frenchstudent

I am so surprised when I read article on Internet because it seems that you don't know our french College. Say it to me if you think I'm completely wrong!

I have to say to you that we have very good Colleges. I live in Paris, so i'm sorry because i prefer to speak about what I know. So of course, in Paris, there is Université Panthéon- Sorbonne that many of you know. But there are also: Université Panthéon-Assas , Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle, Université Paris-Sorbonne,
Université Paris- Descartes, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris- Diderot, Université Paris  8 -Vincennes Saint Denis, Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris 10 - Nanterre, Université Paris Sud 11, Université Paris 12-Val de Marne.

Obviously, all this College have some negative points. Usually students  know their reputation. The most famous are Panthéon-Assas, Paris-Dauphine and Panthéon-Sorbonne. Regularly French students hear from their friends or their  professor  of High Schools that if they join this 3 Colleges they will find a job next. In a way they are right, but I think differently.
When you apply for a job, employers look at your curriculum vitae and they like if you have created an association, make sport or if you have made some jobs before. But what they like above all, it is foreign students or globetrotter! If you speak english it's a good point for you, but just talk French and an other language and you will find a good job. Here, everybody learn English at Junior High. And they also choose between Spanish and German. More and more pupils learn Chinese and Japanese.

If you want more detail, just send me a com' please ;-)

During my studies at university, I met several foreign students. Many of them were lost because they didn't understand the french system of studies. So read this lines carefully and you will understand because it's a little bit complicated.

In France, there are 5 cycles:
- La maternelle (infant school): for children of 3 years old to 5 years old, composed by 4 levels,
- Le primaire (first school): for children of 6 to 10 years old, composed by 5 levels,
- Le collège (junior high): for teenagers of 11 to 15 year old, composed by 4 levels,
- Le lycée (high school): for young of 16 to 18 years old, composed by 3 levels,
- L'université (college): for young adult aged of 18 years old and more.
There are blocks for every cycle. So Junior Hight and High School are not mixed for example.

To pass one level you have to manage your exam or you risk to repeat your schoolyear.

Contrary to our american friends, in France, we use numbers to grade homeworks. The high grade is 20. So if you have 10/20 you have managed your level! Félicitation!

For many french students, the most important exam is Baccalauréat. It's the final exam of High School. So if you manage the 3 levels of High School but you don't have 10/20 to Baccalauréat, you cannot go to College!

I'm a french student who live at Paris. I made this blog because many of my friends come from China, Russia, Australia and bla bla bla. So i notice that many of them had problems to understand how we live here. So this is MY answer to this question !