Olivier comes from Quebec and studies at Laval University. He has spent a semester as an exchange student at ESILV, an engineering school located in the heart of Paris business district. Financial engineering, wanderlust and life in Paris : find out what it is like to study abroad in France.
Paris is always a good idea and in Olivier’s case, more so since it allowed him to follow a financial engineering course.
Studying financial engineering in Paris
When choosing where he would go on an academic exchange semester, Olivier considered ESILV as the best choice because this engineering school was the only school abroad to offer a financial engineering major.
“What I find interesting in financial engineering are the logic and mathematical skills one needs to model things. “Financial concepts” is a class I enjoyed, because it provided us with a great basic knowledge to work in finance”.
The ESILV financial engineering major trains future engineers to acquire strong skills in market modelling and financial instruments. Students have access to a dealing room with 16 Bloomberg Terminals. They learn how to master Python, VBA, C#, C++…
They are also taught to manage related IT and statistical tools. The course also focuses on raising awareness about financial risks and concerns of a better regulation of financial institutions.
Learning in human-sized classes
The financial major curriculum includes classes of Risk management, Financial markets, Database programming, Financial products, Corporate Finance, Derivative, Responsible Finance… all of them taught in English.
“I would say there is a rather close relation between professors and students. We talk to them a lot and can ask them questions”.
Olivier appreciated the interaction with the academic staff. Tutorial classes in small groups are a great way to focus on specific parts of the class, should the students need help in understanding concepts.
Paris, the door to Europe
The opportunity to experience life in Paris for a few months was also one of the main reasons Olivier decided to study abroad in France.
For the young man from Quebec, living and studying in such a big and iconic city was not to be missed.
Olivier lived within a 5-minute walk from campus, in a student residence. He easily found it thanks to the engineering school online housing platform.
Coming from overseas, Olivier saw living in Paris as a great opportunity to travel across Europe. Over the course of his four-month stay, he travelled to Greece, Hungary, Italy and Belgium.
Study abroad in France: watch Olivier’s testimonial
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