What I Didn’t Know About Studying Abroad at a French University
Encountering Differences in Higher 教育 Across Countries
I attended a French university during my 东航卡帕 study abroad program 走进它的时候,我真的不知道它和美国的大学有什么不同. 事实证明,确实如此! So, 我在这里分享一些关于在法国上大学的期望和生活.
这是一个好主意,通过在国外大学遇到的所有差异, 东航卡帕对此表示支持. They facilitated a large part of my enrollment process, which I imagine would have been complex on my own. My program coordinators in 艾克斯 我还参加了一个介绍会,介绍法国大学是什么样的, and they remained available to offer support.
我在密歇根大学的日常生活
To tell you a little about my situation: Hello! 我在艾克斯-马赛大学(Aix-Marseille University)一个名为SUL (Service Universitaire des languages)的沉浸式法语学习项目中学习了一个学期。. 我一周上四天的课(虽然也有可能是五天的),全部用法语授课,重点是不同的科目. 学校离我的公寓步行大约20分钟,我的课通常是4-6小时, with a lunch break in between.
Because Aix-Marseille University is a French university, 我每天都被法国和国际学生包围,法语是我们的共同语言. SUL是大学的一小部分,所有的学生都在学习法语, 但我们平等地参与了法式大学和大学生活.
The Student Languages building at AMU! This is where my classes are held and I’m very fond of this space.
Helpful Information Going into A French University
形式:
在法国文化中, 在日常生活的许多方面都比在美国要拘泥于礼节.S., and education is no exception. 在某些方面,那里的大学可以与我们对朝九晚五工作的看法相比较.S.:穿着得体,守时,尊重你正在做的工作和你的同事.
I was surprised to learn that relationships with professors in 法国 通常在他们的课程中保持非常正式和疏远的态度. 这个学期,我遇到了非常善良和进步的教授,他们并不完全符合这种刻板印象, 但请记住,法国教授可以要求尊重和遵守他们的教学方法, 大学也会支持教授的授课方式. Through student interactions, feel free to express your feelings and joke around in an informal manner, 但在与员工互动时,要使用礼貌的语言,并保持专业的态度.
在上了一整天的课和在回家的路上买东西后,我的书包. It made me laugh so I wanted to share.
评分系统:
法国 doesn’t use a grading system out of 100% but instead out of 20; crazy, right? 在他们的评分标准中,A被认为是18-20分,学生必须得到10分才能通过一门课. Not only was this an interesting change to adjust to, 但我也发现,得到A是很罕见的,而且被认为是真正的例外. One of my professors recently returned an assignment to me as a 14/20, which was initially disheartening as that’s a C letter grade, but her note beside the grade read “good work!” From my growing understanding, receiving a B or C is still a positively regarded grade that indicates you’re putting in the work and understanding class content; an A indicates that your work is outstanding and without faults.
每周一和周二在校园内举办的户外多语种图书市场!
类布局:
我对法国大学最大的调整是课程结构. 与美国相反.S. 大学, classes in 法国 are on average about three hours long, with a 10–15-minute break in between. Surprisingly these courses didn't feel like they dragged on, 教授们在安排课程内容方面做得非常出色, but it’s still an attention span adjustment.
我还惊讶地发现,这里有更严格的缺课政策, where the only excused absence is a doctor’s note, and after three missed classes, the course is automatically failed. 公平地说, missing three hours of content is a lot to try to catch back up on, so it’s good to keep in mind that the expectation is to show up to class.
Class atmospheres there were awesome, but there are some notable differences such as class size, 课堂行为, 和参与. 我参加的课程规模在10到20个班级之间, but leaned towards the lower end of that scale. Every professor conducts their classes in different ways, but generally the courses are interactive and expect participation, so you do get to know the people in these intimate little classes. Eating in class is frowned upon, which I rarely find to be the case in the U.S., 但这可能与课堂参与度高和尊重教育氛围的形式有关. 总的来说,我的每一位教授都愿意回答问题或重新解释一个概念, which I found invaluable, 问问题吧!
Editing French stories we wrote in class. 这张照片显示了我们班的亲密关系,大约有15人.
总结
The French university experience was a lovely educational journey, but also a cultural experience which I genuinely benefited from. In pointing out so many of the differences between the U.S. and 法国’s university systems, 我还想提醒大家,差异并不等于消极的变化. 我希望我已经对进入法国大学学习的经历有所启示,但也要对你自己的个人经历保持开放的态度!
Studying at the beautiful 艺术 and 人文学科 Library.
Siah Potts is the Content Creator - 博客ger in 艾克斯, 法国, and is currently studying at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.