When I packed for HEC Paris five years ago, I made a few mistakes that became obvious within the first week. I brought things I never used and forgot things I needed immediately. If you are about to move to France for business school, here is what I would actually bring, what I would buy after arrival, and why.
Clothes
For most of the academic year, Paris is cold and rainy but not extreme. The trick is layering rather than packing one massive coat. Sweaters, a down jacket, scarves, and thermal innerwear for the coldest weeks in January work well. Buildings and classrooms are well heated, so you want layers you can remove indoors.
The International Society says to bring comfortable rather than fancy clothes. That is half right. Jouy is a small village and you do not need to dress up daily, but showing up to class in sweatpants is not the norm either. Aim for the dress code of a casual Friday at a corporate office. Bring a few nicer outfits for parties and dinners.
For formal clothes, one suit covers career fairs and interviews. You will not wear it often.
Shoes need more thought. Leather sneakers handle rain better than canvas and keep your feet warm. The campus gets muddy when it rains, so all-white sneakers will not survive long. Waterproof hiking shoes for the wettest weeks are genuinely useful. A hooded rain jacket is more practical than an umbrella because Paris rain is usually a steady drizzle.
I bought most of my winter clothes at Uniqlo after arriving. It is significantly better value than what I could have brought from home. Shoes are an exception. A pair of Nike or New Balance sneakers costs two to three times more in France than in India. If you wear specific brands, bring them.
Personal electronics
Laptop. Bring whatever you use. Mac or Windows. The MiM does not require one over the other. If you expect to use Excel heavily for finance or data work, Windows is more practical. For marketing or general use, either works. I have used Mac for ten years and never had a compatibility issue at HEC.
Plug adapter. France uses the European two-pin plug. If you use Apple products, the snap-in adapter for the MacBook charger is more elegant than a bulky travel adapter. Bring two or three so you can charge multiple devices.
Kindle. Easily one of the best purchases I made in my first year. Physical books are expensive in France. The Kindle lets you buy from the Amazon India store at significantly lower prices. As a student moving rooms and possibly countries during the gap year, storing physical books is a hassle. I have read over twenty books on mine. If you are weighing what to read before HEC, I covered that in books before business school.
For your room
Basic cutlery. This was a mistake I made the first time. I brought no cutlery and the Auchan near campus ran out within the first few days. Bring a bowl, a plate, a fork, a knife, and a spoon to live on for the first few days. You will eventually go to IKEA for a full set.
Bedlinen and towels. HEC gives you a temporary paper-like sheet on arrival, but it is genuinely temporary. Bring your own bedlinen and a towel for the first day. Buy proper sets from IKEA within the first week.
Room decoration. Bring a few items that anchor you emotionally. Photos, a small soft toy, a poster you love. Buy the rest at IKEA or Amazon France. Do not over-pack here. You may be moving during the gap year and dragging decor across continents is painful.
Appliances. Skip them. Clothes iron, kettle, induction plate, all easily available on Amazon France at reasonable prices. Buying locally guarantees the right plug and voltage.
For your body
Medicines. Bring a pack of your commonly used over-the-counter medicines. Pharmacy navigation in French while you are sick is unpleasant. Bring enough for the first six months at minimum. After that you will have figured out the system.
Glasses. If you wear glasses, bring a spare pair. You will lose or break the first one at some point.
Food. I know a lot of Indian students bring ready-to-eat meals and bulk spices. I did not bring any food. My reasoning was that if I am committing to a global lifestyle, I want to be able to work with what is locally available. You can buy Indian groceries at Indian supermarkets in Paris, and the major spices are available in regular supermarkets too. The exception is very specific items only your family makes. Those are worth bringing.
What I wish I had spent more time on before moving
Beyond the packing list, two things would have helped me more than any item I brought.
First, learning French earlier. I started six months before arrival and reached A1. That was useful but not enough. If I had started a year earlier and reached A2 or B1, my first semester would have been significantly easier. The full approach is in how I learnt French.
Second, accepting that moving abroad is harder than it looks on Instagram. Bringing more stuff does not solve that. Building a routine and finding two or three people you trust is what helps. I unpacked that in moving abroad is hard and feeling at home abroad.
A short pre-departure checklist
If I were doing this again, my high-level checklist would be:
- One sturdy suitcase under 30 kilos
- Two seasons of clothes plus one suit
- Laptop, charger, plug adapters, Kindle, phone with international SIM
- Basic cutlery set, one towel, one bedsheet, one duvet cover
- Three to six months of essential medicines plus a spare pair of glasses
- Documents: passport, visa, admission letter, accommodation confirmation, vaccination records
- A small set of items that make a room feel like yours
- A French language app already downloaded with a few weeks of practice behind you
That is genuinely it. The rest you buy after arrival. Less stuff is the right answer. For the ten things I wish I had known beyond packing, I wrote ten things I wish I knew before HEC Paris.