If you are part of our February 2020 intake, it’s almost time to pack your suitcases to begin your adventure at Les Roches Crans-Montana! Here’s a handy Q&A that covers a dozen questions new students frequently ask us.
Tick tock. Tick tock. The hours are counting down until we welcome our February student intake. Are you part of this cohort? If so, you’ll almost certainly have a hundred questions on your mind ahead of your arrival in Switzerland.
We can’t promise to answer all of them here, but we hope you’ll find this little Q&A useful. You can also take a look through our blog “34 questions new Les Roches students always ask” to get more useful insights.
1. What should I expect on my first day at Les Roches?
Expect to receive a warm welcome during your check-in, where you’ll meet faculty members, support staff, student representatives and fellow ‘newbies’. You’ll firstly be taken through the check-in process, to make sure we have all the documents necessary for you to begin your studies. You will also receive your orientation program (see question 2), plus your student card and room keys.
If you’ve ordered a laptop from us we will help you set it up, as well as completing the paperwork for your Swiss residence permit application. You can also expect to discover your immediate surroundings, including the town of Crans-Montana, which is a short hop up the mountain from campus.
2. How long does the orientation last?
It depends on which program you are studying, but for our Bachelor’s (BBA) degree, students have a one-week induction. We’ll give you the full schedule when you arrive on campus for check-in.
3. When do I find out who I’m rooming with?
Unless you have opted for single accommodation, you will be sharing a room with a fellow student. If you are in shared accommodation, you may already have requested a particular room-mate. If not, we will allocate a room-mate who is a good match based on the profile details you gave us when booking your accommodation.
4. How far is the student accommodation from the main school buildings?
One of the wonderful things about Les Roches is how close-knit a community it is. All our accommodation buildings are within a short stroll of the main academic center.
5. Can I live off-campus?
Not if you are in the first five semesters of our Bachelor’s program. For these, you must live on campus. For the final two Bachelor’s semesters, and all our graduate programs, you can live off-campus, and the good news is that it is relatively easy to find accommodation in the local area.
6. Do you have a student WhatsApp group?
We don’t, but we do have a Facebook group for new students to connect with each other before they arrive on campus. You can find the Facebook group here.
7. What school supplies should I bring with me?
A personal laptop if you haven’t ordered one from us. It’s also advisable to bring some basic stationery items (notebooks, pens, USB stick, etc). You should also think of your business attire as school supplies, since business dress is a prerequisite on campus.
We provide all course materials and books, and don’t forget there is a mini-market on campus, along with plenty of shops in nearby Crans-Montana and Sierre.
8. How easy is it to find vegetarian options to eat on campus?
With more than 100 different nationalities on campus at any given time, we are well-practiced in catering for all dietary requirements. You’ll find at least one vegetarian option at all our campus dining outlets.
9. Is there a library on campus?
Yes there is one, with around 8,000 academic books, professional magazines and audio-visual materials on the shelves, together with a further 500,000 online journals and publications. It’s open every day of the week!
10. What do students do in their free time?
What don’t they do would be easier to answer! Sports, activities, cultural events, excursions, clubs embracing all sorts of interests… oh, and don’t forget the incredible skiing right in your backyard. At Les Roches, you have everything you need to make the most of your ‘downtime’. You can find more information about campus life here.
11. What do students typically do during the Christmas/holiday break?
This really depends. The first thing to note is that you have to do something, since all our students must leave campus during the holiday period. Many of our students do not celebrate Christmas. A good number will still return home to see their families; but plenty more use the opportunity to discover different parts of Europe. It shouldn’t be difficult to find a travel buddy either… most of our students have been bitten by the travel bug – in hospitality it comes with the territory!
12. Are there any hotels or other types of accommodation close to campus?
Just across the road from our main building is the hotel-restaurant Le P’tit Paradis, which is both a popular student hangout and a super-convenient accommodation option for visiting family and friends.
You can also find a wealth of accommodation in Crans-Montana, ranging from youth hotels to 5-star luxury hotels. Some of the area’s hotels offer preferential rates for Les Roches students – so it’s always worth checking with them.
We hope you’ve found this useful, but if you have any questions we’ve not been able to answer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: info@lesroches.edu
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