UQ Program: Bachelor of Arts
As a student of languages and comparative cultural studies, when I heard about the UQ Abroad program I knew I had to find a way to go on exchange. Majoring in French it made sense to go to France, and since my husband is from Paris the choice of which city was obvious. Out of the two UQ partner universities in Paris I opted for Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle (Censier) as they specialise in literature and film studies. I had heard that this university is not easy to communicate with and that they tend to be disorganised, so I mentally prepared myself for a bit of a struggle. When it comes to enrolling, priority is given to the French students. Be prepared to line up for hours and to be literally yelled at by staff. Also there are almost no resources, the classrooms are often overcrowded and the workload is double that of UQ.
Regardless of the negatives, I feel privileged to have attended this university because the courses are fascinating and the lecturers are world class. They are so knowledgeable and passionate that often during lectures I found myself hanging off their every word. Also many are sensitive to the problems faced by the exchange students and are willing to adapt the assessment to the make the tasks achievable. However, there are those who are impatient, difficult and downright rude to both the French and foreign students alike. If you don’t get along with the lecturer from day one, change classes right away!
I really enjoyed the opportunity to study French literature in Paris, since many of the authors I studied lived and wrote in the capital. For me, this made the texts more relevant than they seemed in Australia. Being in France put everything into context, culturally, historically and even architecturally speaking. Paris III is not an easy university to attend but those who are prepared to persevere and work hard it is very rewarding. I began to learn French at UQ as a complete beginner and after two years I felt like I would never be able to speak spontaneously with native speakers. After two semesters at Paris III, I can finally say that, yes, now I speak French!