The International Engineer

Saturday, March 18th, 2023 

After the midterm season in France, I think I’ve finally started figuring out some of the major differences between the American education system and the French. Throughout the semester, I have been noticing that there is less homework in France compared to university classes in the US. In the US, I can expect weekly problem sets (Psets) for each class that will take anywhere from 2-10 hours, sometimes more. In France, there is no formally assigned work outside of class, although the student is expected to keep up with the material taught in lecture. In other words, in France the student is expected to hold themselves accountable for the material. The only gauge of how well they know the material is the exam. Therefore, it is a lot easier to fall behind in France, or be under the “illusion of knowing,” thinking one has mastered the material because it has never been put to the test until the exam. 

Following midterm season, I noticed that my exams were comparatively easier than they would have been in my home university, Columbia University in NYC. The French exams were exclusively what was taught in class and required mostly memorization as opposed to problem solving. My biology exam was 50 questions all based on factual memory recall. For example, I was expected to recall that the aromatic amino acids absorb UV light at a particular wavelength, and was given multiple choice options of 240, 260, 280 nm, etc. In contrast Columbia University’s biology exam consists of three large problems each with a long paragraph description of an experiment or hypothetical scenario. The student is presented with questions that relate to variable manipulation or application of previously untaught knowledge. Oftentimes, the student is asked to apply knowledge to a brand new scenario; the crux of the exam is impromptu problem-solving. 

Unfortunately, I studied for the French exams as I would have studied for exams at Columbia University. I did not realize that memorization as opposed to problem-solving would be required. After reading about the French educational system, I realized that other Americans who came abroad for their studies faced similar situations. A 17-year old girl’s mother wrote an article describing the emphasis on memorization and the rigid curriculum in France she noticed upon her family’s relocation to here. 

After reading her article, I realized that there was indeed a difference between the rigidity in curriculum I experienced here versus the US. In my quantum physics class at Columbia, the professor took extensive liberties in setting the curriculum and in his own words “taught us whatever he wanted to.” What followed was a class on electron tunneling, bombs/weapons, and semiconductor devices that strayed very far from the course title (intro to classical and quantum waves) and previous instructors’ curriculums. Based on my experience in France so far, these creative liberties in curriculum setting are much rarer. 

Interestingly enough, while the curriculum in France may be rigid, everything else is exactly the opposite. Classes are frequently rescheduled based on the professor’s (changing) availability. With the advent of the strikes, this rescheduling became very frequent and my schedule was typically never what I had planned for the week prior. My opinion of this may be biased because of the concurrent strikes, but another study abroad student noticed the same phenomenon. 

She and I also encountered one of the biggest academic shocks during our France study abroads: the difference in grading system. In the US, university classes are difficult but grades are still high. The median for a difficult exam will often be an 80-85%. There is A+ awarded in Columbia University for raw course grade averages over a 98%. In my opinion, the US system enables perfectionists (the class mode for my physics exams has been 100%). In France, getting a 100% is virtually impossible. Grades are assigned out of 20 and the following French saying seems to be the mindset of most people I’ve encountered — “14 is a good grade, 16 is for the best student, 18 is for the professor, and 20 is for God.” 

So unless you’re God, you’re not getting a 20/20. This is something I’ve had to repeat to myself in order to deal with the transition. But it’s also helped me internalize a very French idea inherent in their grading system: personne n’est parfaite. Nobody’s Perfect! 

And while it may be a little bizarre to not strive for a perfect score, it is also freeing to think that one doesn’t have to be perfect to do well and learn something along the way.