A Candid Review of Year Two in French Graduate School
If you haven’t already heard, Jalen and I finished up our master’s degrees at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA) last month! As Americans in France, pursuing degrees in Logistics and Public Law was no easy feat, and we’ve loved sharing encyclopedic information about our experiences with you.
We know that not everyone has the time to comb through our many blog posts about our master’s degrees, so we want to share a straightforward and concise review of our second year in French graduate school. We’ve broken up our experience into ten categories and will use the following rating system:
★★★★★: Great experience
★★★★☆: Good experience
★★★☆☆: Mediocre experience
★★☆☆☆: Subpar experience
★☆☆☆☆: Poor experience
Application Procedure
Generally, students in French public university who pass the first year of a master’s degree (Master 1) are automatically accepted into the second year of that program (Master 2) with no further action required – as was the case for Jalen. However, due to the fact that my preferred Public Law concentration was not integrated into the Études en France platform that Americans use to apply to higher education programs in France, I was forced to apply for a changement de parcours, or concentration change, after passing my Master 1. Since the required classes for all Public Law concentrations were the same during the Master 1 year, I initially had to apply to a different concentration knowing that I would need to switch to my desired concentration upon completion of the first year. Therefore, I went through an in-house application process and was ultimately accepted into my preferred concentration for my Master 2. It was frustrating that I had to put together an application for my Master 2 and risk getting rejected from the program I wanted to attend all along because of an administrative oversight. Having to apply a second time to get my master’s degree was an unnecessary stressor.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
@the_francofile Still adapting to the French notion of “timely information.” 😅 #americaninfrance #internationalstudent #frenchschool #lifeinfrance #france ♬ original sound – 79 Squared
Residence Permit Renewal Process
To continue studying in France for the second year of our master’s degrees, we had to renew the student visas we obtained in the United States in 2020 in order to be granted cartes de séjour (residence cards). We started the online renewal process in June 2021, and while using the online application was relatively straightforward, we did have to get a bit creative when our school refused to give us the proof of pre-enrollment or proof of enrollment documents that the application required. While Jalen’s application was approved in October 2021 and he had his new residence card in November 2021, my application was not approved until January 2022 and I didn’t have my new residence card until February 2022. Additionally, for an 11-day period in November 2021, I was frustratingly left without documentation confirming my rights to stay in France because the Sous-Préfecture de Reims allowed my first attestation de prolongation d’instruction (visa extension pending renewal) to expire before sending me a second one. Furthermore, Jalen was granted a 14-month-long carte de séjour pluriannuelle mention étudiant, but I had been approved for a 12-month-long carte de séjour temporaire mention étudiant-élève that was set to expire before the end of my school year. Therefore, I had to initiate a process that would extend my residence card’s validity allowing me to finish out my school year, await my final results, and prepare my application for my next residence permit. All in all, it was a less-than-ideal experience.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Réinscription
Réinscription, or re-enrollment, is an administrative process by which current university students confirm their intent to continue their studies for another year and pay the associated fees. We re-enrolled online in July 2021 for the 2021-2022 school year during the first phase of réinscription at our university and received confirmation of re-enrollment in August. Re-enrolling entailed filling out a re-enrollment form with information including our address, contact details, and specifics about our master’s programs, paying our 243 € tuition online, and uploading receipts showing that we had each paid the 92 € Contribution de vie étudiante et de campus (CVEC) as well as proof of our 18 € civil liability insurance policy. We had no trouble re-enrolling for the second year of our studies and found the online platform easy to use.
Rating: ★★★★★
Housing
For the second year of our master’s degrees, we decided to stay in the same apartment. We were satisfied with its proximity to both the city center and our university’s campus as well as the affordable 450 € monthly rent. Though our apartment certainly has its quirks, we don’t regret staying put for a second year!
Rating: ★★★★☆
Program Choice
Jalen earned his degree in Gestion de Production, Logistique, Achats parcours Logistique Durable et Management de la Supply Chain and I earned mine in Droit Public parcours Intégration Européenne et Gouvernance Globale. Jalen especially enjoyed the balance of practical and theoretical knowledge taught in his program as well as the opportunity to further his professional experience in the fields of Logistics and Supply Chain as part of his studies. I appreciated the small class sizes and increased focus on the fields of International Relations, Public Policy, and European Affairs in the second year of my program. We both agree that the second year of our master’s degrees was more enjoyable than the first, and we remain pleased with our choice of programs.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Instruction Quality
During year two of our master’s degrees, our professors and instructors were a mix of experienced educators and practicing professionals. Besides COVID-19 occasionally affecting our ability to have in-person classes, we had no problems when it came to the quality of instruction. Our teachers made it clear through their lectures, class discussions, assignments, and exams that they cared deeply about the standard of education.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Campus
Our Master 2 programs were held at the Croix-Rouge campus of URCA, best known for its unique architecture and spacious library. Like last year, we felt that while the campus lacks many of the conveniences of its American counterparts, it was a fine place to go to school. We tended to only spend time on campus when we had class or needed to check out a book, but we can’t really complain!
Rating: ★★★★☆
Internships
Jalen completed a year-long alternance, or work-study internship, and I completed a summer internship that lasted two months. These internships were mandatory for both of our programs and allowed us to gain important professional experience during our studies. Jalen completed his alternance at the same company in Reims that hired him for a five-month internship during the first year of his studies. He loved building a rapport with his colleagues and superiors, further developing pertinent workplace skills, and carrying out an interesting project focused on logistics site management. As for me, I did my internship at a French humanitarian organization located near Reims. The lasting effects of COVID-19 complicated my internship search, as many organizations were still unwilling or unable to host an intern at the time. However, once I found a structure that fit my needs, I ended up having a positive experience. I liked making a tangible difference at a small non-profit and completing an international project centered around digital communications, research, and fundraising.
Rating: ★★★★☆
@the_francofile A day in my life as an American grad student in France who gets paid to go to school. 💰✅ #alternance #workstudyprogramme #internationalstudent #americaninfrance #frenchlife #moveabroad #lifeabroad #studyabroad #mastersdegree #gradschool #france #reims #expat #immigrant ♬ Lazy Sunday – Official Sound Studio
Long-Term Projects
Jalen and I both had to complete year-long assignments alongside our coursework and internships. Jalen’s entailed writing and defending a 50-page rapport d’alternance, or work-study internship report, entitled Amélioration des flux d’informations that detailed the project he piloted at work. Mine involved writing and defending a 100-page mémoire de recherche, or master’s thesis, entitled Associer les inégalités sociales et le changement climatique : Une étude comparative des contextes et approches aux États-Unis et dans l’Union européenne that focused on the themes of public policy and governance, social justice issues, environmental protection, the United States, and the European Union. Though we both felt that our long-term projects were taxing, the new skills, knowledge, and experience we gained throughout the process were well worth it.
Rating: ★★★★☆
@the_francofile Want to know more about my experience? Ask me anything! 🇺🇸🇫🇷⚖️ #law #droit #lawschool #facdedroit #lawstudent #etudiantendroit #lawgraduate #diplome #mastersdegree #master #master2 #graduatedegree #frenchschool #americaninfrance #americanabroad #studyabroad #studyinfrance #mastersabroad #moveabroad #liveabroad #workabroad #lifeinfrance #frenchlife #expat #expatlife #immigration #immigrant #etrangerenfrance #internationalstudent #etudiantetranger #foreignstudent #learnfrench #speakfrench #languagelearning #DALF #mémoire #thesis #internship #internshipabroad #stage #ellewoods #legallyblonde #larevancheduneblonde ♬ original sound – nicolette
Cost
As Americans in France, paying only 243 € in tuition for the second year of our master’s degrees felt almost too good to be true. Though the price scheme that charges non-EU students 3,770 € per year at the master level has gone into effect in France, we attended a school that maintains identical pricing for European and non-European students. Our university offered unbeatable value for money – and we are grateful to have been able to support ourselves independently during our graduate studies as a consequence.
Rating: ★★★★★
Overall Experience
On the whole, our Master 2 programs measured up to our expectations. Admittedly, it was a tough year, but successfully graduating from French university as Americans made the struggles worth our while. We are proud of all we have accomplished at URCA and look forward to putting our degrees to good use in the near future!
Rating: ★★★★☆
@the_francofile We’re not gonna shut up about it for a while, hope you’re ready! 👩🏻🎓👨🏾🎓🇺🇸🇫🇷 #law #droit #lawschool #facdedroit #lawstudent #etudiantendroit #lawgraduate #logistics #logistique #supplychain #supplychainmanagment #GPLA #production #achats #business #businessstudent #businessgraduate #fac #diplome #mastersdegree #master #master2 #graduatedegree #frenchschool #americaninfrance #americanabroad #studyabroad #studyinfrance #mastersabroad #moveabroad #liveabroad #workabroad #lifeinfrance #frenchlife #expat #expatlife #immigration #immigrant #etrangerenfrance #internationalstudent #etudiantetranger #foreignstudent #internship #internshipabroad #stage #alternance #mémoire #thesis #learnfrench #speakfrench #languagelearning ♬ PREPARE TO BE SICKKA ME – Kym Jenkins
Have you ever pursued higher education in France? How does your experience compare to ours? Let us know in a comment!
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