A Student Exchange Programme aims to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason and a little more compassion into world affairs. Keeping the same spirit in mind, IIM Ranchi’s MBA Programme provides an opportunity for students to learn about business practices in various countries through the Student Exchange Programme (STEP) and/or study trips.
Media & PR Cell of IIM Ranchi had a chance to interview two students, Etienne Signoret and Charlotte Saint Georges who have come here for the Student Exchange Programme from Audencia Business School France and here’s an excerpt from the riveting conversation we had with them. While Etienne voluntarily opted for IIM Ranchi for the Student Exchange Programme, coming to IIMR has come as a pleasant surprise for Charlotte. Both of them recall being overwhelmed by the warm and unexpected welcome they received at the airport by the members of the Alumni & International Relations Committee. When asked about the difference in the education style of their college and IIMR, they find it to be quite similar with all the case studies, presentations, and group discussions but they appreciate the smaller batch size here which makes interacting with the faculty easier and facilitates one to one attention from the teachers. The only challenge that they are facing in the curriculum is understanding the Indian Economy, besides, of course, the Indian accent of the teachers, which gets confusing sometimes but Charlotte added that this does not pose a problem because the students are extremely helpful and cooperative. She is specifically fond of the bus rides where everyone engages in a light banter and they get to know each other more.
Talking about the places they got to explore, both of them had a chance to visit Ladakh and were immensely mesmerized by the beauty of the place as well as the serenity that abounds there. They have a zest for travelling which is testified by the long list of places they plan to visit in the near future including Kolkata, Varanasi, and Darjeeling.
Coming to food, though it’s a lot spicier here as compared to France yet both of them have developed a fondness for the
balushahi which is served in mess every Thursday night. Elucidating their most memorable experience at IIM Ranchi till now, both of them recount the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi which took place with utmost zeal and fervour. While Charlotte enjoyed applying colours on each other’s faces, Etienne flaunted some Bhangra steps that he got to learn during the festivity. The schmooze ended with Charlotte inviting all of us to her penthouse for a grand party. As we got up to shake hands with them, they bade us goodbye with a “namaste” and I was reminded of the lines from the poem by Eric Cockrell.
“Whatever color your skin,
Whatever language you speak,
Whatever your sexual orientation or your religion
You are still human!!!
The sacredness of life is in the shared experience
real change and real dialogue occur when
the ears are grounded in the heart’s work…
building bridges!”