MATHYS LOPEZ
I WAS IMMEDIATELY DRAWN BY THIS PROGRAMME THAT MIXED THEORY AND PRACTICE
Mathys Lopez is a third-year student on the Business Management track. He completed his baccalaureate, with honours and an average score of 16.22/20, at the Auguste Renoir secondary school in Cagnes sur Mer in 2017.
Since my final year of school, I have been interested in economics and finance, so I started to research undergraduate programmes with this in mind. A hard-working and serious pupil, I initially thought about doing a preparatory course, so that I could then do a Grand Ecole programme at a business school. However, a few months before I took my baccalaureate, I went to a student day, where I talked to a representative of the EDHEC International BBA and this changed my mind. I was immediately drawn by this programme that mixed theory and practice, with quality courses and corporate internships. What’s more, the prestige of EDHEC Business School confirmed my decision to join its undergraduate programme.
A few months later, I started studying for my Bachelor’s degree at EDHEC, with my baccalaureate, with honours, in my pocket.
After a year of classes on the school’s Nice campus, I left to do a four-month Global Manager Certificate (GMC) exchange at London Metropolitan University. I chose this exchange because the courses on offer had an economics and international slant, for example, Economics of Multinational Business, Economics and Ethics, Creating a Winning Business and Business Without Frontiers. London Metropolitan University impressed me with the quality of its staff and its cultural and ethnic diversity. What’s more, the exchange allowed me to study in London, the European capital of finance, which was an opportunity to research potential future internships. Lastly, the exchange allowed me to improve my oral and written skills, but also to develop my network.
For the third year of my EDHEC International BBA, I decided to specialise in Finance – my ultimate goal being to study for an MSc in Corporate Finance & Banking at EDHEC Business School.
This summer, I completed an internship in the audit department of Pierrisnard et Associés. During my time there, the firm gave me the chance to participate in practically all of the accounts certification process. From the start, my role was to confirm the numbers in the accounts, making sure that the evidentiary paperwork backed up the amounts stated. Once this was done, the conclusions on each worksheet needed to be compiled. If there were no significant anomalies, we were able to compile our reports and certify the accuracy of the accounts. At the same time, I worked with other colleagues on related jobs, such as entering account data and administrative tasks. The internship was highly educational, as I learned a number of things about accounting and the law. I really enjoyed working with such a dynamic and capable team.
I would recommend the EDHEC International BBA programme for the quality of its courses. The core courses in the first two years give you time to figure out what really appeals to you. You get to meet people from the four corners of France and from around the world, which is no small thing, especially if you want to work abroad. Of course, I would also recommend the programme for its reputation and the network that goes with it – two key factors that increase your employability.
Find Mathys on LinkedIn.
