Anyone from France?

chipou · 06-16-2005, 10:33 PM

Please introduce yourself...

Alexandre · 06-18-2005, 01:06 AM

I am Lebanese, but I have a French citizenship. There is no country I respect as much as France, an no city I love so completely as Paris. I hope Les Bleus do well in Germany in '06. Vive la France!

chipou · 06-18-2005, 04:57 PM

I think the French education system is one of the best in the world and it is free!!!

NoFX · 06-18-2005, 08:18 PM

hey i'm not french but I think france is really beautiful. Although I havent been there, I've seen pics and it's really pretty. 2 of my teachers - english literature and english language - talk very very very highly of France! One is french and one visits every holiday. They get so carried away with their stories lol.
Yeah I dunno why i'm posting in your thread but i'm very bored sorry.

oh and there were these people from France on CC last year. They were VERY smart and VERY well-rounded in ECs. I think all of them got accepted to harvard, yale, priceton, stanford.

oh oh and je m'appelle Jane. J'habite en Nouvelle Zeland.. I started french last year and I think I'm getting the hang of it.

wolfstarslasher · 06-18-2005, 11:07 PM

Oui!

Mais j'habite aux Etas Unis

.

Father is from Paris, mother is from Avignon but grew up in boarding school in Switzerland. I've lived in the U.S. and Singapore, and am going to school in Canada. We go to Paris/Normandy in the summers.

I would love to go (back?) to France to work, but fear that I won't be seen as French and will not be able to stay and work.

hohospybear · 06-18-2005, 11:58 PM

u must be rich lol..
i lived in france for two years when i was like 8.
i used to be fluent in french but not anymore. paris was a beautiful city, but all i could remember was dogs' poops on the streets of paris... lol
recently, my friends from france visited us ,and when i asked them about dogs' poops on the paris streets, they said that nothing has changed since we left paris 10 yrs ago.

Alexandre · 06-19-2005, 01:48 AM

Chipou, I agree that on average, French education is the best in the World. But, at the top, the US has better universities...primarily because they invest heavily in their universities. So, the mid 80% of French universities are better than the mid 80% of American universities, but the top 10% of the universities in the US are better than the top 10% of the universities in France. I hope France starts investing in some of its top schools to bridge the gap. They can do it, but it seems to go against France's somewhat archaeic approach to all things financial!

chipou · 06-19-2005, 08:56 AM

It has been my impression that the level of the "Grandes Ecoles" is better than in the US, especially in Mathematics. (Polytechnique, Centrale, Mines etc). It is true that the funding of these schools is certainly not as developed as in the US (many are State Schools). The other problem is the overall poor capacity that students have in languages in France...

Alexandre · 06-19-2005, 11:11 AM

Chipou, Ecole Polytechnique is amazing...but it cannot compete with the likes of Stanford, MIT and CalTech. It simply doesn't have the funding. It has the minds and the curriculum, but it does not have the finances to take it to the next level. I would compare it to Imperial rather than MIT or CalTech. But if France would invest $50 billion on its top 10 universities, they would be up to specs in no time.

Grad'06 · 06-19-2005, 11:16 AM

i am from france as well. my dad is from lille and my mom is from annecy(near the alps) and also from lille. my dad moved to cal because of his job 20 years ago so i was born here. my cousins go to pretty good schools like HEC, polytechnique and my dad is alumni from L'ISEP in electric engineering. got to go to church. see ya guys later.

chipou · 06-19-2005, 11:57 AM

In the Math Finance Program at the Courant Institute of NYU (Masters), best program in the US of its kind per US News (on par with MIT), over 30% of students come from French schools: Polytechnique, ENSAE, etc.

Alexandre · 06-19-2005, 12:16 PM

Chipou, in terms of producing Mathematical geniuses, I must agree that the French system is amazing. Just getting past Math Sup (pre-university math) requires incredible math skills. But like I said, the institutions are hurting from a lack of proper funding.

agepo · 06-19-2005, 12:20 PM

I came from France to the US after one year of classes preparatoires (after baccalaureat) and got 2 years of college credit at Columbia. Came in as a junior. Did not have to do one single math class in college. Later on, graduated MIT Sloan. I think France is tougher.

Alexandre · 06-19-2005, 12:41 PM

I totally agree. The European system is much more intensive the last 3 years of high school. Like I said, Math Sup is phenominal. My uncle is a Polytechnique alumn and he went from their to MIT for his PhD. Carlos Ghosn, Renault CEO and one of the top 10 CEOs in the World in terms of effectiveness is also a Polytechnique alumnus.

But that does not answer the simply question...are the universities able to compete with much better funded schools int eh US? Not really. Like I said, the majority of French Universities are better than the majority of American universities. But when it comes to the top universities, the US simply has the money to take education to the next level. If the French invested money, I would tell you that in 20 years, their top universities would be the best.

Grad'06 · 06-19-2005, 12:54 PM

i definitely agree with alexandre.