History UsefulNotes / LesGrandesEcoles

* the '''École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames ENSAM]]'', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]]'', officially ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]] [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers, one of Mustafa Kemal's Western "alphabet counselors", a tech consultant for the Clinton administration, the current head of Caltech, and if his bio on TheOtherWiki [[SarcasmMode is to be believed]], one ''[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg porn baron]]'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, mentioned by name in Series/QueerAsFolk UK. [[ItsForABook In case you were wondering.]][[/note]].

* the '''École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames ENSAM]]'', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]]'', officially ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]] [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers, one of {{MustafaKemal}}'s Western "alphabet counselors", a tech consultant for the Clinton administration, the current head of CalTech, and if his bio on TheOtherWiki [[SarcasmMode is to be believed]], one ''[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg porn baron]]'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, mentioned by name in Series/QueerAsFolk UK. [[ItsForABook In case you were wondering.]][[/note]].

* the '''Ecole des Mines''', officially ''[[AwesomeMcCoolname Mines ParisTech]]'' is technically the oldest engineering school still in activity, since it was founded during the Ancien Régime.
* the '''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames ENSAM]]'', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]]'', officially ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]] [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers, one of {{MustafaKemal}}'s Western "alphabet counselors", a tech consultant for the Clinton administration, the current head of CalTech, and if his bio on TheOtherWiki [[SarcasmMode is to be believed]], one ''[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg porn baron]]'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, mentioned by name in Series/QueerAsFolk UK. [[ItsForABook In case you were wondering.]][[/note]].
* '''Sciences Po''', officially ''Institut d'études politique'' (IEP), is a school attended by future journalists and politicians. There are several IEP, the most famous of which is in Paris. Further complicating the matter is that Sciences Po Paris itself has branches dotted all over the country.
* '''École des hautes études commerciales''' (HEC) is a business school. Former IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and current President Hollande both studied there at some point.
* '''École nationale d'administration''' (ENA) trains high level civil servants and politicians. Contrary to the others, students attend this school after obtaining a Master's from another ''grande école''. Alumni are called ''énarques''. Several [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfFrance Presidents and Prime Ministers]] are ENA alumni, including current President Hollande and former President Giscard d'Estaing. So are Hollande's [[TheCasanova ex-ex-partner]], former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal, SNCF executive officer Guillaume Pépy, and several senior members of every administration and every major political party. Enarques have usually previously studied in Sciences Po as well and because of this many politicians know each other personally, much in the same way as British public school alumni do. Unsurprisingly, populist parties across the board tend to dislike what they depict as cronyism.

The ''bac'' is an institution in itself: every year, newspapers publish the results and there are long discussions about it in the media. People over 30 usually say that this diploma was hard when they sat the exams for it, but is worth nothing today since everybody gets it easily. The topics of the philosophy tests are announced on TV news (after the tests, of course). Since everybody in France have the same subjects, teachers put a lot of efforts to preserve secrecy, everyone starts the tests at the exact same time, and there is a spare topic if the main one happens to be leaked.

* the '''École polytechnique''' (nicknamed ''l'X'') is an engineering school with a strong military tradition. Alumni are called ''polytechniciens''. Many French scientists and mathematicians from UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution and [[NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]]'s First Empire like Laplace and Cauchy studied there and/or taught there. Many French people know them for being part of the Bastille Day military parade, marching in [[NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]]-style [[NiceHat bicorn hats]].

* ''[[TheClass Entre les murs]]'' is a movie about a teacher in a ''collège'' near Paris.

* ''{{Tanguy}}'' is a ''normalien'' who does not want to finish his ''doctorat''. His dad is a ''polytechnicien''.

* '''École nationale d'administration''' (ENA) trains high level civil servants and politicians. Contrary to the others, students attend this school after obtaining a Master's from another ''grande école''. Alumni are called ''énarques''. Several [[FrenchPoliticalSystem Presidents and Prime Ministers]] are ENA alumni, including current President Hollande and former President Giscard d'Estaing. So are Hollande's [[TheCasanova ex-ex-partner]], former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal, SNCF executive officer Guillaume Pépy, and several senior members of every administration and every major political party. Enarques have usually previously studied in Sciences Po as well and because of this many politicians know each other personally, much in the same way as British public school alumni do. Unsurprisingly, populist parties across the board tend to dislike what they depict as cronyism.

* the '''École polytechnique''' (nicknamed ''l'X'') is an engineering school with a strong military tradition. Alumni are called ''polytechniciens''. Many French scientists and mathematicians from TheFrenchRevolution and [[NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]]'s First Empire like Laplace and Cauchy studied there and/or taught there. Many French people know them for being part of the Bastille Day military parade, marching in [[NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]]-style [[NiceHat bicorn hats]].

The common factor of all of these schools is invariably a strong alumni network, comparable to that of British universities and public schools and almost inexistant in regular French universities. Their critics view them as the symbol of an entrenched, self-perpetuating caste of political and economic elites, while their supporters point out that few systems in France are so fundamentally meritocratic. The truth is, obviously, more complex than either of these assertions, especially when applied to several different institutions with sometimes very different histories. This comes from the fact that some of the most prestigious of the afore-mentioned ''grandes écoles'' have their roots in the aftermath of TheFrenchRevolution, when the nobility was either exiled or wiped out, and the now-centralised French republic took to creating a whole new caste of [[SelfMadeMan Self-Made Men]]. Today, one has far more chances of being encouraged towards ''grandes écoles'' if one is from a somewhat specific income bracket, so ''grandes écoles'' contain a disproportionately low number of students from a working-class background, even though they're largely all free of charge.

There is no real selection to enter an university, and the tuition fees are extremely low. Consequently, the universities are often viewed in much the same way that [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem Americans view community colleges]] -- overcrowded and poor. There is a high failure rate during the first years, so the classes are overcrowded only during the ''licence'', equivalent to a Bachelor's degree (3 years). After one obtains one's ''licence'', one may stay on to obtain a ''master'', or Master's degree. Some continue beyond their ''master'' for 3 years or more to obtain a ''doctorat'' ([=PhD=]).

In theory, students are able to choose which ''lycée'' they will go to. In practice, there is an element of selection: students with the best grades tend to go to the ''lycées généraux'', those with average grades go to the ''lycées techniques'' and the ones wih the worst grades go to the ''lycées professionnels''.

* ''Lycée général'': provides general, more theoretical education that equips students for higher studies of a relatively longer duration in university or ''grande école''. It is three years long, and students take one of three types of ''baccalauréat'' depending on their specialisation: L (literary), S (scientific), or ES (economics-human sciences). [[note]]In this sense it's somewhat similar to the Italian system, although in the light of recent reforms with more electives and the controversial (for some) decision to withdraw History from the previously polyvalent Scientific bac, it seems to be going towards a somewhat more Anglo-Saxon style.[[/note]]

Children begin attending this school from the age of 6, for a period of 5 years. The name of the classes are: CP (''cours préparatoire''), [=CE1=], [=CE2=] (''cours élémentaire'' 1 and 2) [=CM1=], and [=CM2=] (''cours moyen'' 1 and 2). The main goal of elementary school is to learn how to read, write, and perform basic arithmetic, while secondary goals include learning some basic notions of sciences, arts, and foreign languages. This is the last school where there is only one teacher per class. After that, there will be one teacher per subject (French, Maths, English, History/Geography, et cetera).

* the '''École polytechnique''' (nicknamed ''l'X'') is an engineering school with a strong military tradition. Alumni are called ''polytechniciens''. Many French scientists and mathematicians from TheFrenchRevolution and {{Napoleon}}'s First Empire like Laplace and Cauchy studied there and/or taught there. Many French people know them for being part of the Bastille Day military parade, marching in {{Napoleon}}-style [[NiceHat bicorn hats]].

The common factor of all of these schools is invariably a strong alumni network, comparable to that of British universities and public schools and almost inexistant in regular French universities. Their critics view them as the symbol of an entrenched, self-perpetuating caste of political and economic elites, while their supporters point out that few systems in France are so fundamentally meritocratic. The truth is, obviously, more complex than either of these assertions, especially when applied to several different institutions with sometimes very different histories. This comes from the fact that some of the most prestigious of the afore-mentioned ''grandes écoles'' have their roots in the aftermath of TheFrenchRevolution, when the nobility was either exiled or wiped out, and the now-centralised French republic took to creating a whole new caste of SelfMadeMen. Today, one has far more chances of being encouraged towards ''grandes écoles'' if one is from a somewhat specific income bracket, so ''grandes écoles'' contain a disproportionately low number of students from a working-class background, even though they're largely all free of charge.

* the '''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames ENSAM]]'', a.k.a. ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]]'', officially ''[[IHaveManyNames Arts et Métiers]] [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers [[note]]among which Pierre Bézier, the TropeNamer for Bézier curves and more broadly, CAD[[/note]], a tech consultant for the Clinton administration, the current head of CalTech, and if his bio on TheOtherWiki is to be believed, one ''porn baron'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, {{Name Drop}}ped by Vince in Series/QueerAsFolk [[/note]].

* the '''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', [[IHaveManyNames a.k.a. ''ENSAM'', a.k.a. ''Arts et Métiers'', officially ''Arts et Métiers]] [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers [[note]]among which Pierre Bézier, the TropeNamer for Bézier curves and more broadly, CAD[[/note]], a tech consultant for the Clinton administration, the current head of CalTech, and if his bio on TheOtherWiki is to be believed, one ''porn baron'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, {{Name Drop}}ped by Vince in Series/QueerAsFolk [[/note]].

* '''École nationale d'administration''' (ENA) trains high level civil servants and politicians. Contrary to the others, students attend this school after obtaining a Master's from another ''grande école''. Alumni are called ''énarques''. Several [[FrenchPoliticalSystem Presidents and Prime Ministers]] are ENA alumni, including current President Hollande. So are his ex-partner former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal, SNCF executive officer Guillaume Pépy, and several senior cabinet ministers.

* the '''Écoles normales supérieures''' (ENS), which are schools that train future teachers and scientists. Most French Nobel Prize and Fields medal winners hail from these schools. Alumni are called ''normaliens''.

* the '''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''ENSAM'', a.k.a. ''Arts et Métiers'', officially ''Arts et Métiers [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers [[note]]among which Pierre Bézier, the TropeNamer for Bézier curves and more broadly, CAD[[/note]], a tech consultant for the Clinton administration, the current head of CalTech, and if his bio on TheOtherWiki is to be believed, one ''porn baron'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, {{Name Drop}}ped by Vince in Series/QueerAsFolk [[/note]].

* the '''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''ENSAM'', a.k.a. ''Arts et Métiers'', officially ''Arts et Métiers [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers [[note]]such as Pierre Bézier, the TropeNamer for the Bézier Curves used in the automotive industry[[/note]] and if TheOtherWiki is to be believed, at least one ''porn baron'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, {{Name Drop}}ped by Vince in /Series/QueerAsFolk [[/note]].

* the '''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''ENSAM'', a.k.a. ''Arts et Métiers'', officially ''Arts et Métiers [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military, which is otherwise forbidden by law. Alumni include several inventors and engineers [[note]]such as Pierre Bézier, the TropeNamer for the Bezier Curves used in the automotive industry[[/note]] and if TheOtherWiki is to be believed, at least one ''porn baron'' [[note]]Jean-Daniel Cadinot, {Name Drop}ped by Vince in Queer as Folk[[/note]].

* the '''École polytechnique''' (nicknamed ''l'X'') is an engineering school with a strong military tradition. Alumni are called ''polytechniciens''. Many French scientists and mathematicians from TheFrenchRevolution and {{Napoleon}}'s First Empire are from here and sometimes even taught here.
* the '''Ecole des Mines'', officially ''[[AwesomeMcCoolname Mines ParisTech]]'' is technically the oldest engineering school still in activity, since it was founded during the Ancien Régime.
* the '''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers''', a.k.a. ''ENSAM'', a.k.a. ''Arts et Métiers'', officially ''Arts et Métiers [[NonIndicativeName ParisTech]]'', is [[NonIndicativeName not a fine arts school]] but an engineering school founded by a liberal noble [[TangledFamilyTree before, during, and after The Revolution]]. Is semi-(in)famous in France for alleged cases of hazing, for having its own dialect, and for its students' unusual dress sense. Is incidentally one of only two institutions in France allowed to keep a military-inspired uniform despite no longer actually being linked to the military. Alumni include several inventors and engineers [[note]]such as Pierre Bézier, the TropeNamer for the Bezier Curves used in the automotive industry[[/note]] and, allegedly, 80's porn baron Jean-Daniel Cadinot.
* '''Sciences Po''', officially ''Institut d'études politique'' (IEP), is a school attended by future journalists and politicians. There are several IEP, the most famous of which is in Paris. Further complicating the matter is that even Sciences Po Paris has branches dotted all over the country.

* the '''École polytechnique''' (nicknamed ''l'X'') is an engineering school with a strong military tradition. Alumni are called ''polytechniciens''.
* '''Sciences Po''', officially ''Institut d'études politique'' (IEP), is a school attended by future journalists and politicians. There are several IEP, the most famous of which is in Paris.
* '''Écoles des hautes études commerciales''' (HEC) is a business school.
* '''École nationale d'administration''' (ENA) trains high level civil servants and politicians. Contrary to the others, students attend this school after obtaining a Master's from another ''grande école''. Alumni are called ''énarques''. Several [[FrenchPoliticalSystem Presidents and Prime Ministers]] are ENA alumni, including current President Hollande.

The principle of the modern educational system were defined by Jules Ferry in 1880-1882. Ferry decided that the educational system must be ''public, laïc, gratuit et obligatoire'' (public, secular, free and mandatory). He passed laws to create public elementary schools in every town. Before that, education was mostly in the hands of private (religious) institutions. Ferry's laws allowed all children to have access to the same basic education. Professors of elementary schools (called ''instituteurs'', nicknamed ''les hussards noirs de la république'') played a crucial role in the cultural unification of the country, as well as in the suppression of many regional languages.

Those laws are still the core of the French educational system. Education is mandatory until the age of 16. Concerning the other principles, they still hold in public schools. Every child can receive a good education that costs their parents almost nothing. Yet about 20% of French children attend private schools, mostly because of religious concerns.

This was, and still is, a very sensitive issue in France. If you think that ''war'' is too strong a word, keep in mind that this issue caused some of the biggest demonstrations in France's history; some politicians and even a few governments had to resign because of it. In fact, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, the Catholic church was opposed to the French Republic, so the creation of a secular public school system was a direct attack against to influence of the church. Some priests called the public school ''l'école du diable'' (the devil's school).

''Laïcité'', or secularity, means that the state and all public institutions must be neutral with regards to religious beliefs. Civil servants are not allowed to display any religious symbol, and no religious education can be provided in public schools. Recently, a law was passed so that children are also not allowed to display any religious symbol. Therefore, parents who wish for their children to receive some religious education must send them to a private school. Most private schools have a contract with the French state. They agree to teach the same things as public schools, with the possible addition of some religious course. In exchange, the state pays the teachers.

More often than not, the teacher will announce the grades of everyone from highest to lowest in front of the entire class, with the lower half of the class getting a severe talking to

While in America, college refers to the university level, in France it refers to junior high school. It is 4 years long, and children normally start ''collège'' when they are 11 years old. The 4 classes are called ''sixième'' (6th), ''cinquième'' (5th), ''quatrième'' (4th) and ''troisième'' (3rd), in that order: it is a countdown to the ''baccalauréat''. Children who have some problems with school may finish ''collège'' at the age of 16 or more, when education is no longer mandatory. Therefore, the ''collège'' is the last school that everyone attends. At the end, children obtain their first qualification, the ''brevet des collèges''. It is fairly easy to obtain, and it is worth almost nothing, but it may be the only diploma some people ever have. It is, however, the minimal qualification ask to be a civil servant (D grad, the lowest).

* ''Lycée général'': provides general, more theoretical education that equips students for higher studies of a relatively longer duration in university. It is three years long, and students take one of three types of ''baccalauréat'' depending on their specialisation: L (literary), S (scientific), or ES (economics-human sciences).
* ''Lycée technique'': provides technical education. In theory, it is for children who do not wish to spend too much time on higher studies. It is three years long, and it ends with the ''baccalauréat'' of other types.
* ''Lycée professionnel'': provides professional knowledge, to suit the profile of children who wish to enter the workforce without going through higher studies. It ends a CAP (1 year of study) or BEP (2 years) specialized in a profession. People may also study 2 more years to get a ''bac pro''.

There is no real selection to enter an university, and the tuition fees are extremely low. Consequently, the universities are often viewed in much the same way that [[AmericanEducationalSystem Americans view community colleges]] -- overcrowded and poor. There is a high failure rate during the first years, so the classes are overcrowded only during the ''licence'', equivalent to a Bachelor's degree (3 years). After one obtains one's ''licence'', one may stay on to obtain a ''master'', or Master's degree. Some continue beyond their ''master'' for 3 years or more to obtain a ''doctorat'' ([=PhD=]).

There is no real selection to enter an university, and the tuition fees are extremely low. Consequently, the universities are often overcrowded and poor. There is a high failure rate during the first years, so the classes are overcrowded only during the ''licence'', equivalent to a Bachelor's degree (3 years). After one obtains one's ''licence'', one may stay on to obtain a ''master'', or Master's degree. Some continue beyond their ''master'' for 3 years or more to obtain a ''doctorat'' ([=PhD=]).

Children begin attending this school from the age of 6, for a period of 5 years. The name of the classes are: CP (''cours préparatoire''), [=CE1=], [=CE2=] (''cours élémentaire'' 1 and 2) [=CM1=] and [=CM2=] (''cours moyen'' 1 and 2). The main goal of elementary school is to learn how to write and read, and how to count. The secondary goals are to learn some basic notions of sciences, arts and foreign languages. This is the last school where there is only one teacher per class. After that, there will be one teacher per subject (French, Maths, English, History/Geography, ...).

While in America, college refers to the university level, in France, it refers to junior high school. It is 4 years long, and children normally start ''collège'' when they are 11 years old. The 4 classes are called ''sixième'' (6th), ''cinquième'' (5th), ''quatrième'' (4th) and ''troisième'' (3rd), in that order: it is a countdown to the ''baccalauréat''. Children who have some problems with school may finish ''collège'' at the age of 16 or more, when education is no longer mandatory. Therefore, the ''collège'' is the last school that everyone attends. At the end, children obtain their first qualification, the ''brevet des collèges''. It is fairly easy to obtain, and it is worth almost nothing, but it may be the only diploma some people ever have. It is however the minimal qualification ask to be a civil servant (D grad, the lowest).

* ''lycée général'': provides general, more theoretical education that equips students for higher studies of a relatively longer duration in university. It is three years long, and students take one of three types of ''baccalauréat'' depending on their specialisation: L (literary), S (scientific) or ES (economics-human sciences).
* ''lycée technique'': provides technical education. In theory, it is for children who do not wish to spend too much time on higher studies. It is three years long, and it ends with the ''baccalauréat'' of other types.
* ''lycée professionnel'': provides professional knowledge, to suit the profile of children who wish to enter the workforce without going through higher studies. It ends a CAP (1 year of study) or BEP (2 years) specialized in a profession. People may also study 2 more years to get a ''bac pro''.

In theory, students are able to choose which ''lycée'' they will go to. In practice, there is an element of selection: students with the best grades go to the ''lycées généraux'', those with average grades go to the ''lycées techniques'' and the ones wih the worst grades go to the ''lycées professionnels''.

The ''bac'' is an institution in itself: every year, newspapers publish the results and there are long discussions about it in the media. People over 30 usually say that this diploma was hard when they sat the exams for it, but is worth nothing today since everybody gets it easily. The topics of the philosophy tests are announced on TV news (after the tests, of course). Since everybody in France have the same subjects, teachers put a lot of efforts to preserve secrecy, everyone starts the tests at the exact same time and there is a spare topic if the main one happens to be leaked.

The University of Paris was founded in the mid-12th century and is thus one of the oldest in the world. It was nicknamed ''la Sorbonne'', which was technically the main college of the university. The building still exists but the University of Paris was split to create 13 smaller universities in 1970, only 3 of which kept the word ''Sorbonne'' in their name. The historical place of the university, in the 5th ''arrondissement'' of Paris, is still famous for the universities and ''grandes écoles'' that are there.

!!! Other universities

There is no real selection to enter an university, and the tuition fees are extremely low. Consequently, the universities are often overcrowded and poor. There is a high failure rate during the first years, so the class are overcrowded only during the ''licence'', equivalent to a Bachelor's degree (3 years). After one obtains one's ''licence'', one may stay on to obtain a ''master'', or Master's degree. Some continue beyond their ''master'' for 3 years or more to obtain a ''doctorat'' ([=PhD=]).


!!! ''Grandes écoles''
The ''grandes écoles'' (lit. great schools) are colleges or graduate schools that require would-be students to sit a competitive entrance exam. Students prepare for this exam over 2 or 3 years. This preparation is done in special preparatory classes in ''lycées'', called CPGE - ''classes préparatoire aux grandes écoles''. So the students of ''grandes écoles'' may never go to the university but receive a Master's degree after 3 years in one of those ''grandes écoles''. Only about 10% of students attend one of these special schools, but this small minority includes a large majority of political leaders, corporate executives and renowned scientists.

* 12: ''assez bien'' (quite good)

While in America, college refers to the university level, in France, it refers to junior high school. It is 4 years long, and children normally start ''collège'' when they are 11 years old. The 4 classes are called ''sixième'' (6th), ''cinquième'' (5th), ''quatrième'' (4th) and ''troisième'' (3rd), in that order: it is a countdown to the ''baccalauréat''. Children who have some problems with school may finish ''collège'' at the age of 16 or more, when education is no longer mandatory. Therefore, the ''collège'' is the last school that everyone attends. At the end, children obtain their first qualification, the ''brevet des collèges''. It is fairly easy to obtain, and it is worth almost nothing, but it may be the only diploma some people ever have.

There is no real selection to enter an university, and the tuition fees are extremely low. Consequently, the universities are often overcrowded and poor. There is a high failure rate during the first years, so the class are overcrowded only during the ''licence'', equivalent to a Bachelor's degree (3 years). After one obtains one's ''licence'', one may stay on to obtain a ''master'', or Master's degree. Some continue beyond their ''master'' for 3 years or more to obtain a ''doctorat'' (PhD).

There are about 80 universities in France. In the big cities, the universities that existed before 1970 were split. That is why the name of French universities are something like ''université de Bordeaux 1'', ''université de Bordeaux 2'' and ''université de Bordeaux 3''.