– Artyom, tell us where you are studying now, and where you studied and worked before going abroad?
– I am currently studying at Panthéon-Assas University (Paris 2 University). Before that, I graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at Lomonosov Moscow State University. I had various internships and practical trainings, but my work experience is insignificant.
– Tell us about the admission preparation process. Why did you choose Panthéon-Assas – did you rely on rankings and reviews?
– I got to France thanks to the French University College at Lomonosov Moscow State University. This is a French higher education institution on Russian territory (in Moscow and St. Petersburg) where you can obtain a French Master's degree (first year) in two years. The training is conducted in five disciplines: philosophy, history, literature, sociology, and law.
I entered it when I was in my fourth year at the Faculty of Philosophy. In the first year, one could study two specialties; in the second year, I chose one – law, in which I wrote my thesis. At the end of the two-year program, there was an opportunity to present a research project as part of the second year of the Master's program in France and receive a grant from the French Embassy in Russia, which I did. Thus, I owe my admission and the opportunity to study in France entirely to the French University College and the French Embassy.
I didn't spend a long time choosing my French university. My academic supervisor, with whom I corresponded by email, was from this university. Moreover, the university is considered the heir of the law faculty of the Sorbonne, which split up in the 70s, so all lawyers in France know and respect this institution.
As for the admission procedure itself, there isn't one as such. Thanks to the college, I was not applying as an international student, so the requirements for me were the same as for other candidates. No entrance exams or tests. Just a dossier with a resume, a motivation letter, a lot of various documents with grades from previous years, and so on.
– Tell us about your typical school day.
– Classes start at 8 or 9 a.m. (if there are any that day). If it's a lecture, it lasts one or two hours without a break. If it's a seminar, also about two hours. In seminars, most often students either take turns giving presentations or everyone discusses the same case or topic. Sometimes the teacher gives an assignment and doesn't say who will be called on. In that case, everyone prepares.
But most often, instead of classes, you have to go to the library, especially on the eve of the exam session, which, by the way, is particularly tough here. Sometimes three exams on completely different topics are held in two days. Libraries, unfortunately, are only open from 9 or 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and that's only if there is no strike or holiday.
From 12 to 2 p.m. – lunch. It seems to me that the whole country eats exclusively during this time. Finding an open place to eat and generally finding anything edible after 2-3 p.m. is difficult, although students mostly eat sandwiches and paninis and drink coffee from vending machines. In Paris, there are a dozen university canteens where you can have a very cheap lunch, but the quality of food there sometimes leaves much to be desired.
The workday ends at 6 p.m., so if you need to buy something at the store, process documents, or do any other errands, it's better to get them done before that time.
– Do you have a favorite subject and a favorite teacher?
– Panthéon-Assas University is considered the best law school in France, so I was lucky to hear very famous French lawyers, attorneys, and judges. Among them, for example, Patrick Spinousi, a famous French lawyer, participant in many high-profile cases at the European Court of Human Rights; Martine Lombard, former head of the legal department of Air France, and currently a member of the High Council of the Judiciary of France. All our students have a special fondness for the wonderful professor of civil law Denis Mazo. His lectures are an example of eloquence. They are always held in packed lecture halls.
As for favorite subjects, I was very impressed by the lecture course on French and European competition law, on international commercial arbitration. There were many lectures that were given not as part of a course but as one-offs. Most often they were given by judges of the highest French courts, representatives of the state administration, or famous lawyers. Such lectures were almost always particularly interesting.
– Is there anything about the learning process that you don't like? Perhaps you would like to change something?
– I am in the Master 2 program, or what in the old French system is called DEA (Diplôme d'Études Approfondies), something like our 5th year. At this level, there are fewer classes and more independent research work. It is completely unlike the cheerful daily life of students who came under the Erasmus program for six months in their 1st to 3rd year. If I could choose, I would prefer to come at a lower level (the last year of bachelor's or the first year of master's), because at that level, students spend more time together rather than on individual work.
Moreover, in France, the relationship between a student and their academic supervisor is formal and sometimes minimal. Last year, I saw my supervisor twice: once when I asked him to take me under his supervision, and then at the defense. I am used to students in Russia getting much more attention.
– How is the exam and test system structured?
– In France, the grading system is not a 5-point scale but a 20-point scale. At the same time, getting 20 points for a piece of work (I can speak for legal studies) is essentially impossible. The highest grade I have seen is 17 points. The majority of students get between 10 and 12.5 points, so there are three levels of distinction at our university: from 13 to 15, from 15 to 17, and from 17 and above (though such cases are usually not found).
As for exams, there is no such thing as automatic grades. Moreover, written works are specifically anonymized so that the examiner does not know whose work they are grading. There are also no exam tickets or questions. The exam topic is formulated (e.g., administrative process), recommended sources may be indicated – and that’s it. No notes, nothing can be used (except dictionaries for those whose native language is not French).
Using cheat sheets is punished with an inevitable zero and removal from the classroom. If it is a written exam (the most serious type), then either a topic for reflection or a specific case is given, along with 5 hours to write a text of 5 to 10 pages. If it is an oral exam, then 15 minutes for preparation and 15 minutes for the answer.
Grades are never announced immediately; most often, they are all posted in the university hallway at the end of the semester or academic year. Trying to calculate your final result in advance is practically impossible.
When defending a thesis, there are no reviewers or opponents. Two professors (one of them being the academic advisor) most often torment the author of the work for an hour with equal cruelty. The grade is also only announced together with all other results.
– How does studying abroad differ from studying at home?
– Studying in France is more structured than in Russia. At least when it comes to humanities education. Having a clear structure and logic in any project, any work – is a mandatory condition. Great attention is paid to the use of arguments, their order and articulation, the use of references and citation of materials, and the ability to present material concisely. Indeed, methodology takes up a large part of the educational process.
For example, a legal work must be written according to certain canons. A funnel-shaped introduction with a very general beginning and a specific end, with definitions of the terms used in the work and a clear indication of the question that the work is trying to answer. Then the formulation of the work plan, which in 99% of cases consists of two parts, less often three (and almost never more). Each part, in turn, is divided into two subparts, and so on (for a serious work, at least three levels are needed).
At the end, a similarly funnel-shaped conclusion with a clear formulation of the obtained result and its place in a broader context. Great attention is paid to this form. Even if a work is rich in content but does not conform to this format, it may not be considered at all.
– Artyom, if it's not a secret, how much does your education cost, and what other expenses does a student have?
– No secret – Education at French universities (not to be confused with schools – grandes écoles) is free. But you need to pay about 500 euros (200 euros – student health insurance, about 170 euros – tuition fees, plus various fees for the library, foreign languages, and so on). No other expenses are particularly required for the educational process, unless you buy expensive legal monographs for 50 euros. Sometimes you need to print or scan something (usually 10 centimes, as they call eurocents here, per sheet), sometimes chip in for the student union (15 euros).
– Did you have the opportunity to intern in foreign companies?
– Yes, after writing my thesis, I interned for six months at a small French law firm. All employees of the company, except me, were French. The clients were not very large, but not small either.
I think that in terms of content, the work does not differ much from similar work in Russia: dealing with legal documents, searching for information, writing memoranda, accompanying lawyers to court, and so on. As for the age of the team, besides two other interns, everyone was over 30. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience.
– What do you usually do on weekends? Tell us a bit about the features of the place where you live, prices, infrastructure, everything that seems interesting to you.
– On weekends, I try to go to other cities with friends. Europe is small, so, for example, driving from Paris to Brussels in a rented car takes about three hours. Moreover, the absence of borders and administrative barriers in the form of visas and customs checks is very favorable for such trips. During this time, I managed to travel around France. I have been, in particular, to Lyon, Normandy, and other places.
As for my place of residence, I lived in an international student campus in the south of Paris. There are many students from different countries of the world here. The campus has several football fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and other public places. Here, students live in buildings of one country or another. Since there is no Russian house in this campus, I was placed in the Africa House (in fact, this is the house of former French colonial possessions, but we all call it the African House). In this house, mostly students from Central and North Africa lived, most of them were students or postgraduates who received grants or scholarships in their countries. 180 residents of 55 different nationalities.
– Do studying and living abroad meet your expectations?
– Yes and no. As I expected, I gained a very rich cultural experience. Paris is a wonderful city, very beautiful and very lively. Moreover, it seems much more international to me than Moscow. I made a huge number of friends, not only from France, but also from India, Spain, Ireland, the USA, Senegal, Afghanistan and other countries. I greatly improved my language skills, and in general I hope to use the education I received in the future.
On the other hand, I arrived for the second year of my master's program, where students are 23-25 years old. Their social circle has long been formed, so socialization is not so easy. In addition, in Europe people often study until the age of 30 and start working late, which, frankly, scares me more for now.
– In your opinion, what will change in your life after you finish studying abroad? Do you plan to stay abroad or do you want to return?
– Life and study abroad have taught me, I think, two important things. First, location is not a primary factor. I realized that you can adapt and live in any environment. I don't quite understand the talk about a different mentality among foreigners and the impossibility of finding friends in another country. Anyway, in my case it's not like that. Second, it doesn't matter who you are and where you are from, what matters is what you do and how.
When I was being considered for an internship, there were about a dozen other candidates besides me. They were from good universities, native French speakers and, I'm sure, with many other advantages. Many told me that it would be very difficult for me to find an internship, that there is unemployment in Europe now and that there are always plenty of lawyers.
As for my return, I don't consider this issue significant. I like that I can pack my bags at any moment and return to Moscow or go somewhere else.
Based on materials from Gazeta.Ru.