<p>First, a prerequisite to study in France is to speak French . The <learning by="" doing=""> solution cannot work because French is not an easy solution except if you are Italian or Spanish.</learning></p>
<p>Then, i think that you should know several things on the French educational system before applying for a French university...</p>
<p>French universities are good only in Law and medical studies...
Otherwise avoid French universities.</p>
<p>YOU MUST GO INTO THE < GRANDES ECOLES> ( elite schools in english) which are not part of the French university system. There are smaller and have much more money ( 30% of the university national budget with less than 4% of the students). There are kept apart from the rest of the french educational system and have strong bonds with the labor market.</p>
<p>In business, the most famous are HEC, ESSEC, ESCP and INSEAD ( only for MBA)
Engineering schools: Ecole polytechnique, Ecole Normale Superieure Paris and Centrale Paris.</p>
<p>Therefore, going to La Sorbonne ( except if you want to major in French literature) is a poor choice because it is not part of the < grandes ecoles> branch...</p>
<p>to be more familiar with the French system :
Grandes</a> écoles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
<p>This is only if you want to get a degree from a French university though, not if you just want to study abroad for a summer, or semester, or year. There are plenty of programs at different universities in Paris and other parts of France where an American could do a study abroad session. Many American universities have programs set up with certain universities in France for the American students to attend.
My advice, as an American studying abroad in Paris right now, is to go for it. Find a decent program and go. If your US school has a program set up here, then great, and if not, that's fine too. There are probably hundreds of programs that go just to Paris. You can go with another school's program, or a program like the International Student Exchange, etc.
Also, this person neglects to mention that the Grandes Ecoles are REALLY hard to get into: that's why there's only 4% of french students there. They're harder to get into than Harvard or Princeton. </p>
<p>Personally, I would recommend that if you wanted to study abroad in France, to have at least taken a basic elementary french course at your school before. Having to wander around in a country that speaks another language is not exactly fun. Even for me, I have taken 2.5 years of French at college level (plus a year at high school level) and it's still not easy. Even in Paris, where probably half the population speaks English, it's embarrassing to have to ask "Parlez-vous anglais?" when you can't figure out how to say what you want. You out to know kind of how things are pronounced (</p>
<p>Hello,
While acknowledging the fact that Grandes Ecoles are considered the gems of the French educational system, I pretty much disagree with everything else. Even for the French student that I am, our system is labyrinthian and it’s hard to get through it; nonetheless I think it’s unfair to say that French universities should be avoided.
I wouldn't say that going to university is a poor choice if you pick the right one. Keep in mind that in France the pass rate is around 40% the first year and 20% for the B.A.
French universities are actually selective but in a very perverse way since they are required by law to accept any holder of the baccaulaureate- which is a joke. This hidden selection is tricky to understand for international students.
In France, grades are given on scale of 0 to 20 and professors have a stricter grading approach. Hence, a 15 in France would be the equivalent of an A+ in the US. A B.A magna cum laude at La Sorbonne is extremely difficult to get.
Now if you want to study in France, they are lots of good universities with great programs –and amazing professors- : Law School at Assas, Humanities at la Sorbonne or Nanterre, Finance at Dauphine.
Take a look at Sciences Po which is a sui generis school, a sort of selective university with the money of a Grande Ecole. I’m currently studying there and lots of international students come here.
Concerning the Grandes Ecoles, indeed they have more money are much more recognized when it comes to prestige and bonds with the labor but it’s only because they are selective.</p>