Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What subjects are taught in English?
Are English classes separated by ability or just age?
What are the students' record for further education?
What percentage of students are multicultural?
AS A UNIVERSITY STUDENT IN FRANCE
Students from around the world choose France for a semester
or a year of study abroad. You will i nd plenty of information
about this option from your own country, probably from
your own college. A less popular but very worthwhile option
is to complete an entire degree in France. The low cost of
a university education in France is a big motivating factor:
fees for most public universities (including world-recognised
universities like The Sorbonne) won't come to more than
1,000 Euros per academic year. Foreign students who can
qualify will have access to wonderful professors and resources
as well as all of the perks that come with student status: the
relative ease of acquiring and renewing visas, the ability to
work legally up to 20 hours a week, access to an excellent
health care system, and reduced admission on pretty much
any activity you can think of.
Keep in mind, though, that these universities accommodate
enormous numbers of students, and no one will hold your
hand through the process. There are no cozy orientations
or sympathetic guidance counselors. Navigating the
administrative red tape will take some skill, but this is
actually all a part of the game, which you'll soon discover is
an elaborate weeding-out process.
The requirements for admission into the i rst year of study
in a French university are surprisingly lax -- a carry-over of the
1968 reforms when universities were criticised for elitism in
their admission procedures. But by the second year of study,
the number of participating undergraduates often drops by
more than 50%. Some are forced to repeat their i rst year
(“redoubler”) until their grades are good enough to allow them
to continue on to the second year, and many drop out altogether.
This continues throughout the course of the entire degree
program, and by the last year of study, many classes are very
cozy indeed -- especially if you've chosen an unpopular major.
 
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