On Campus (Part II)
I have always been fascinated by North American high schools and universities. They seemed to have so many rituals, so many traditions that I felt we were really missing out in France.
Take graduation, for instance. One of the rite of passage in France is the “baccalauréat”, the national high school graduation exam. Preparation starts two years beforehand and the examination, in essay-form, takes place late June, lasting typically one or two weeks. Students are tested on between 8 to 12 subjects and the passing mark is 10/20. This is such a stressful time for students that most French vow to never take the “bac” again in their life.
After all the exams are completed, students wait for a couple of weeks for the papers to be corrected. Exams results are usually announced early July. It is always a national event, as they will be published in the paper and the media will comment on the results. To know whether they pass or not, students usually go back to the high school they took the exam at. In late afternoon, a long list of successful students is pinned up on a board outside. The students rush, hoping to spot their name, and many start to exult as other cry. And… and that’s it.
No graduation party, no prom, nothing. I clearly remember hanging out with my friends before the results. I remember spotting my name on the list and being relieved. And I went back home. Come to think of it, this is the last time I saw most of my high school friends, except for two or three I’m still in contact with.
Same goes for university. We don’t “graduate”. We pass, good for us. We get our degree in the mail later, that’s about it. I learned I graduated from university early one morning — I had come to bring some paperwork and the secretary, checking my file on the computer, told my I had graduated. When I called my mum, I was already at the airport since I was coming back to Canada.
French don’t have yearbooks, school-sponsored extra-curricular activities, residences on campus… high-school and university alike are not really “shield” from the real world.
 Offices |
 Laurier St. |
 Standing Out In The Cold |
 Tabaret Building |
 Hallway |
 Empty Classroom |
 Ceiling in Tabaret |
 Lockers |
 Studying |
 Rotonda |
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Tags: Snapshots of Ottawa, University In Canada
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@London Caller — My university was crap in France too. Asbestos everywhere, always in construction, falling apart… I do like Canadian campuses!
@Beth — I wish I had had one!
@Seb — Not really. It’s pretty easy to find me on the web though but most of my high school friends are nowhere to be found.
@Lizz —
I wondered if I would have dismissed my graduation if I have had one… maybe actually. I couldn’t wait to leave high school.
@Khengsiong — Same here! And when I took the French Bac, I think even my parents had nightmares, it reminded them of their own exams
@Seraphine — I wouldn’t have liked the clique thing either, I was neither popular or teased… Definitely not the sorority kind!
@Kim — Anonimity really doesn’t matter in France. I was quite surprised that students didn’t talk about their grades in Canada. I was quite opened with mine (both good and bad!) and I never knew what other got. For one class, the prof actually whispered the grades to each of the students!
@Sidney — I totally agree. At least for uni. graduate!
@Linguist-in-Waiting — You’d think French use Latin honor… but no!
As far as I know, the French system has always been this way. Probably another way of being different!
@Jennie — Going to uni. in a foreign country is definitely another culture shock. I thought I knew Canada quite well… but the academic world surprises me.
Hey Zhu,
I so know what you are talking about: in Portugal, the graduation process is also very meagre (no party, no prom nothing).
We have national exams (covering between 8 to 12 subjects as well — wait…now it is less, because of the Educational reform; now kids have it easy, I think they only take 4 to 6 subjects) that start in June/July and then the results come out in July/August.
“French don’t have yearbooks, school-sponsored extra-curricular activities, residences on campus… high-school and university alike are not really “shield” from the real world.” — neither does Portugal.
Beautiful university!
Happy festivities, girl!
.-= Max Coutinho´s last blog ..Letter to Eros =-.
So interesting to say the least, Singapore follows the British system and I know parents are all stressed out when the results are announced for Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), GCE O & A Levels
Nice photos Zhu
My biggest shock was when my friend mentioned that his 10 year old cousin is graduating. I was puzzled and my face looked like a joker. It’s so strange that you graduate every year
Similar to you, I had to write two horrible board exams — grade 10 and 12. Its nothing but torture…
.-= Priyank´s last blog ..Three years in Toronto =-.
Interesting, I had no idea there were no “dry grads” and that sort of nonsense going on in France.
.-= Saskboy´s last blog ..More Threats Over =-.