Master in Finance (MIF)

Recommendations letters are very important. The admissions committee is used to looking at these and the ones that make the difference outline concrete examples of how the student lives up to the praise/recommendations given. You should therefore select references who know you best and have experience of working with you either academically or professionally. It is much better to have a reference from someone who knows you than from someone you have selected due to their position.

No, prior professional experience is not required. Work experience does help you with your application to get into the program, as it improves your application.

The GMAT is part of your application, however ESSEC takes your whole profile into consideration. If you are very good in one area it might compensate for a weakness in another area. Therefore, a good GMAT Score might be an advantage but no guarantee to get into the program as well as a less-than-perfect GMAT score is no knockout critirea. In any case you should aim for as high a GMAT score as you can possibly achieve.

The Master in Finance does not require a certain French level. Courses can be chosen so that the whole program is taught in English and all of the staff members at ESSEC do speak English. You have the chance to learn French during your program and also during an intensive course before the beginning of your program.

We do however strongly recommend you try and learn French when you are here. As you live in France and many of your fellow students and friends wil be French-speaking, acquiring the language does help you during your time at ESSEC and in France. Moreover, if you are not French speaking and want to remain in France for your internship or job in the future, learning French is fundamental.

When you start your online application, you will choose the campus to study the program (France or Singapore). This decision is yours to make according to your professional project. Transfer of campus from Term 2 may be considered.

Every application is thoroughly reviewed by the admissions board which is comprised of both academic and professional staff, with consideration given to all elements including hard and soft skills.

Over 100 cultural, professional, community, and athletic student associations exist at ESSEC. ESSEC is open to new ideas for clubs if the existing groups do not fit your needs or interests.

Most ESSEC students choose to live in the school’s residence halls, some located within walking distance of the school with sufficient public transportation available. Students are also free to find their own housing near campus or in Paris, or to make arrangements with a roommate.

If you choose to live in Cergy, walking and shuttle services are an easy solution for getting to campus. If you have a car, parking spaces are available in the residence halls and at the school. Cergy is well­-served by public buses and also has a public bike rental program. In terms of transport to and from Paris, there is a train (Transilien line L) that runs in the mornings and evenings that goes to Saint-­Lazare. The RER A runs all day and serves several locations throughout central Paris, including La Défense, which houses ESSEC’s second campus. ESSEC is located at the RER Station Cergy-­Préfecture in zone 5. The commute to most areas in Paris takes approximately 45mins.

Cergy Le Haut is the most lively residence among the ones that are offered to Master Students. It's 40 minutes from central Paris By train (RER). It is where most of the international students live and where some parties are organised during weekends. There are many leisure rooms with pool and fussbal. There is also a gym and many people gather to study together in the study rooms.

The studio is basic and with basic furniture.You have two alternatives: you can either buy the starting package by ALEGESSEC or you can bring/buy the necessities upon your arrival, either in IKEA or in any other shop. The starting package includes cups, cutlery, a pan and a pot, a pillow, a blanket, and sheets.

1) All the studios (both in Cergy Le Haut, in les Linandes and in Le Port) are furnished and thus they have: a bed + mattress, curtains, a desk, a shelf, a closet, a small kitchen with fridge and shelf and a private bathroom with a shower. You won't have a microwave but it can be purchased for around 30€ at the little shop in the hall at Cergy Le Haut.

2) Cutlery, pots and pans, bedsheets, pillow, blankets are not provided. You will need to buy them once you arrive or you can decide to purchase the "starting package" for around 90€ that will provide you with all these items.

3) Internet is included in the rent in Cergy-le-Haut but needs to be purchased in Les Linandes.

4) The applications normally starts after the results of the last admission session are out.

If you want to have more info on the residences you can check out this link: http://www.essec.edu/…/pages_corpora…/brochure-alegessec.pdf

and these videos:

Cergy Le Haut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJANimF7ASw

Les Linandes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv5i16fGePE

At the moment, ESSEC Asia Pacific does not offer accomodation. However, finding a room in Singapore is not as difficult as it might seem. Students of the MSc in Management have created a “Flat-hunting guide” on our blog to help you in your search, and you might want to have a look at it.

Part 1: http://blog-msc-management.essec.edu/2016/06/flat-hunting-in-singapore.html

Part 2: http://blog-msc-management.essec.edu/2016/06/flat-hunting-in-singapore-2-student.html

Yes, subject to having obtained a first student residence permit in France.

The Temporary Resident Permit, or APS (for "Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour"), allows foreign students to remain in France for one year after the end of their studies, whether they complete the program in one year (in France) or two years.

During this period, they may look for a job (without restriction) or prepare for the creation of a company in a field corresponding to their training. Until a work contract has been signed, for a fixed period of time (CDD) or indefinite (CDI), foreign graduates with an APS are authorized to work under the same conditions as if they were students, meaning to a maximum of 964 hours per year, or approximately 20 hours per week.

Please refer to the Campus France website for more information.

Yes, subject to having already obtained a Student's Pass in Singapore, which comes with a FIN number that is used to apply for the Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) in Singapore. The student must also be in Singapore with a valid pass (Student's Pass or Visit Pass with at least 10 days remaining) when they submit the application.

The LTVP allows foreign students to remain in Singapore for one year after the end of their studies to look for employment opportunities, whether they complete the program in one year (at ESSEC Asia-Pacific in Singapore) or two years (Doing the M2 at ESSEC Asia-Pacific in Singapore). 

For more information regarding the application process, please visit this page.