For the last 10+ years, the SKEMA Raleigh Campus has partnered with the APHEC ("Association des Professeurs des classes préparatoires économiques et commerciales") to offer this very popular, comprehesnive programme. The goal? Provide students with the opportunity to improve their English, prepare for their concours exams, and get immersed in US culture and history through classes, guest lectures, museum visits, weekend trips, cultural events, and more.
On weekdays, they had daily English classes with French "prépa" teacher Severine Viret-Lange and North Carolina-based professor Judy Perry. The group visited several key places in the Raleigh area, including NC State University, the James B. Hunt Jr. Library, the NC History Museum and NC Museum of Natural Sciences, the Wake County Courthouse, the NC Legislative Building, and the NC Executive Mansion. They also participated in a half-day of volunteering at Habitat for Humanity.
The programme included activities beyond Raleigh, taking them to nearby areas including Wilmington on the North Carolina coast, as well as Charlottesville, Virginia and Washington, D.C. where they visited museums and historical places, such as the downtown areas, the US Capitol in D.C., and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and the Battleship North Carolina.
One of the highlights of the trip was the Durham Bulls baseball game, which students attended on the evening of the 4th of July (Independance Day) and was followed by impressive fireworks above the stadium and the downtown Durham area.