I really am here to study

Despite what most of you think, I actually do have classes here and I really do go to them. Schooling in France is different in every possible way from America. Its much more laid back and teachers put much more of the responsibility on you than back home.

I'm taking 19 credits (all in French) and I have just one final in every class as my only grade. The scoring here is based on a scale of 20, and I need to get a 10 out of 20 on my finals to pass the class (which I think is equivalent to a C).

Other than the grading system though, every single thing is different. My “campus” is two buildings that look like a 1970’s inner city high school. We picked our classes in person on paper in a group of 200 kids who just waited around for two hours until it was your turn. We also only had six elective classes to choose from rather than a billion course options at Maryland.

The first day of classes was the oddest thing in the world. I spent almost 45 minutes looking for a classroom that no one (including the people who work in the school) could direct me to. I ran into class almost 10 minutes late and our professor hadn’t even shown up yet. She comes in a little after 9:15, doesn’t say a word about being late and jumps right into material. No syllabus, no attendance, just straight into class. (Also, this professor has yet to wear anything but patched jeans and a turtleneck pink sweater.)

I have a different class every day for three hours. The oddest thing is the way the professors schedule class. If they have to cancel class one week, they will reschedule it to any day of the week at any time, or they will add a half hour or hour to the next few classes. And if you can’t make it because you have work or class during the reschedule time, too bad!

The great thing about school here is the laid back schedule. I asked my professor if we would have midterms (asking both out of curiosity and to see whether or not I could go to Venice for a few days when Kevin is here) and she told me that there would be no exams, and that if I was asking because I wanted to travel, I should absolutely do it. She was unbelievably relaxed about me missing any classes and told me she expected me to come when I can, but if I miss a class, “c’est pas la fin des haricots.” (An idiom for "its not the end of the world." The direct translation is "its not the end of the beans." My one class is all idioms and we've learned this among many other phrases and "necessary" curse words).

It sure is a totally different experience than what I’ve become accustomed to in Maryland, but I’m quickly getting used to it little by little.

Jusqu'à la prochaine fois!

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(Tout est diffèrent à l’école Niçoise! La chose la plus bizarre est la façon dont les enseignants parlent. Si les professeurs au Maryland dit les choses qu’ils disent ici, je pense qu’ils seraient licenciés. Mais ici, c’est très normal. Juste une autre chose que j’ai besoin de s’habituer à!)