- Status: Alumni
- Current country: Colombia
Luis Carlos RODRIGUEZ FAJARDO – Colombia – Master in Management (double degree program)
Where do you come from?
Compared to French cities, the city where I come from it’s very large in terms of population (almost 8 million inhabitants) and size (about 470 KM2 in urban area). This city is a beautiful but sometimes stereotyped one; I am talking about Bogotá, Colombia. Located in the center of the country at 2600 meters above sea level, it hosts my home university “Universidad de los Andes”, the best university of the country.
What studies have you already done, and what exact programme are you doing at TBS?
I have studied Business Management for 4 years in my home university, and thanks to the dual degree program between both universities (Los Andes and TBS) I am studying the Master in Management program (M2). I chose the International Business professional option (OP).
Why did you choose TBS over other schools?
I chose it because it is a very international school. From my personal experience, when I walk through the school I always see a familiar face of an international student. We are more than 150 international students who came in this year to a city where you breathe air with a touch of culture, history, entertainment, art and “students”.
How has your integration into TBS gone? What do you feel after your first few weeks at TBS? Are there any services/support which helped you? Any events you particularly enjoyed? Any difficulties you experienced?
I was really surprised by the international team (International Student Office and programme team) who received us. Surprised in a positive way!
When you come into Toulouse Business School as an international student, you feel like you are at home thanks to all the efforts these guys are doing. On one hand you have the students (Welcome team) who help you in the daily life and give you the best recommendations and plans for young people in Toulouse. On the other hand, you have the administrative personnel who help you with all the paperwork (which is not little) but at least they make it easier because they are really concerned on each one’s case, and they try to help as much as they can. This is something that really destroys the stereotype one could have about French “lack of interest” towards foreigners.
So far, what do you appreciate about Toulouse: the people, the town, the School etc.?
People in south France are very welcoming, they try to understand you and you really feel in a very comfortable town. Toulouse has a great variety of things to do, from museums, to parks, to walks along the iconic “La Garonne” river or simply enjoying an evening in the “Place du Capitole” or some other touristic places. There is always something to do!
Can you give us a small anecdote concerning your time so far at TBS?
At TBS I have really enjoyed the classes; we have had a lot of experts coming from different sectors and with experiences in different world markets. This aspect adds a practical point of view to the theory we have studied. 
To tell you about a nice anecdote I have, let me tell you that I was in the middle of ‘Place du Capitole’ when a stampede of people came to me and pushed me into a giant row of people hugging and doing a line. After that, someone important (I figured it out because there were cameras around) was in the middle of the multitude and threw a rugby ball; it was the representation of a rugby match inauguration, or mêlée as they call, and without knowing, I contributed to beat a world record by doing the world’s biggest mêlée! That was in the framework of the Festoval rugby festival. With that, I learnt that Toulouse is a city where Rugby means much more than ‘sports’.
What advice would you give to a future incoming international student?
More than advice, I would encourage them to come and live this experience, because it allows one to get in touch with bunches of new people, with different ways to see the world, with different habits and with something different that can contribute to each one’s personal growth. I would recommend coming with an open mind, with the disposition to learn from others and always to give their best (in all the senses of the word).