Tany-laure Lu Huynh discusses student life in Bradford, UK, lessons from studying abroad, and how she’ll use her Masters in Business and Management.
Studying abroad brings new experiences and new teaching styles, as Tany-laure, originally from France, has discovered.
In five years Tany-laure has studied law in France, spent an Erasmus year in Rome and completed an internship with Unilever in Paris. What is left for this ambitious French student? A Masters in Management and Business Studies, that’s what.
Studying for her Masters has taken Tany-laure to yet another country – the UK, where she is based at the University of Bradford.
Tany-laure's ambition is to become either a marketing or human resources manager. "I have knowledge in law, and I also know the business rules in France from both an HR point of view and a commercial point of view. Moreover, I like human contact, which is one skill required in both marketing and HR.
"During my internship experience at Unilever (category management Amora Maille) I discovered that I love marketing and more precisely, I like the sales support that I consider essential for the company."
To achieve her career goal, Tany-laure decided that a Masters from EM Lyon – with the opportunity to study abroad in the UK – would set her on the right track. “I chose the Masters in Management and Business Studies at EM Lyon because it is known for the quality of its lessons,” she says.
However, her time studying abroad at the University of Bradford is providing her with additional experiences.
"The style of teaching is very different at Bradford. Students usually study alone and a high personal standard of work is required. The final exam is usually an essay and a case study. In France, the same level of personal work required when preparing for lectures, but the examination integrates many cases studied in groups."
Tany-laure says the students studying at Bradford tend to be younger than those at EM Lyon, the majority of who are studying for an MBA.
Based on Bradford’s School of Management campus, Tany-laure finds that the student life there is different than on the university’s main campus, where parties are organized by students every Friday night.
Back home in France, the life of a student at EM Lyon is costing Tany-laure €550 a month, which includes all of her accommodation, food, travel and the occasional social outing.
"The cost of life is high, so I need to be careful with the purchases that I make. Some other students take a part-time job but it’s hard to combine a part-time job when we need to study so much."
When she has a break from her 30 hours of lectures per week, Tany-laure can be found working out at the gym or having drinks with friends.“There are some cute pubs in Bradford and the student office organizes trips to another nearby town every three weeks. The last one went to York.
"In Lyon my favourite place is Bellecour. Bellecour is Lyon's heart. It’s a very central place and a practical way to meet friends. Walking there is very nice and there are a lot of restaurants."
Studying in a variety of countries, cities and institutions has made Tany-laure more aware of differences between cultures, and she says the most important thing while studying abroad is to be open to the local culture.
"I think it’s essential to live the reality of the country: to adopt the way of life and to learn every day."