Campus Life & Succeeding in Your Studies in France.

start with JARI.

• Community — find a study group or a mentor and share your struggles.
• Expert services — thesis proofreading, translation, tutoring.

understanding the university system.

• The LMD: Bachelor's (3 years), Master's (2 years), Doctorate.
• Courses split between CM (lectures) and TD (tutorials).
• Assessment: partiels (exams), assignments, oral presentations. Credits are in ECTS.
• Honours (mentions): passable, assez bien, bien, très bien.

a different way of studying.

French universities value argumentation (critical thinking) over memorisation.

• The dissertation and the exposé (oral) are central to grading.
• Oral participation and questions in class are normal.
• Plagiarism is severely punished: always cite your sources.

getting past the language barrier.

• Following courses in French usually needs at least a B2 level.
• The DELF / DALF helps for admission and daily life.
• Improve through the university's language courses and language exchanges (see Making friends).

fitting in on campus.

• The BDE (student union), clubs and assos to make friends.
• Mentoring programmes for international students.
• Sport and culture to manage stress (see Gyms and Libraries).

student services.

• SSE / SUMPPS: health and psychological support.
• BU (university library): study spaces and resources.
• International relations (RI): admin, visa, exchanges.

tips.

• Set up a study group from the first semester.
• Use teachers' office hours.
• Keep your deadlines and exams in a calendar.

common mistakes.

• Avoiding presentations and participation (they count towards your grade).
• Underestimating the plagiarism rules.
• Keeping health worries to yourself.

FAQ.

What French level to follow classes? Often B2 minimum; the DELF/DALF helps. How does assessment work? Partiels, dissertation, oral presentation, assignments… How to make friends? BDE, clubs, mentoring, and the JARI Community. Help when things get hard? SUMPPS (health/psych), university tutoring, JARI Community.

useful links.

• On JARI: Community · Expert services
• Read next: Studying in France: Campus France · Making friends · Libraries & media libraries
• Official: Campus France · etudiant.gouv.fr