uni in france?!

[plussulien]

hi, can anyone help. we have a 17 year old daughter and she has to now choose a uni. and has opted for france. but we don't know where? has anyone any previous experience or recommendations? we are in dept. 22 but she will go anywhere! any info. would be great! thanks.

Plussulien

[SaligoBay]

Don't most French students tend to opt for their nearest university, unless there's a very good reason not to?   Something to do with them all being equal - except those that obviously aren't, of course, like the Sorbonne!   And of course there's not a lot of financial help, so it's easier to hang around home.

Maybe you could say what subject she wants to do, because some universities do have specialities, like Montpellier prides itself on medicine, for example.

[Clarkkent]

Is your daughter already in France and working through the French education system? If not then she should find a copy of "Sixty million Frenchmen can't be wrong" - it has been mentioned elsewhere on this forum. Although it looks at France from a mainly north American (mostly Canadian) point of view, it has some interesting observations about higher education in France, in particular the relationship between universities and Grandes Ecoles - universities are second tier institutions.

The only personal observation I can make is that in my former existence as a university lecturer (in an institution at the low end of the pecking order) I came across a growing number of French students who deliberately chose to study in England. Their reasons were:

- factors related to English language
- overcrowding and poor resources at French universities
- possible better acceptance of English qualification (eg BA rather than L s L)

In addition, they said that in England:
- they were much less anonymous in classes
- they would almost certainly graduate in 3-4 years
- there were well developed student support systems (libraries, welfare, study help etc)
- thriving student social life
- their opinions in class were considered important - not just write down everything lecturer said
- HE was concerned with personal development, not just loading memory.

If these statements DO reflect the reality of the French university system, then I would find it difficult to imagine why anyone with access to both HE systems would want to go to a French university.

[Teamedup]

Clark Kent has said it all really. That is exactly what I have heard over the years by brits who have studied in France and french students who have studied in the England and Wales. I know of some french students who stayed in the UK or having returned to their french unis became disillusioned and went back to the UK to finish, whereas I know of no brit student who stayed or came back to France......... although there surely must be some who have done just that? I just don't know of them.

[Val_2]

A friend's daughter here did start at French uni and then decided to go to Lancaster where she graduated. The same with her brother who has gone to Ireland and graduated there. A lot depends on what the child wishes to study as to what uni they can go to here and choice can be very limited as to sticking within their domicile dept. That said, there seems to be more government financial help here for students from lower income families and I speak from having a child who benefits like this.