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Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France


Postby Jaybot-X » May 9, 2003 @ 2:00pm

I think it'd be fun, but I honestly wouldnt go there if you were strictly looking to study engineering... you should go to arizona state or something with a good school for engineering for that :)
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Postby Warren » May 10, 2003 @ 5:53pm

^-- I've talked to so many big company recruiters (Dow Chemical, GE, GM, and Bayer), and they all say that, because of the slow economy, they are EXTREMELY picky about who they hire, and they ALL said that there are only 3 schools in the US that I can go to, MIT, Georgia Tech, and CalTech, any others, they said, wouldn't be pointless because they would refuse to hire me. They said, that even if I get a 4.0 (100%) at Tufts University, that because it's not MIT, they'll just tear up my application, and they ALL said this!! So Arizona State...sorry, but they say they're a 3rd tier school.

Jaybot, Arizona State actually has an exchange program with Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, perhaps you can (if you go to Arizona State, which I'm assuming) get some info on INP.

As for language, my average for French 1 was a 99%, French 2 was 99%, and so far in French 3 it's a disappointing 97% (for me, anyone else would love that grade). I love languages, so I don't think I'd have a problem, because I want to go there to learn it, though I would rather learn German...(I'll take classes in it). INP is a 3 year school, then the next 2 years is for a masters (which I would do), and I can stay at INP, or go somewhere else. I was looking at ETH Zurich, but they're site is all in German, so I don't know anything about them.

My absolute main concern about going to France for college, is the textbooks. I just want to know if I can get textbooks in English, because even if I can't fully comprehend lectures at first, I'm sure the professeurs speak English, so I can ask them (it's a small school too, 3000 (4000 with grads), so one-on-one with teachers is good). But if all the textbooks are only in French....that would be a major problem for me.
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Postby James S » May 10, 2003 @ 7:55pm

getting good grades in French Class is very much different from actually speaking it in casual conversation.

And I'd HIGHLY, HIGHLY suggest you NOT buy books in English, buy them all in French, and then buy a French dictionary (not French->English, just a regular dictionary of the French language), and look up any and every word you don't understand in the french dictionary. If you have problems with the definition that they give you in the French Language dictionary then you should pop out your dusty French->English translator. The point should be to use English resources as little as possible, because you're in France and no one else is going to be using English resources like that. If you do that then you'll have no problems with French in under a month.
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Postby Warren » May 10, 2003 @ 9:39pm

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Postby James S » May 10, 2003 @ 10:13pm

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Postby Arisme » May 10, 2003 @ 10:28pm

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Postby James S » May 10, 2003 @ 10:36pm

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Postby Arisme » May 10, 2003 @ 10:37pm

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Postby Warren » May 10, 2003 @ 10:59pm

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Postby Jaybot » May 10, 2003 @ 11:47pm

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Postby Arisme » May 10, 2003 @ 11:54pm

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Postby Warren » May 11, 2003 @ 12:14am

Well, I know INPG has good international stuff. But I'm still confused on one thing. These prepatory classes...I've never heard of these before, are they required? What are they? Where are they? In the US, we go from high school straight to university. ENSEEG is a 3 year school (then 2 years of masters), do they just skip all the basics, like General Chemistry, General Physics, Calculus 1....and go right to the advanced classes, expecting you to know all the basics already?
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Postby Arisme » May 11, 2003 @ 12:36am

yes, they'll expect you to come with what you learn in the CPGE or (for the second year) what you learn after 2 years of university (but usually the program is more related to CPGE stuff, that's why students coming from university are having a harder time)

I don't know how to explain exactly what CPGE are (nothing related to the Matrix either :wink:) - imagine something with 40 students, focusing on maths, physics and chemistry for 2 years with a final national contest, monthly exams, weekly oral interrogations called the "colles" (put 3 students in front of a blackboard to solve (difficult) problems in maths, physics or chemistry).

The CPGEs are a kind of a system "parallel" to the university, focusing on the engineering schools - you have CPGE rankings, based on how easily students coming from these CPGE join the best engineering schools ... they are hosted by some high schools (usually those with a good level)

I think you should get some information on what's the current status of CPGE teachings and check what you know or if you have weak points - but don't panic, you probably won't use most of the maths or physics learned here, just focus on the chemistry :wink: personnaly I think I used less than 10% of what I learned, but the point of these CPGE is more about learning methods and coping with stress.
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Postby Warren » May 11, 2003 @ 12:42am

This CPGE sounds pretty terrible...quite rigid and demanding... Do they cost anything? And what do you mean "that's why students coming from university are having a harder time", do you mean coming from High School? Skipping CPGE? What about other countries? Germany, Switzerland, or England, do you know anything about colleges there?

And Arisme, where in France do you live?
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Postby Arisme » May 11, 2003 @ 12:54am

rigid and demanding, yes exactly, they are famous for that :D no, they don't cost anything, almost all the schools, including engineering schools are public in France (you only pay the admission fee covering the papers you'll receive, social taxes and so on)

yes I was talking about the students skipping the CPGEs ... but then, keep in mind that the French "classical" university program is exactly the opposite of CPGEs (not rigid at all and not demanding either), it may explain things :wink:
unfortunately we didn't have any exchange student during my 3 years

I found a good "french education system" tutorial here http://www2.cefi.org/plaquet1.html, you should check it :wink:

I live near Paris myself, but did my engineering school in Caen (not the best place, but nice school anyway - computer science oriented :wink:)
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