CUEFUniversity Center for French Studies

"I come from Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, where I obtained my Chinese baccalaureate (Gao Kao) in 2021, before arriving in Grenoble. The choice of Grenoble CUEF to begin my higher education in France was an obvious one: it is one of the oldest and most renowned university centers for French studies. As part of the UGA, it also enables foreign students to get to know the university environment better and to familiarize themselves with the workings of a French university. That's why the DUEF course I've taken over the past two semesters has been so useful. In the mornings, we had language and technical courses designed to strengthen our linguistic skills, and in the afternoons, we attended specialty courses in the amphitheaters. I particularly appreciate the quality of these courses. The teachers are all very competent and caring, and they helped us make rapid progress in all 4 skills by stimulating us all the time in class. They also didn't hesitate to correct our grammatical and syntactic mistakes, both written and oral, so that we never made them again. Thanks to them, I realize that the more I pay attention to grammatical standards and spelling rules, the more I improve my French.

Having long been passionate about humanities disciplines such as political science, philosophy and literature, I decided to pursue my studies in France, where the teaching of these subjects enjoys an international reputation. France has not disappointed me: I love its culture, its way of life and its know-how. However, what impresses me most is the critical spirit of the French. It's hard to find another country where, in everyday conversation, political and philosophical subjects take on as much importance as they do in France.

During my studies at CUEF, I passed Sciences Po's international entrance exam, and was admitted to its university college on the Paris campus. It's obviously a great pleasure for me to be able to study human sciences at this great school, whose alumni include many well-known figures, such as one of my favorite writers Marcel Proust. The other advantage of this institute is that it enables me to follow a multi-disciplinary course, focusing on politics, economics and humanity. In this way, I can acquire a sound knowledge of all the humanities disciplines, while gradually specializing over the course of my first three years of study. I still aspire to become a teacher-researcher in a university. This means I'll have to take a research master's degree and continue my studies right through to a doctorate. For the moment, Sciences Po's research school is undoubtedly my number one choice. But I'm also interested in other renowned schools in France, including the ENS de Paris, the oldest and most famous school for training researchers and teachers in literary and scientific disciplines.

I've just moved to Paris. Its charm is undeniable. I enjoy the pleasures of Parisian life. However, I already miss the capital of the Alps, with its peaceful river and sumptuous mountain ranges. I'd really like to come back one day. "
Yifan