and it’s quite cozy. I would say the biggest adjustment has been to cooking/shopping because almost everything is different here (everything is smaller, no cheez-its :(, I had to figure out where to get pots and pans) but I’m settling in quite well.

Overall, I’m loving NEOMA and Reims and I really look forward to what the rest of the semester has to offer!