French students complete exchange program at GUST
Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST ) announced the successful completion of student exchanges with ESC Rennes Business School in France. Students Felix Foiret and Ahmed Mostefa attended classes during the spring semester at the College of Business Administration, majoring in International Marketing and Finance, respectively. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two universities to allow students from either institution to join the exchange program. GUST is an active participant in exchange programs where 15 to 20 students attend UMSL, GW or FIU every summer.
Vice President for Academic Affairs at GUST, Dr. Salah Al-Sharhan, said, “An exchange program is a unique opportunity for students to experience time abroad, expand their horizons, develop their communication skills, and adapt to new environments. GUST is keen on building and maintaining relationships with esteemed universities worldwide to be able to provide its students with that opportunity. We are happy to have had the chance to do this with ESC Rennes.”To provide a more detailed insight into the program, an interview was conducted with the students to delve into their experience at GUST and in Kuwait.
How did you find out about this exchange program?
Through our Business School in France, in the city of Rennes. We have several options to choose from across the world, but we chose Kuwait.
What made you decide to take this opportunity to come to Kuwait and study at GUST?
My father came to Kuwait a long time ago. He had nothing but great things to say about this country, so I decided to come experience it for myself. I chose GUST because it seemed to me, coming from abroad, to be more accessible than Kuwait University.
My grandfather used to be a captain on an oil boat, and he spent a lot of time in Kuwait’s harbor. He told me that Kuwait would be an interesting country to visit. That, along with the usual media exposure of the region, made me very interested to come. I chose GUST for the same reason as Ahmed did.
What interested you the most about Kuwait?
I think it’s the foreign integration in the Kuwait’s economy.
For me, it was definitely the culture. It was a total culture shock for me. As a westerner, I’m not used to being in a Muslim country. We had the choice between Dubai, Qatar, and Kuwait. I chose Kuwait because I wanted to be directly integrated into the local culture, and I felt that Qatar and Dubai were too westernized for me to feel the real difference.
How was your experience at the university?
Mashallah. Incredible people. I will come back to Kuwait for sure. The university is completely openminded and they helped us a lot throughout our stay.
It’s been an amazing experience. We met a lot of people through the university, and got exposed to a completely different culture and people of different origins. It was a very enriching experience for a little Frenchie like me.
What was your favorite thing about studying here?
Discovering a new way of thinking.
The several different cultures, different origins, different spirit, different way of thinking. It was very educational for me.
What was your favorite class? Why?
I have two favorite classes Leadership, and Business Statistics. I was completely welcomed in the classes thanks to the incredible professors. I felt good about myself in the class, and with the others students.
I don’t have favorite class. In fact, I liked all the professors who taught me. I like the teaching style, the mentality, and the open dialogue between the students and their professors. I also liked that the professors came from different backgrounds which gave me an overall insight.
What Arabic/Kuwaiti words did you learn? We learned how to say hello, why, welcome, and how are you. Ahmed is originally Algerian, so he had an easier time understanding conversations than I did. What did you like the most about GUST’s campus? The great atmosphere. All the restaurants inside the building, the beautiful library, and the environment was also incredible. Would you recommend this program to other students at Rennes? Of course, and even more, I will be the Ambassador of GUST in France.
We are the first ambassadors of your university from Rennes. And it’s an honor to be the ambassadors of this beautiful university. We would love to share what an amazing, peaceful country Kuwait is.
GUST provides exchange program opportunities with other partnered universities such as Audencia Nantes, France, Ca Foscari University, Italy, Swansea University, UK, University of Missouri St. Louis, and Florida International University, USA. The College of Business Administration at GUST is an internationally accredited program by AACSB-International, attained in 2014. AACSBInternational represents the highest achievement for all business schools. The college currently provides six majors for students to choose from including: Accounting, Management Information Systems, Finance, International Business, Management and Organizational Behavior, and Marketing, including a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) program.