Perdue School of Business Study Abroad in France Begins Third Decade

This article was written by Julianna Mirenzi, student at Salisbury University. She did a exchange at GEM during fall 2021.

Julianna Mirenzi was one of hundreds of Salisbury University students who had planned to study abroad during 2020, but lost the chance due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Even though global travel during fall 2021 was still full of uncertainty, Mirenzi was one of the first to sign up. “Originally, I was suppose to study abroad during fall 2020, but due to COVID, I was delayed a year,” Mirenzi reported. “Even though it was intimidating and difficult to continue the application process during uncertain times, it was all worth it. Studying abroad here in France and at GEM has been an indescribable experience!”

Julianna Mirenzi is an international business major in the Perdue School of Business. She and senior Meklt Gizaw are two Perdue School students re-opening the outgoing exchange to Grenoble Ecole de Management in Grenoble, France, during fall 2021.

Ms. Mirenzi is studying abroad at the Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM).  GEM is one of Salisbury University’s oldest foreign university partners. Salisbury students began studying abroad on short-term faculty-led Global Seminars at GEM during January term semester in the mid 1990’s. In the early years, GEM sent full-year exchange students into the MBA at the Perdue School.

During fall 2021, Salisbury and GEM have renewed their exchange agreement for the fifth time, beginning a third decade of collaboration. For the past decade, Salisbury students have spent full semesters studying abroad at GEM.
Some have even completed the dual degree program, spending their senior years at GEM and earning B.S. business degrees from both universities in four years.

Mirenzi is not the only Salisbury University student studying abroad at GEM in France during fall 2021. Meklit Gizaw is a senior international business major who also is studying abroad this term. “France and GEM have exceeded my expectations,” Gizaw described. “I expected to come to a small, quaint town with not much to do, but it was the opposite. Grenoble is small, yes, but it still has that city vibe in certain areas and nothing beats the view of the mountain.” Gizaw has had such a good semester at GEM that she has decided to extend her study for spring 2022, spending her entire senior year in France.

“Don’t be swayed by the stereotypes of French being unwelcoming,” Gizaw explained. “If anything they are welcoming and honest people, which I appreciate. Even though I don’t speak French at all, whenever I ask a French-speaking person who doesn’t know English for help they try their best to help me.”

Mirenzi will return to Salisbury for the spring 2022 semester with wonderful memories of her semester in France. “France, as a whole, is a beautiful country with wonderful culture. Being in the center of Europe, it is a perfect location for traveling. So far, Meklit and I have been to Italy, England, Spain, Switzerland and many cities within France.”

During the coming semesters, global travel for students hopefully will begin to become easier. Mirenzi strongly encourages Salisbury University students to take the opportunity to study abroad: “Overall, studying abroad has been the most amazing experience and I would recommend it – and GEM – to anyone.”

Link to the original article : https://communications.salisbury.edu/d/uPIkwmI-BflSsDRD07PF9adz3XzyodjO9Y8YoInylNxNmx44SLI-gB-KfIIuHpmXIxh4KQ5HxSbprwkOxnK5IQ

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Travel destinations around Cambridge

During our stay in Cambridge, we wanted to enjoy the opportunity of being in England as much as possible. Therefore, we took advantage of the weekends and our free time to make several trips to great places, while being as thrifty as possible compared to our condition as students! Here is a selection of some of the places we visited that we recommend you to visit too!

DUBLIN

We can begin with Ireland. Indeed, Dublin is a very pleasant destination not too far from Cambridge with good transport links between Cambridge and Stansted Airport by train and by plane with Dublin. If the opportunity arises, we strongly advise you to go to Dublin for several reasons.

Dublin is first and foremost a very dynamic and friendly city. You can walk through the streets of Temple Bar and meet Irish people over a good Guinness while watching the vibrant Irish dances. It is also not allowed to go to Dublin and not visit the Guinness storehouse! This is a museum created inside the Guinness historical factory. This brewing company is one of the most famous in the world. You will be able to enjoy tasting, interactive activities and very detailed explanations about the making of Guinness and the history of its success.

Finally, Dublin is a historical and cultural city with many monuments that you can visit. We particularly enjoyed the renowned library of Dublin’s famous university, Trinity College, as well as the impressive Wellington Monument, overlooking Blackdown Hill, which was built in honor of the victory at Waterloo.

Regarding prices, you can find very friendly youth hostels in Dublin that will allow you to avoid paying too much, count on about 35 pounds a night. While for the journey, train to Stansted and return flight you can expect to pay around 70 pounds minimum. We strongly advise you to go there for a weekend, you will have the opportunity to do a lot of activities and not to pay too much for an unforgettable journey!

Edinburgh

If you are a patient person, you may travel by coach to Scotland and to one of the most beautiful city of United Kingdom: Edinburgh. Edinburgh is an extremely pleasant city and as soon as you arrive, you will feel the pleasant atmosphere and the clean sea air! There is plenty to do in Edinburgh to suit all tastes!

If you’re more of a history lover, there are many monuments throughout the city. Of course, the most prestigious and mysterious of them all is the famous Edinburgh Castle, which offers a breathtaking view of the whole city!                                                                                                                           

On the opposite side of the city, on the North Sea, you will have the exceptional privilege to go on the royal yacht, the Britannia. Especially at the present time, this visit must have a special flavor as it was adored by the former Queen Elizabeth II. You will love to visit this magnificent ship as you imagine our beloved Queen enjoying the Scottish sunshine on the Britannia!

If you love art and history, we recommend that you take advantage of the free museums in Edinburgh to broaden your cultural knowledge! Whether it is the Scottish National Gallery which is a historic painting gallery with high quality collections by world renowned artists such as Botticelli, Rembrandt, Monet. Or at the “National Museum of Scotland” which is a museum filled with collections of objects concerning various fields such as technology, geology or natural history.  You will definitely leave Edinburgh with enough knowledge to impress your family at the next trivial pursuit!

But apart from all that, Edinburgh is above all a magnificent city that you can visit by foot because it is a human-sized city, which makes it cosy! From the majestic Royal Mile to the wild Arthur’s Seat via Calton Hill, you have the opportunity to walk through green areas, full of history and mystery…

For this journey we have spent about 90 pounds return for the bus trip. There is more accommodation available than in Dublin and you could for example take a comfortable Airbnb for about 45 pounds a night per person. Edinburgh is also a great place to visit for a weekend, and more if you plan to travel to the Highlands and deep north of Scotland…

London

         And finally, one of Cambridge’s strengths is its proximity to one of the world’s most visited city, and now we know why: the great city of London. Just an hour away from London by train, we took the opportunity to make several excursions to discover it. No jealousy here, there is something for everyone! The city of London contains so many different districts and landscapes that you might think that several different cities are united in one giant capital.

Of course, you can walk around the elegant Mayfair district with its huge, multi-million pound houses that have a very streamlined and lovely architecture.  But you can also take advantage of Covent Garden to have a coffee with your friends in a very intriguing glass architecture building near the merchants and their workshops which will try to attract your curiosity.

We have to admit that our favorite activity in London was the Beethoven concert at the famous and prestigious Royal Albert Hall. It was also one of the most valuable activities we did because it was only 25 pounds, knowing that we were in an excellent position to witness the orchestra conductor masterfully guiding his musicians.

This article was written by NHEK Victoria, GUAILLOT Henri and PONZO Bastien.

Homerton College’s services for students

Cambridge University Colleges are not places where the students have classes. They are mainly accommodation places that organize events, balls, and dinners. In order to make the students feel at home, the colleges provide a wide range of services. Here are a few examples of what you can find in Homerton College.

The Michaelmas Catering

Let’s start with the self-service restaurant. There, you will find a wide variety of courses Monday to Friday: breakfast from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can also have breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and a typical English brunch on most Sundays.

Regarding lunch and dinner, for starters, there is a buffet of about fifteen different ingredients (mostly vegetables) to make your own salad bowl according to your preference. You should expect to pay around £3 for a salad bowl.

Concerning main courses, you will find meat (white and red) and fish every day. With this you can add one or more side dishes from a selection of 4 or 5 possible choices (fries, rice, steamed vegetables…). Again, you will pay around £3 for the main dish and the side dish. It is also important to know that for each food cooked, its composition is displayed, specifying that it does not contain gluten or that the dish is vegan for example.

Last, regarding desserts, you can choose between the (hot) desert of the day (pies, cakes with custard…), fruit or a selection of cold deserts (tarts, puddings, cakes, yoghurts…). It costs a little less than £2 for a desert.

Once you have you ordered your food, you will find seating in the dining hall. Opened in Spring of 2022, Homerton College’s dining hall modern version of the traditional British universities dining halls, but much cozier with its wooden architecture.

Photography Credit: Arch Daily – https://www.archdaily.com/982480/homerton-college-dining-hall-feilden-fowles

The Buttery

Now, let’s talk about the cafeteria, or “The Buttery”, as Homerton College officially named it. Opened in the spring of 2022 alongside the new dining hall (Michaelmas Catering), the Buttery is thus a brand-new timber pavilion where students can enjoy their break in a cozy and comforting place.

The cafeteria is built on two levels and has a mezzanine. Under its high roof, we can feel the wide volumes of the room. Its gigantic bay windows make it particularly luminous and cozy with its wooden floors and walls.

On the ground floor, you can find seating and tables for you to have your own lunch or a snack. If you didn’t bring your own, you can of course buy some at the counter. This is the main part of the Buttery as it is where the magic happens. Indeed, every day, the cafeteria provides a large choice of drinks, such as regular coffees or hot chocolates, up to more fancy drinks such as iced lattes or caramel macchiatos, and even a daily special homemade fruit smoothie. Of course, you have the choice between regular milk and vegetal milk as Homerton College is very cautious on respecting everyone’s preference.

If you are feeling peckish, you are at the right place as well. The cakesmith also provides an everyday-changing selection of homemade cakes. Chocolate, lemon, fruit, or biscoff cakes, brownies, millionaire trays, granola bars or sand roses, you can be sure that you will find what suits you the most.

If you come to the Buttery just to relax or seat comfortably, you can do so on the mezzanine. Indeed, there, you will find armchairs and sofas, alongside more regular seating and tables with power outlets so you have whatever you need to spend a good (busy or relaxing time) at the Buttery. It is open all day, every day, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Photography Credit: Barnes Construction – https://www.barnesconstruction.co.uk/portfolio/homerton-college-dining-hall-cambridge/

The Griffin Bar

The Griffin is Homerton College’s private bar which is open Monday to Sunday from 6pm to 11pm. Located in the heart of the College, the Griffin is close to the Buttery and Michaelmas Catering. Homerton’s Griffin Bar is a good place to go for a drink with friends and classmates. It is a stylish space where you can relax and socialize. It also has an outdoor terrace overlooking the lawns where you can enjoy a view of the College. Homerton’s Griffin Bar is a cross between a cocktail bar and a country pub in both looks and drinks. There is an assortment of different tables ranging from small high tables to large circular wooden tables. Concerning the drinks, the bar has its own “Homerton beer” on tap: a pint of is sold at the discount price of £2.50. The bar also serves soft drinks and high-quality cocktails. Therefore, we highly recommend you try the bar to socialize while having a good time. 😉

Photography Credit: Homerton College – https://www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/homerton-conferences-and-events/dining/griffin-bar

Wherever you decide to spend your free time, Homerton College provides different options to eat, have a drink or relax within the student community and the beautiful surroundings that Homerton College and Cambridge offer. Hopefully, this article gave you a useful insight on some of Homerton College services.

This article was written by Louis BRUNET, Nathan DOUZIECH and Frédéric LOBEY.

Finance-oriented associations at the University of Cambridge

A few days after the start of classes, an event will be organized for all the associations of the University of Cambridge. By attending, you will have the opportunity to meet some of the finance-oriented associations such as CIBS (Cambridge Investment Banking Society) or CAMSIF (CAMbridge Investment Fund). We recommend that you start a dialogue and approach a member of an association. Try to get their contact information and find out if it would be possible to attend some of their events. Some associations refuse access to students who will not be in Cambridge all year, but this has not been a problem for CAMSIF.

So we joined their Whatsapp group and were able to take part in a number of events. The first one was a free two-day training on financial modeling. The speaker, a former Equity Research Analyst at Goldman Sachs and Barclays (among others) also shared his experience with us, gave us tips on how to apply for springs, how to improve your LinkedIn profile, … Other events, more frequent, consisted of presentations made by small groups of student members of the association. They presented a company and its action and then voted on whether to invest or not. We were also able to participate in a trading simulation session organized by AmplifyMe. This session allowed us to be put in touch with Morgan Stanley for a recruitment. Finally, there were networking events organized in bars and meetings with senior finance professionals (Managing Directors) from the biggest banks in the City.

When applying for Spring Interships, which take place in April of the year following the application and are organised by the world’s leading banks, some of my peers and I noticed that we were passing the screenings in a large majority of cases. These automated, keyword-based recruitment processes reject applications that do not have a sufficient educational or professional background. In our case, the mention of “University of Cambridge” automatically allowed us to be accepted in the next round, which was not the case for our colleagues in France, who did not have this mention on their CV.

This advantage is therefore considerable as it allowed us to considerably increase our chances for this recruitment process, but above all to be able to apply to the highest and most reputable institutions in the world of finance without worrying about being rejected before having the chance to meet a recruiter.

But in addition to having an advantage on the CV, it also helped us a lot in our professional and relational life. Indeed, after I put the mention of “University of Cambridge” in my Linkedin banner, I personally noticed, and this was also the case for some of my classmates, that some profiles that I added, occupying an important position within large banks, accepted our connection requests, which was not the case before I put the mention of this Transcontinental course. Having a network of influential people in the financial world is extremely important and useful because it allows us to add other people, probably already connected with these influential people. These latter people may be less influential but are more likely to respond to you if you add them, which may subsequently lead to a job or internship contact.

This article was written by Jean PIRON, Thomas BALAVOINE and Jonathan GIBUS.

The best places to eat in Cambridge: We concocted for you a guide of the best places to eat in Cambridge!

TYPICAL RESTAURANTS:

• The punter (££): 3 Pound Hill, Cambridge CB3 0AE

Enjoy the lovely decoration of this typical pub named after those who row the Puntings, famous boats in Cambridge on the Cam. Have a good time with family and friends in this pub where a cute little yard separates the main building from a converted greenhouse. The staff is very friendly and the food is delicious

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• Town and Gown (££): 8 Market Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PF

A typical pub where academics and locals meet for a drink or a meal. You can eat delicious culinary specialties like fish&chips (which we highly recommend) in a friendly atmosphere. To end on an high note, go see a play at the theatre of the restaurant which dates from 1933.

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• The anchor (££): Silver St, Cambridge CB3 9EL

Set on the banks of the beautiful river Cam, The Anchor pub, has a dining room and river terrace. It’s location near Queens’ College and its stunning Mathematical Bridge makes it an unmissable place to visit with a great dining views.

The menu is simple but typical English. We recommend the sandwiches and wraps: quick and delicious to eat! Don’t be surprised by the taste of the water as cucumbers are bathed in it to preserve them (not my taste personally).

Fun fact: Pink Floyd came to eat here

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• The regal (£): 38-39 St Andrew’s St, Cambridge CB2 3AR

The Regal is an English pub built in the structure of an old cinema of the same name. Built in 1937 it was as “the latest and most up-to-date cinema in Cambridge… on which neither time nor money has been spared”. The Regal was built on the site of The Old Castle Hotel, a well-known local landmark. It was one of the city’s leading hotels and the terminus for the London to Cambridge stage coaches.

In this restaurant-pub-casino with a very classic atmosphere you will be able to eat a very wide range of dishes (very very very wide) for very affordable prices! And as you can also have brunch somewhere else than in Homerton, we also recommend their brunch on Sundays with a very family atmosphere.

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• Honest Burger (££): 1-6 Corn Exchange St, Cambridge CB2 3QF  

Honest Burgers Cambridge is in the heart of Cambridge, next door to the Cambridge Corn Exchange, the Grand Arcade and Market Square. If you want to eat a good burger, this is the place for you! The atmosphere is warm and the service is very fast. Moreover, Honest Burger is committed to an ethical approach by sourcing its products from approved breeders who respect animal welfare.

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TRAVEL FOR A MEAL:

• Yori (££): 35 St Andrew’s St, Cambridge CB2 3AR

The Restaurant Yori – meaning ‘cooked food’ in Korean – offers up a menu of approachable Korean dishes with lots to choose from.
You order using the QR code on the table with your phone, for an easy and quick order.
The wait is reasonable, and appetizers are even proposed for the wait.
The food it authentically Korean, with meals such as Tteokbokki, Kimchi Jeon, Korean Style Fried Chicken, Beef Bulgogi, Bibimbap, and many, many others. Careful though! Spice is of the essence to Korean food and Yori isn’t playing. If you are not used to spicy food, you may want to indicate it in your order.

Fun fact: If you put a comment on google about the restaurant, and show it to the staff, you will get a free soft-drink!

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• Nando’s (££): 33-34 St Andrew’s St, Cambridge CB2 3AR | Unit G5, Leisure Park, Clifton Way, Cambridge CB1 7DY

The franchise imported from South Africa offers a range of spicy delicious food with their legendary flame grilled PERI-PERI chicken.
There isn’t just the chicken either, you can also find tasty salads, pittas, wraps, burgers, and even vegetarian dishes.
In terms of price per quantity of food, it is more than worth it!
Careful though, just as Yori, the spice is not to be looked down on, so don’t try and be brave and pick the highest spice level or you might not enjoy your meal as much…

Fun fact: The franchise was made known in the UK by a member of the ex-boyband One Direction, Niall Horan

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• Nines (£): First Floor, Leisure Park, Unit 3 Clifton Way, Cambridge CB1 7DY

The restaurant Nines is a must do in Cambridge, especially by going through the application To Good To Go. Indeed, this hidden gem presents 2 full-sized Tupperware worth of food from their Asian buffet that offers a large range of choices, all for 5.90£.
The pickup time is 21:15-21:30 and there a lot of choice remaining.

Fun fact: As long as it fits in the Tupperware, you can bring it, so don’t be shy!

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BRUNCH AND PASTRIES:

• Hot numbers (£): 4 Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1QA

If you want to enjoy a delicious coffee with a tasty brunch, this place is for you! Located near the Fitzwilliam Museum, their plates are very tasty and generous (you can’t miss their buttermilk pancakes). You don’t need to book, but be careful the space is limited. If you are lucky with the weather, there is a nice courtyard at the back of the restaurant.

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• Fitzbillies (££): 51-52 Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1RG

Fitzbillies has been a Cambridge high street institution for nearly one hundred years, first opened in 1921 by two ex-servicemen returning home from the First World War. You can buy a ton of pastries from the traditional croissant to a cake named after the Queen Elizabeth II. Fitzbillies quickly became the cake-shop of choice for the university and townsfolk. Initially it was famous for its special Fitzbillies sponge cake, present in all afternoon teas, but today his fame comes from his chelsea buns. The chelsea bun are made from yeast dough topped with currants, brown sugar, and butter and then coiled into square shaped buns (we recommend it even if you don’t like dried grapes).

Fun fact: Last year Fitzbillies made around 160,000 Chelsea buns

This article was written by Enzo PLENT, Morgane LE COZ and Alice PETILLON.