News
‘I was quickly immersed in the American rhythm’: Brahim, SKEMA student in Berkeley
Brahim Belasri-Nogueira, a student in SKEMA Business School's Master in Management (Grande Ecole) programme, has joined the prestigious Californian university of Berkeley for his Academic Diploma in Entrepreneurship, Technology and Startup Management (SKEMA X UC Berkeley Global X Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology). He tells us how his new school year went.
Brahim, how was your first day at Berkeley?
We are about 15 French students from SKEMA taking classes with students from all over the world: China, Singapore, America, Mexico, etc. My classes at UC Berkeley Global are in small groups but we also have classes with hundreds of students on the main campus, so we have the full American university experience! Our pre-commencement day was well designed; we had a session with all the teaching staff and guidance on all the administrative aspects.
This enabled me to quickly manage all the formalities, such as getting the student card, etc. I feel good here, and San Francisco is a beautiful city. I really fell in love with the area.
Naturally, I was quickly immersed in the American rhythm. There are a lot of classes and a lot of work during and after them. Every week, we have an assignment to hand in, and you have to know how to manage the intensity and the amount of effort to put in. Since my arrival, I have also been working on a startup project in GovTech. I am accompanying a professor on his business project in the United States, and I am participating in the final of my first pitch competition. The days are full!
As a student, we have access to all the facilities of the university. At Berkeley alone, there are about 20 libraries, including an underground one, running the length of the campus, which is huge! There are 12 million books available on the shelves and even more online. We also have access to sports facilities and, above all, to Berkeley's student associations.
There are about 1,500 in total, and it is possible to apply for a club of your choice. There are associations on blockchain, economics, law, etc. The themes are diverse. I decided to join a political association because I am very interested in American politics.
