HEC Paris Campus Tour: A MiM Student's Walkthrough

When I joined HEC Paris for the MiM, the first thing I noticed walking onto campus was that none of my mental pictures of “studying in Paris” matched what I was actually looking at. The campus is its own little ecosystem in the countryside, about twenty-five kilometres south of the city, in a quiet village called Jouy-en-Josas. If you are about to start the MiM or you are deciding whether HEC is the right fit, here is what the campus actually looks like from a student’s perspective.

The T Building, where most MiM classes happen

The T building is the academic hub for the MiM and most master’s programs. When you walk in there is a big common area and the Batzet, the on-campus coffee shop where you grab a croissant and an espresso before sprinting to class. If the line is too long, vending machines on every floor will save you.

Classes happen in a mix of small seminar rooms and larger auditoriums. Room 205 was my favourite. The Hall d’Honneur, where most career events take place, is on the way to the library. There is also Amphi Blondeau, where some classes and the occasional movie screening happen. Next to the T building is an open grassy area with picnic tables that gets used hard once spring arrives.

The residences and what to expect

The residences are spread across multiple buildings divided by room type. The T1 buildings have the nicest studios on campus. Each has a balcony, a big window, a large desk, an equipped kitchenette and an attached bathroom. These are the ones you want if you can get them.

The L1 and M1 buildings used to be shared rooms but recent years have moved toward single occupancy. They are smaller and a bit older. Then there are the AP buildings, tucked into one corner of campus. They are quieter and have shared kitchens. The trade-off is that you can feel a bit removed from the social centre of campus.

If you are deciding what to bring, I wrote a longer guide on what to bring with you to France.

Sports, bars, and where parties happen

The Student Affairs and Sports building has the basketball court, badminton courts, climbing wall, beach volleyball area, and a small but functional gym. There are also two student bars, a music room, a terrace, and the student affairs offices. Most Parties of the Week happen in this building. There is a large open space designed for events, which gets put to work every Thursday night.

The student restaurant, or the RU

The student restaurant, known as the RU, serves three meals a day. Average meal costs around five euros. You will eat here often in the first few weeks. By the second semester most students mix RU meals with cooking in their studio. The food is functional, not memorable.

The HEC lake, the most underrated part of campus

This is my favourite part of the entire property. You walk down from the main campus and reach a large lake with picnic tables, a barbecue, and footpaths around it. In autumn and spring it is genuinely beautiful. People run here in the mornings, host barbecues on Friday evenings, and throw lakeside parties when the weather is warm. There is also an American football field, a soccer pitch and tennis courts nearby.

The HEC chateau sits in the same zone. Unless you are in the Executive MBA you will not see much of the inside, but the building is striking from the outside.

Auchan and Jouy-en-Josas, your off-campus options

Right outside campus is Auchan, the big French supermarket where you will buy most of your groceries. Then there is Jouy-en-Josas, the village itself. It has another smaller Auchan, a post office, a couple of restaurants, a hair salon, and a few small stores. That is essentially it. There is no nightlife and no real shopping. Anything beyond basics requires a trip into Paris or Versailles.

How long it actually takes to reach Paris

This is the part most prospective students underestimate. Getting from HEC to central Paris by public transport takes about an hour and twenty minutes each way. There is a bus from campus to Massy-Palaiseau and from there the RER B into the city. There are also direct shuttles that students organise and run during weekend nights.

If you are deciding between HEC and a Paris-based school, this matters more than it sounds. I have unpacked the trade-offs in HEC vs ESSEC and in my overall take on whether HEC Paris was worth it. For a wider view of life in the city itself, the pros and cons of living in Paris is a better starting point than any campus tour.

What I wish I had known on day one

The campus is bigger than it looks but the social geography is small. Within two weeks you will recognise almost everyone in your year. The location, while inconvenient, forces a level of intimacy that a Paris campus does not have. Friendships at HEC are unusually deep partly because of this. I covered more of these unwritten realities in ten things I wish I knew before joining HEC.

The campus will be your world for most of M1. The lake will be where you take your breaks. The T building will be where you spend your days. Once you accept that and stop trying to commute to Paris three times a week, the campus starts to feel like home.