Travel Log

This semester I am getting to take a study abroad experience in France right outside Paris. So for the last few weeks I’ve been taking classes at a different university and lets just say there’s a big difference between classes here and classes in the US. From the small amount of time that I’ve had so far I’ve picked up a few differences that I’ll break down below. So if you’re an American student about to study in France keep these in mind. Also these are only things that I’ve noticed in the university I am studying at and it is not a generalization for all universities. This is also not taking into account the two years of preparatory school that students must complete before going for an engineering degree.

Preparation

If you’re not used to preparing for class before going and thinking you’re going to learn everything there you will be greatly surprised. Much of the time the classes gloss over the readings in the book and build off them greatly so it is important to know what is being talked about. Also for labs if you are not prepared for what is going on and aren’t familiar it is a good chance you will have a lot of work to do outside of the labs.

Math

The French are very big into their math and mathematical proofs. Much of the lectures are spent confirming the equations that are produced and getting a good understanding of the theory that is behind them rather than use. I know much of what was talked about went in one ear and out the other simply because I couldn’t understand what was going on in the mathematical models but it became much easier after hearing the concepts a few times.

Class Schedule

I hope you like classes that are always changing times because there is no set schedule for the classes in France. The schedule will vary week to week depending on the availability of the professor. The good news about this is there is only one class a week the bad news is that that class is at least two hours long and sometimes longer depending on the class, two of my friends are in four hour lectures.  There are also lunch breaks built into the schedule and nobody has class from 12-1:15 so students can go eat. Further there are breaks in between 10-10:15 and 3:05-3:25 so students can get coffee or pastries in order to fuel them for the rest of their lectures. Then classes are from 8am to 5pm basically students work a normal job when they enter engineering school.

Teaching style

Strict is the easiest way to describe the teachers in France they expect students to pay attention and be serious about their learning. I know it’s shocking right. Seriously though they want the students to do all the work as they demand it and they will try and the professors will help only when the students has given honest effort into trying and deciphering the information. It is not like in the USA where each measly problem can be solved by going to the professor and asking for help. You must show initiative and then the professors are more than happy to help. Also class discussions are almost non existent but when the professor poses a question to class the professor expects a student to answer it. This goes back to preparation that I said in number 1. Just be prepared for a different style than in the USA.

Homework

Well for those of you that don’t like homework you’re in luck, the French don’t either. The idea that for every hour you spend in class you spend about two hours on that class outside of it does not hold true in La France. In fact much of the reason the classes are so long is so that students can reinforce that material while they are in class. So for those that use homework as a forced study method you better find a new way to study because it’s not going to work. This was one of the biggest challenges I faced while coming here. Also the homework that is given out is normally done so because it is just too much to go over in class and it takes a long time to do. This is done at the professors discretion and some days you will be completely free and then others prepare to sit down and work. Like I said this was one of my biggest adjustments both because I use homework to study and I plan ahead and do most of my homework at once so I have more free time to be involved in other activities and haven’t done homework on the weekend in about a year due to homework being posted online (it isn’t here) and working ahead (again something you cant really do).

Student Life/Culture

Well student life is very different here than in the USA. First there aren’t really student jobs. The job of a college student is to be a student nothing else. They are not expected to be able to earn money as the only “jobs” they can get for the most part are unpaid research positions and unpaid internships. They are compensated for this though by having reduced priced lunches at the university restaurant and reduced price entrance to attractions such as the Louvre and other museums that aren’t free to students. Also as for extracurricular activities there aren’t many you either join a sport or music or you find something else to do. It isn’t like the USA where you have 350 clubs at a singular school. You spend your free time enjoying yourself instead of filling it with clubs to try and get noticed by employers. I’m sure there is more I just haven’t noticed it yet.

Honestly at this point I’m not sure which style of schooling I like better and I wouldn’t say either is better or worse just simply different. The French focus much more on theory and the Americans focus much more on practicality. I know already that even with these few weeks of a different type of education I am going to be a much better student at my home university and will come back with skills that set me way above the rest.