Studying Maths in France

countbezukov

Has anyone here ever studied maths in France at 3rd level? Considering going for Erasmus next year but a bit unsure about the standard of French. Anyone any experience?
Thanks

Blackpanther95

Our lecturer, told us the maths lecturers in France are very cruel and tough, but thats just one person's opinion. Maths is usually hard enough without having language difficulty, I'd say you'd want to be almost fluent.

countbezukov

Well I've read Maths papers in French before without too much difficulty, its just the actual importance of spoken french in the lectures that I'm worried about, if that makes sense.

Blackpanther95

Ye I get ya.

ClovisI

Blackpanther95 wrote: »

Our lecturer, told us the maths lecturers in France are very cruel and tough, but thats just one person's opinion.

One thing that it might be useful to mention is that in France, the best students in maths/physics usually don't go to university at all (at undergrad level). They attend what is called "Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles" (CPGE) for two years, where they are worked very hard in order to prepare for Grandes Écoles entry exams - sort of like graduate schools in engineering and/or science.

Of course many students do study maths straight away in university, but I suspect that your lecturer may have been talking about CPGE teachers, who are well known for being "cruel and tough". Maths in university at undergraduate level in France is not generally considered to be as taxing or difficult as CPGE.

Blackpanther95

Wow that sounds crazy. He told us a story about a student who got nervous in an interview, so the examiner asked him if he knew how to trace a straight line, he said yes, so the examiner told him to trace a line on the wall, he started, the lecturer said keep going, and then he kept going along the wall until he he went out the room and then the examiner closed the door behind.