Columns of a French Girl - An Exchange Student in Britain
As a French student lost in the hostile UK, I discover every day some differences between England and France.
By Charlotte Simon
Don't get me wrong, I chose to live here and I don't think my culture is better than another. As I said, I'm a student, and obviously, because I am very serious and I am the ideal student, the university is a place where I go almost every day.
The University of Wolverhampton is very modern. It is really convenient and everything is made to make students lives easier. The library has plenty of computers and you have several noise zones. It's open every day, even on Sunday, and until midnight during the week!
I was so surprised, because my university in France was created in 1970, (there were many universities built during that period because studies were no longer reserved for ''the elite'' and colleges had to be able to welcome more students). It is not so old, but... well, it is not the same.
We have two or three plug sockets in our classrooms which which are mainly equipped for overhead projectors. The library is open until 6 pm during the week, until noon on Saturday, and closed on Sunday (but it is normal in France, I will write something about that another time).
But the hugest difference is about the noise : people are all together, so if you want to work seriously, you pray to not being next to a first year group chatting LOUDLY as if they were alone (if you don't want to work, GO AWAY).
Onto the courses, and again, it is completely different. In France I study English language and culture. I had twenty-four hours per week, with literature, history, grammar, phonetic, translation, my second language and options (teaching, tourism, translation or journalism, I took journalism).
Most of my exams were tests at the end of the semester, sometimes oral assessment and I had about ten of them.
Here, I have three modules (history, literature and investigating culture), two essays for each module and eight hours per week. Yes, for me it is unusual. But in a good way. It depends on everyone, but I rather the English method, where there are more personal researches. For me, I like working by myself. And I love all of my modules, so it is not a constraint at all. In France, I loved my courses, but obviously not each one of them. For example I hated grammar which was more grammatical analysis, and translation which I skipped every week (Mum, if you are reading me, forget that, and don't throw my Christmas present away). But don't worry, I always passed my years without any problem, whereas teachers gave very severe marks (for example, 40% is a very normal mark, not really bad, if you have 55% to 65%, you are very happy, and from 75% you 're a hero).
But here, registration fees are very VERY expensive. It is about £9,000 a year. A year ! So students have to take out a loan and in some cases, have to find a job.
Because I'm an exchange student, I did not pay that, I paid my normal French fees – meaning, for me, nothing. For a year in France, it is about 400€ (£320). BUT, a lot of students have got a scholarship. It is based on parents' income, and you have different levels.
Level 0, you don't pay the fees. And from the level 0, you never pay the fees. On level 0, you receive 100€/month, level 1 = 165€, level 2 = 249€, level 3 = 319€, level 4 = 388, level 5 = 446, level 6 = 473, level 7 = 550. (Personal point : I'm in the sixth level.) It is in all universities in France.
But we also have private expensive schools, where students have to make a loan too.
So yes, very many differences, all unique indeed to their own cultures.
