Study Abroad II

So, now for the interesting part: what it's like to be an international student (in France at least).

Normally a few days after you arrive, and start to get settled in, the university will hold an orientation for the international students. This is supposed to help you get acquainted with the other foreign students, and to teach you a little on how the school works, and any activities that are available for you to participate in. I attended a private university, so my experience might be a little different from what most will experience, but it should be similar enough.

The next thing you will do will be to tackle one of Hercules' unwritten tests: registering for classes! They will shove a binder at you that has a schedule of all of the classes available in that faculté for the semester. You will try to make sense of this binger, and quickly realize that every class you wanted to take starts at the same time.... Ok, back to the drawing board! You will also realize that some classes have already started, and some that have been going on for several weeks, but this doesn't seem to bother anyone.

Once you sort out your schedule (and try to figure out how your going to get from you one class that ends at 15h and the next that starts at 15h) you start classes. In France most of the profs don't use textbooks, they just lecture and maybe give out handouts. For the few that do use texts, they will tell you what you need to get. In France they also allow you to take French language classes if your French isn't quite up to par. So, if your in a country where they don't speak your language, it will be a good idea to introduce yourself to the prof so that he knows about the difficulty you might face.

Now you're in class and the fun really begins! In my school the classrooms weren't always set, so they just moved from room to room and sometimes ended up being assigned a room. The notify you of any classroom changes, cancellations, or reschedulings/make-up on bulletin boards for each academic level. The one thing that most international students don't realize is that students with the same major take the same classes together until they graduate. This is why you have some classes that end the same time the others start: those profs know where their students are coming from so they know to wait for them. It is very frustrating, however, until you figure all of this out.

Tests:
In France major exams, such as mid-terms and finals, are not given in the same room they are taught in. They are usually given in larger ampitheaters, and grouped by specialty. This is so they can monitor the tests easier. No one is allowed to enter once the exam has started, and no one can leave during the first hour (though some do allow students to leave early). Be sure not to forget you student ID as they check this to make sure they give you the right test!

Vacation:
Europe tend to be pretty generous in the vacation department, so you should be able to get some travelling in! In France they have a discount card available to people under 25, called la Carte 12-25. This entitles you to a discount of up to 50% on you train tickets, so it's worth looking into. http://www.12-25-sncf.com/accueil/ (French only) Airfare is also pretty inexpensive with access to airlines like; Ryan air, easyJet, and Iceland Express. London is only about 2hrs from Paris, and Brussels only 1hr30. Europe's rail system is highly developed, so that make it relatively easy to travel between countries.

So there you have it! That's study abroad in a nutshell! :)