Going to college in france, what are the differences from US colleges to French ones?

Question

Going to college in france, what are the differences from US colleges to French ones?

Answer 1

Most importantly, French universities are vastly more academically rigorous than American ones for several reasons.

To begin with, French university students receive a more academically rigorous education before entering university. French students do not go to high school to learn to "feel good about themselves" or deal with any of the other academically irrelevant drivel so popular in the USA.  Many American universities must hold classes in remedial reading because so many entering freshmen are functionally illiterate. That doesn't happen in France. Therefore the students you are competing with will very likely be better prepared than you are.

Second, French universities accept any student who has received the Bac but then proceed to flunk out a significant percentage of them. You are entering a system in which students do not have the luxury of just coasting for a few years.

You will discover that French students are expected to focus on their field of study. You choose a field and then take a prescribed course of study. There are few electives and switching majors can all but force you to start all over again.

French Universities tend to be far smaller than American ones and there is nothing that compares in size to schools like the University of Texas or Michigan State.

French universities have fewer facilities and everything from labs to libraries are ill equipped compared to the USA.

There is little university support for extra curricular activities in France and the network of school clubs, teams, fraternities and such that is the hallmark of student life in the USA doesn't exist in France.

In France there is a division between teaching and research and these functions are not generally combined as they are in American universities. This is arguably a weakness of the French system and there is little of the cross fertilization that results from teaching institutions also being centers of research.

Answer 2

Well done Katya,

You can add, a lot of incompetents teachers, students waiting for a strike more then they are waiting chrismass.

A really low level in subjects like english or spanish languages.

Otherwise i can tell you that it's gona open your mind about general culture, young love to speek about everything , try to understand the problems behind what the TV propagande show and imagine a new imaginary revolution.

Paris is a great city and you must go there to study, nowhere else.

Anyway there is nothing in commun between french an american colleges you will see.

Answer 3

The grading scale is radically different. Everything is noted on 20 points. 10/20 is considered average. Getting above 14/15 is RARE.

Because of this scale (in my opinion), the French system encourages students to shoot for the average and that's it. I've taught in France and often the argument is, "well if I'm making the average, why try harder?"

The school system in general in France is very negative.

Student life will be different as there aren't really clubs, etc. like there are in US colleges. A lot of students will still be living with their parents while in the US a lot live in dorms.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm at a blank. good luck!