Since September 2007, the Faculty of Economics of RANEPA and the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade (VAFT) have provided their students with the opportunity to receive distance education at the Faculty of Economics of the Pierre Mendes France University, now the University of Grenoble Alpes (France).

About the University of Grenoble Alpes

The University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA) is located in the city of Grenoble (south-eastern France), which is a major industrial, scientific and university center of the French Alps region. The city has 54 thousand students, the bulk of whom are students from the University of Grenoble Alpes.

The university was formed in January 2016 as a result of the merger of three Grenoble universities: Pierre Mendes-France University (university of humanities and social sciences), Joseph Fourier University (technological and medical University), Stendhal University (language sciences). The university's roots go back to the University of Grenoble, founded in 1339 and one of the oldest universities France.

Today, the university provides the widest educational opportunities in four areas: Arts, Literature and Languages; Jurisprudence, Economics and Management; Humanities and Social Sciences; Natural Sciences, Technology and Medicine.

Key indicators of the university: 45 thousand students, of which 6 thousand are foreign students; 3 thousand teachers and researchers; 24 faculties, educational schools and institutes; 80 scientific laboratories; 653 partner universities in 80 countries; 53 double degree programs. The university budget is 450 million Euros. The developed infrastructure of the university campus includes 8 libraries, a dormitory system, 45 sports grounds and a swimming pool.

Due to the location of the university in the historical center of the region, which also has rich recreational potential, education at the University of Grenoble Alpes is accompanied by culture, sports, and tourism.

Recently, the University of Grenoble Alpes has been actively cooperating with universities in other countries on projects in the field of scientific cooperation, attracting scientific personnel, implementation of student mobility within the framework of the Erasmus + program.

About the Faculty of Economics of the University of Grenoble Alpes

The Faculty of Economics provides training in economics and management at all levels higher education: bachelor, master, doctor. Implements distance learning in Economics and Business Administration. The presence of qualified teaching staff, programs that meet modern international standards, as well as contacts with various enterprises contributes to the development of practical work skills and theoretical thinking.

About the Russian-French program

Students of the Faculty of Economics of RANEPA and VAVT, who have successfully completed two undergraduate courses, have the opportunity to enroll in the French undergraduate program in the field of Economics and Management. Since some disciplines from curricula Bachelor's programs of the Faculty of Economics of the Academy are recognized by the French side, students enter immediately into the second year (L2) of the Faculty of Economics of the UGA. The duration of bachelor's degree programs in Europe is three years. Therefore, a student admitted to the program simultaneously studies academic disciplines the last two years of undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Economics of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration or VAVT ( Full-time training) and UGA (remotely). Having successfully passed all exams, the student thus receives two diplomas - RANEPA and UGA. The language of instruction in the University of Grenoble program can be either French or English - at the choice of the student. The training program includes a week-long internship at the University of Grenoble Alpes.
Description and content of the bachelor's training program.

In 2017-2018 academic year similar programs are opened at the master's level: the master's program "Management of Organizations in the Framework of International Cooperation" (Master's Program GODI) in the direction of "Economic Development" and the master's program "Economic and Statistical Studies" (Master's Program C2ES) in the direction of "Applied Mathematics and Informatics in the Field of Social Sciences" " Students begin distance learning in the master's program of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Grenoble Alpes in the second year of the master's program of the Faculty of Economics of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration or VAVT, the training lasts one year. During this time, preparations are underway for the defense of two master's theses - at a Russian university and at UGA. As a result, upon completion of training, the student receives two diplomas: a master's degree from RANEPA or VAVT and a master's degree from the University of Grenoble Alpes.

Grenoble

In France, in Grenoble, I studied for a year - this was in 2002. Grenoble is a small city, the population of the municipality itself ( administrative center) - only 160 thousand people, but with adjacent communes this amounts to 450 thousand people, or one of the 10 largest French agglomerations. In addition, Grenoble is the largest of the Alpine agglomerations (larger than Innsbruck in Austria), which is why it is called the “capital of the Alps.” Grenoble is a university city. When I studied there, there were three universities, but now universities are being consolidated in France: as a result, all three universities have now been merged into one, which has 45 thousand students.

Before I came to Grenoble, I already knew this region and this city. It so happened that I started studying French at the age of seven. My mother was a French teacher in Russian University friendship of peoples, and I studied at a special school named after. Polenov on Arbat. And in the 90s, our family didn’t just do business, but rather had a small part-time job: we welcomed French people into the family, they lived with us. Then the famous French travel agency Nouvelles frontières offered the French who wanted to go to Russia two options: either you go to a hotel and are led in droves around Red Square, or they are looking for a family for you. The search for families took place using certain mechanisms. For example, through the Society of Friends of France. And since my whole family is Francophone: dad, mom, sister - everyone spoke French, and we lived on Arbat (opposite Spaso House - the residence of the American ambassador), naturally, we received the French almost every week. They lived with us for three or four days, then were replaced by others. We had to feed them, it was not necessary to entertain them, but we tried our best. And I included: I led tours around the city, around the Moscow metro, around Moscow. So I got pretty good at it French, because in a special school they teach grammar well, but still, oral communication with native speakers is completely different. It so happened that among these French there were people from Grenoble, we became friends with them, and they invited me to visit them. Mom and Dad agreed, understanding my interest in France and the French language. This is how I first visited Grenoble.

Then, when I was already studying at Moscow University, I once again went to visit friends in Grenoble. I liked it there, and what I liked more was not Grenoble itself, but the city, which is located in the mountains, 40 kilometers from it. It so happened that I had a lot of friends: both in Grenoble itself and in the mountains. Therefore, when in 2000 I graduated from Moscow University and received a two-month internship in Paris, I thought that it would be right to study in French along with Russian graduate school. And I submitted documents to two places: Paris and Grenoble. But Grenoble seemed preferable to me, because, firstly, the Grenoble communication school based on the GRESEC laboratory (Stendhal University “Grenoble-3”) turned out to be even more famous than some Parisian ones. The Paris CELSA seemed too industrial to me, and the Grenoble one seemed more academic, which was closer to me. They read Foucault, Bourdieu and many others there, and this seemed terribly interesting to me after the Moscow journalism department, where modern humanitarian theory is at such high level not taught. And I got there, and on the first try. But I had to wait a year, because the embassy did not issue scholarships for a year - there was some kind of technical glitch. A year later, I won a scholarship from the French government and went to Grenoble to study for a master’s degree. By the time I left for Grenoble, I had already defended my PhD thesis in journalism. I left Moscow a week after my defense. Since I had already been accepted to the University of Grenoble, I had to finish my dissertation quickly, and I did it in two years. There was also a choice in Grenoble: there are one-year and two-year master's programs. It was a one-year program, and based on the results of the training, one could enroll in graduate school, which is what I did after graduating. I had the second result in the course, and therefore I could probably apply for a temporary position at the university to write my dissertation. But I understood that it would be difficult for people from outside the European Union. The likelihood of getting a position due to my citizenship was not very high, even though I had such a high result. And that's why I came back.

Now about Grenoble. Education there was structured completely differently from what I was used to at the journalism department. The fundamental difference was that there were very few classes: we only went to university a couple of times a week. But there was a lot research work- either individual or group. We created mini-teams to develop specific topics, and then worked together on them. For example, a colleague and I created a mini-team and worked on mobile telephony as an industry. We spent a lot of time scientific work, which included interviews and all sorts of other methods. For this we received the best grade on the course - 19 points out of 20 possible. This is a very high score; the French never or almost never give such ratings. In general, creating mini-groups with specific research tasks was a new experience for me. We had two or three projects of this kind that we did in these mini-groups. And the second thing that I remember very clearly. We had a seminar in the form of teleconferences with two other universities, led by my supervisor Bernard Miège. One of these universities was in Montreal, the other in Paris. We did joint projects with their students. Paris - Grenoble - Montreal - that's how we worked. At each regular seminar, a colleague from a university gave a theoretical report, then we all discussed it, followed by questions from each side - and all this in a video conference format. And sometimes students prepared joint reports: for example, Grenoble prepared a report with Paris, Paris with Montreal, and so on. None of this happened in Russia, and even now you rarely see such things in Russia. The benefit of such work also consisted in “cross-pollination”: to put it simply, the professor from Grenoble knew one topic better, the professor from Paris knew another, and from Montreal knew a third, and this is how they connected. It was such an interesting thing that, in principle, distinguished studying in Grenoble from studying in Moscow. Colleagues from these three universities were engaged in common theme: mediatization of education. By the way, the defense of my dissertation in Grenoble was later held in the form of a video conference, because one of the opponents was from Montreal. And, in order not to transport the person from Montreal to Grenoble, he was connected to a video conference. And it was not Skype as a technology, because Skype goes over Internet channels, and then it was much slower and less reliable. Video conferences were held over ISDN channels. This is a different technology: the camera is placed on the TV and controlled by a separate remote control. This gives higher resolution and, accordingly, quality. At the same time, the signal transmission speed is much higher than when using Skype. Now about the meaningful points. The French approach is generally very unique. The American approach is either very empirical, or based on classical sociology, the Michigan School, and so on.

And the French and to some extent the Germans are what we call a critical approach. They come more from Bourdieu, they have leftist ideas, they have Foucault, they have many references to the works of colleagues, which we very often do not even classify as sociology, or they simultaneously fall into the field of several sciences (for example, philosophy, sociology and political science). In general, a significant part of French communicativists professes such a critical approach. From this, many unique ideas and approaches were born, including the sociology of the use of media technologies. They are only French; they have no or almost no analogues in their pure form in other schools. That's why I was terribly interested. The study of the theory and practice of media communication in the form in which it existed in French universities greatly expanded the understanding of what we here in Russia called journalism or the media. In France, media studies were carried out in a broad interdisciplinary context and included a strong theoretical component that provided a conceptualization of all the knowledge about communication that had accumulated up to that time. There, the sciences of communication emerged as separate area around the 1970s. They formed the so-called 71st section of French universities.

France is one of the countries where the academy has lost its battle with officials.

What else was there that we didn’t have? French universities have created a unified professional council at the ministry level. It approves the candidacies of people who apply for a particular position in the university system. It includes representatives from all universities. The system is, of course, very bureaucratic. France is one of the countries where the academy has lost its battle with officials. It works like this. If you want to apply for a position at a French university, you must first qualify. That is, someone has to say that you are a qualified person. Therefore, French universities post information about their vacancies not in the media, but on a special platform of the Ministry of Education and Science. And the Ministry of Education and Science conducts a qualification campaign once a year. This is how the campaign works. They give you a number, you electronic system must send your dossier to two so-called rapporteurs independent of you, which will be considered at the general session, usually held in January. It includes representatives of all major French universities, specialists in this particular field, and the French have about a hundred such fields. You can imagine the number of professional colleges that gather there. They review these dossiers based on formal criteria, check a box, and then publish a list of those who have passed the qualifications. If you have qualified, you are in this system; you can then submit your candidacy to different universities for positions that are announced as vacant. Naturally, with such a system it is difficult to invite foreign professors. The French almost never invite them, and the intensity of scientific exchange is decreasing. By the way, one of the reasons why the French have succeeded very well: only those who are well versed in this French model of education are accepted into graduate school. If you have completed the French doctorate, you will easily master this thing, pass the qualification and be able to apply for a position at the university. And foreigners who hold positions in French universities most often completed French doctoral studies - that’s why they are familiar with this system. Or option two: most often in France, foreign professors work in Sciences Po (institutes of political sciences, where future politicians often come from). Why? And Sciences Po are not part of the university structure. During my studies, as already noted, there were three universities in Grenoble. The first is the Joseph Fourier University, a purely mathematical and natural science university. It is located in the central square, directly opposite the prefecture. Another university is called the University. Pierre Mendez-France "Grenoble-2". This is a university that deals mainly with social sciences. And the third, the smallest, where I studied, is called the University. Stendhal "Grenoble-3". This numbering of universities is a legacy of 1968. They took large French universities, divided them into pieces, and each piece received its own separate specialization and number. Grenoble is known as science Center, this is one of the French cities where there is a hadron collider. A large number of scientists came there: physicists, natural scientists and sociologists.

My university had not only a number, but also a name: University named after. Stendhal "Grenoble-3". This university mainly specializes in communication sciences and philology. I think about 10 or 15 thousand students studied there. Both Stendhal and the second University of Grenoble were on the same campus. This campus houses all the university premises, a large fundamental library, common to the two universities, plus all administrative services. I didn't study on campus, I lived on campus. I had a hostel, and it had a separate room with all the amenities. But I studied in a new suburb of Grenoble, because the Institute of Communications and Media was located there. It was a new building, built around 1994. It received a special status and was separated from the main campus. It has a very specific architecture: glass and metal structures, many galleries inside, a courtyard - in general, it is different from classic university buildings. Why was it moved off campus? I have my suspicions about this. At the time it was being built, the rector of this university was my supervisor, Bernard Miège, who headed the laboratory that dealt with media and communications. And, apparently, a separate project was invented for the institute. In my opinion, money from the local municipality was also invested in it, and this building was built in the center of the suburb, opposite the city hall.

The laboratory where I studied is one of the most famous in France. It so happened that, in fact, it was from Grenoble that the separation of communication science into an independent scientific field began. Even before it was identified as a separate specialty, work in this area began in Grenoble. It was started by economists and sociologists who began to study communication phenomena and gradually brought it to the interuniversity level to create a separate direction in research. Therefore, Stendhal University is quite famous in this area. For a long time, my scientific supervisor Bernard Miège headed this laboratory; many specialists in the field of communication know him, and he is also familiar with our Moscow colleagues. Unlike many French scientists, he was involved in international networks. But I cannot say with certainty that the Stendhal University Grenoble 3 was known for anything other than communications - I cannot judge subject areas that lie beyond my interests.

After finishing my master's degree in Grenoble, I entered doctoral studies, began writing a thesis, and in four years I completed it. There, in Grenoble, with the same leader. One day, in a conversation with me, he made it clear that he was interested in what I was doing. And he added that it would be great if I continued to work on my topic in doctoral studies. That's what I did. In general, I enrolled in doctoral studies in 2003 and defended myself in 2007. Remote work did not create any inconvenience. In France, there are no classes as such in doctoral studies: you just write a paper and that’s it. And this can be done anywhere, the main thing is to periodically show the text scientific supervisor. Of course, I regularly went there, showed my work, and we discussed something with him. Or I invited him to Moscow if such an opportunity arose. And in 2013, I taught in Grenoble for three months, that is, ten years later I returned there for a relatively long time. This time I was invited to Grenoble as a visiting professor at the UNESCO Chair at the Institute of Communications and Media.

The X Winter Olympic Games were held in Grenoble in 1968. This, naturally, affected the city itself. Part of the infrastructure was built for the Olympics, there are even houses there that are called “Olympic” because they were built for the Olympics.

Now about the city itself. Grenoble is a city that was the capital of the province of Dauphine. It bordered French-speaking Italy, and the border ran in the mountains above Grenoble. Literally like in the famous film “The Law is the Law.” I think this state was called Piedmont. In this state they spoke a language that the French call Franco-Italian or Franco-Provençal. This language is borderline between French and Italian. Today, Franco-Provençal is spoken only in the Val d'Aosta valley in Italy. The capital of the next region, Savoy, which is located a little to the north, also belonged to Piedmont. The city of Chambery and everything to the right towards Turin belonged to this state. If you come to Turin, it is somewhat reminiscent of Grenoble. Therefore, Grenoble has this charm that makes it different from other cities in France. This is a colorful city, even the houses are colorful. This makes it very different from Paris or even Lyon, the imperial cities.

Of course, Grenoble is very beautiful with its landscapes, because it is surrounded by three mountain ranges. One massif is called Beldon, the other is Vercors: this is a plateau about a thousand meters high. You can climb to this picturesque plateau and walk there. There, cows graze in the meadows. By the way, in this place there were most of the partisans from the French Resistance movement during the Second World War. There's even a museum dedicated to the history of the Resistance. And the third massif surrounding Grenoble is Chartreuse. Thus, the city is located in a basin, so it has a special microclimate. Grenoble is both the coldest city in France and its hottest city: in summer it is hotter than anywhere else, and colder in winter.

Now about the sights of Grenoble. Grenoble has a wonderful museum fine arts. It is new, it was built relatively recently, maybe in the 80-90s, but it contains very good paintings by Italian masters. The city center is quite beautiful. There is an episcopal curia and a museum attached to it in the premises of the old episcopal palace, where the ruins of an ancient Roman city that was located on this territory were found underground. The excavation was placed under glass, and now you can, walking along the street above it, admire the medieval architecture and frescoes of the old bishop's palace, and when you go downstairs, you can admire the ruins of the ancient Roman city. It turns out that the cultural layers of the city seem to be revealed to the viewer one after another. This is the concept of the new museum. The space of the city began to be “cultivated” relatively recently - in the 80s or 90s of the last century. The city began to grow not so long ago either. In fact, the Grenoble agglomeration began to expand just at the time when I was studying in Grenoble. Then there were only two tram lines in the city, but now there are five. This is the main transport in the city - it is also very small. This is generally very typical for France, when in small towns the main transport is the tram. By the way, the tram was launched in Paris quite recently, literally in the last decade. In others major cities(Toulouse, Nantes, even Bordeaux) trams have been around for quite some time.

The development of Grenoble is largely due to the growth of universities in the city. Although they arose quite a long time ago, they began to grow, as far as I understand, after X winter Olympic Games, which took place in the city in 1968. This, naturally, affected the city itself. Part of the infrastructure was built for the Olympics, there are even houses there that are called “Olympic” because they were built for the Olympics. Plus, a ski station was built in Grenoble, called “Chamrousse”. It is located 40 minutes from Grenoble by bus. This is an Olympic slope, which later became a popular ski resort. It is not as famous as the Three Valleys and other French resorts, but it is quite good. It is cheap, and therefore there are a lot of young people there. Unlike large ski resorts, where the skiing is connected to the city or is located within the city, there is simply a ski station built only for sport skiing. Students love it very much, I skated there almost every weekend. There is a very developed and convenient service associated with the ski station. When you come to the city bus station, you can buy a day pass, which includes skiing and travel to the ski station and back by bus. During the day you can go there, and even ride a little.

Well, what else is there in Grenoble? There is a Bastille in Grenoble. In fact, these are the remains of the city fortress, which is located on the mountain. There are two ways to get there. The first route, also called “eggs”, is a funicular. It consists of three round cabins that go three there, three back, right from the center, from the river. There are two rivers flowing in Grenoble - the Isère and the Drac. The department whose center is Grenoble is called Isère. The Isère originates somewhere near the Italian border, in Haute-Savoie, in Grenoble it already becomes a full-flowing large river and then flows into the Rhone. If you don’t want to go up to the Bastille by cable car, you can go on foot. There is a park with winding paths along which people often run.

It's not a big enough city to have many museums. In addition to the art gallery, there are, of course, some new museums. For example, a slot machine museum. There is an interesting local history museum of the Dauphine region, where you can come and see cool installations: houses of Alpine peasants the size of a matchbox, with all their household utensils.

Sometimes it snows in Grenoble. In winter, when it is cold, it falls for a couple of days. And since the city is in a basin, the snow does not melt immediately. Somewhere from November-December, the mountains around Grenoble are completely covered with snow, and it is very beautiful. And in the city itself at this time it can be about 0 or -2. But the history of Grenoble is not so rich that it is in any way very different from many other small towns in France. And its construction still took place mainly in the second half of the 20th century. The most remarkable thing about the city is not so much the architecture or museums, but the views and landscapes. Grenoble and the valley in its immediate vicinity are the capital of walnuts. This is the largest French region where walnuts are grown. Moreover, Grenoble is famous for making wine from them. This is a purely Grenoble thing.

Grenoble is also interesting because it is perfectly located: it is two hours from Geneva, one hour from Lyon and half an hour from the city of Chambery. With its proximity to Lyon - only 120 kilometers, an hour by train - Grenoble is especially convenient. There are people who work in Lyon and live in Grenoble. But there are a couple of interesting places that are located in close proximity to Grenoble. One of these places is a monastery called Chartreuse. This is a monastery founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in the 11th century. It is located in the mountains. There is a museum there that you can visit. The main thing is that the monks of this monastery keep a recipe for a special alcohol tincture called chartreuse. In the Grenoble region this is a brand, there is even a separate store for tastings and tours of the workshop where this liqueur is sold. There are two types of chartreuse. There is chartreuse with a light consistency that can be added to tea. As I understand it, it is infused with herbs because it is green in color. And there is a highly concentrated chartreuse - 80 degrees, which is sold specifically in small vials exclusively for medicinal purposes. It is dripped onto a piece of sugar and swallowed. I tried it and it really helps.

All the years after finishing my master's degree, I regularly came to Grenoble. In fact, it became my second homeland, I returned there all the time and continue to return. If I appear somewhere in the area of ​​Lyon, Geneva and so on, I can’t help but stop by there.

I am a second year Master's student at the University of Grenoble-Alpes, at the Faculty foreign languages in the direction of "Russian studies". My French story began back in 2014, when I was a second-year student at Perm State National Research University at the faculty of SIL (linguist-translator) in English). I started learning French in my first year, and before that I had no idea about it at all. In the spring of 2014, our faculty offered to go on a language internship in Grenoble to learn French. You could choose the duration of the courses, and I decided to go for two weeks and combine my studies with a short trip to Europe.

Already in the third year, our faculty wrote on the social network that a group was being recruited for included training again in Grenoble. Since I had already been there, had an idea of ​​how everything would go and how much it would cost, I applied. It was necessary to pass a language proficiency test, have good academic performance and lack academic debts, write a motivation letter. So I ended up in Grenoble for the second time at the same university for a semester. We studied as exchange students, attended the equivalents of our Perm disciplines.

After graduating from Perm University, I realized that I wanted to continue my master’s studies. Since I wanted to have a European diploma, and I had experience studying in France, I decided to enroll in a master’s program there. This is how I ended up in Grenoble for the third time.

The building is named after the French writer Stendhal, who was born in Grenoble Photo: Veronika Araslanova

How much does it cost to live and study in France?

In fact, France is much closer than we think, and living in France is not as expensive as it seems. There are many advantages here, for example, free training. Of the European countries, France is the most democratic in this regard. Of course, training is conditionally free, because you still need to pay a fee and insurance, but this amounts to a pittance for Europe. For this year of study, I paid about 500 euros, of which 217 euros were health insurance, 183 euros were the cost of the master's program, 16 euros were fees for the Solidarity and Development of Student Initiatives Fund, 34 euros were for using the library, 23 euros were processing fees. documents and 5.1 euros -  medical prevention. You can’t live without insurance; you simply won’t be accepted into university. In addition, unexpected appendicitis without insurance can cost thousands of euros. There are also additional insurances. For example, there is so-called liability insurance, which will cover the costs if, for example, you break a window at the university, or, while skiing in the mountains, collide with a skier and cause him injury. If this insurance is not available, all costs fall on you, and in a potential case with a skier, you may also need to call a helicopter, which could completely deprive you of your livelihood.

Life in Grenoble is, of course, different from life in Paris. In the regions you can rent relatively cheap housing. For example, we lived in a hostel for 150 euros per month - these are simply fabulous prices. In Paris, room prices can reach up to a thousand euros per month. Even in the cheapest French hostels, a person always lives in a room alone; there is no such thing as several students sharing a room. Of course, a shared shower is not the most pleasant thing, but compared to Russian hostels, everything is not bad there.

As for food, I was recently in Russia, I saw the prices for food and was shocked. It seems to me that a year ago such prices did not exist. It is believed that France is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, this is true. But now in Russia and France the prices for basic products are almost the same, although in Russia there is a completely different standard of living and different salaries. This, of course, does not apply to delicacies, but for example, mozzarella, ricotta, and mascarpone are much cheaper in France. These cheeses can be bought here for one euro; you will not find such prices for a quality product anywhere in Russia. When my parents and I were counting our expenses, we realized that in France I don’t spend much more than I would spend in Russia, the prices are not radically different.

About the French education system

Here, from the school level, everything is different. Firstly, school starts at three years old. It is not mandatory, but personally I don’t know people who would refuse this step. From three to seven years old, children attend “mother’s school” (école maternelle). Education system France is divided into four levels: primary (5 years), secondary (4 years college), high school (3 years lyceum) and university (high school). Moreover, these are all completely different schools; they can be located in different buildings, districts and even cities. In many schools, classes are mixed after each year of study. Previously, this was a controversial point for me, but now I understand that this is probably better for children than studying for 11 years in the same group. Since students are constantly mixing, there is no such clannishness as in Russian schools. This helps newcomers a lot, because there are no established companies here, everyone has just gotten to know each other, and next year the team will change again. At the same time, there are no close relationships between people, like we have a “friend for life.”

There is one more feature - here children are not forced to learn what they do not like. As part of my thesis, I conducted interviews with Russian emigrants. One of them told me that her daughter is finishing school, and the teachers simply convince them: if you don’t like physics, then you don’t need to study it, it means you are talented in something else. They even write letters to parents asking them not to scold their children for bad grades. On the one hand, this is good, because a person chooses a profession with his soul, but on the other hand, with this approach he does not receive basic knowledge and cuts off other opportunities for himself.

At the university level, things are also different. Unlike Russia, higher education is not for everyone here. People don’t have such a goal or need; many don’t even think about it. Here people choose not their level of education, but their profession. For example, I know those who graduated from professional colleges and live and work well. Higher education is obtained by those who want to work as engineers or teachers, for example. But receive high degree education is not very profitable, because later you may simply not find a job. If I go to a store with a master's degree to get a job as a cashier, they will most likely refuse me. They will say: Madam, you are too qualified for our position, we need people with a more suitable level of education.

In France there are universities and high schools, they are not the same thing. University is free education, it is not prestigious. This is for everyone who wanted and was able. Higher schools are elitist education. It is difficult to get into higher schools, the competition is huge and tuition there reaches 30 thousand euros per year and more. These are unaffordable sums for ordinary citizens; not everyone can afford such education. Of course, after higher education, work and salary are on a completely different level. In Russia there is an idea that the Sorbonne is “wow”. But in fact, the Sorbonne is State University, which anyone can enroll in if they have the required level of French and a sufficient level of education. Perhaps the selection there is a little stricter, but this is an ordinary university, not an elite one educational institution.

About studying at the University of Grenoble-Alpes

My specialty is Russian studies, in every subject we draw parallels between Russia and France. All educational process is divided into three parts: general subjects, specific (for example, translation) and electives (these are additional disciplines that have nothing to do with my specialty). General subjects are taught by the French, they are read in droves. The teacher either sets checkpoints or simply administers a final exam. I've never had checkpoints before. Typically, the teacher lectures throughout the semester. By the way, the semester lasts 12 weeks, there are holidays in October and April, and at the end of May we take exams.

During the exam, students are given a specific topic on which to write an essay. You definitely need to write your opinion, they really like it here. Usually exams are in written form, I only had one exam with an oral part. There are few couples in the master's program, because it is designed for people who are already working. We study geopolitics, translation, literature, history, economics. There is no strict control here, they ask little, and no one will ask you why you didn’t do something. A bachelor's degree lasts three years, and bachelors have a lot of classes; they need to spend the whole day studying. Lots of homework and writing.

Audience Photo: Veronika Araslanova

In general, France is distinguished by its writing at all levels. They say that Russia is a bureaucratic country. But in France there are always problems with papers, documents are regularly lost, and you have to send them ten times. This is normal practice, no one freaks out about it. This specificity is French; they have a special attitude towards documents.

If you compare my studies in Perm and Grenoble, the amount of work and the quality of exams are not comparable. The teachers at Perm State National Research University simply lived it: every time they taught a lesson, it was as if they were trying to give away part of themselves, their experience, they cared. We were taught translation as a fine art, instilled with the feeling that translation is like writing a new book, and you need to be very careful, every word must be verified. We tried to translate texts of any level, arguing about every word. And here the translation is  word for word. If it is written like this, it means that we translate exactly the same words into Russian. When I saw this, I was simply shocked, because I was trying to interpret the texts, and not translate by equivalents. And I received a low grade. I then gave it up and started working on evaluation rather than translation. In Perm we could organize discussions, but here the teacher can categorically say: no, this is not so. Our teachers at SIYAL lived by this, but here many simply devote these hours.

I have never heard of any extracurricular activities at our university. There are no student springs here, but sports are very developed. It is included in elective subjects -  these are subjects that are not related to your specialty, but that interest you. You can practice fencing, swimming, Nordic walking, dancing, yoga, stretching, or go to the gym. All this is free, for this they put a mark on the diploma. Eat different levels: for debutants, for intermediates, for professionals. There are no university competitions between different faculties here. As for artistic activities, there are clubs within disciplines. For example, we have a Russian theater, they stage plays, sing folk songs and also receive a diploma for this.

If you want to do something outside the university, you need to join an association of interests, there are a lot of them here. In France, you can’t just go and pick mushrooms; you have to join an association of those who pick mushrooms, or create one. I'm not kidding, there really is such an association. To play tennis, you must join a tennis association. You pay a small membership fee and play tennis for free for a whole year. This is such life. An association can be opened in one day, you just come to the city hall, provide your plans and register it. The mayor's office allocates free premises, so creating associations is profitable, it makes life easier.

On attitudes towards Russians

You won’t surprise anyone here with foreign students. At the university I never encountered hostility on ethnic grounds. I know that many people learn Russian, the groups are full, young people find it interesting. When students find out that I am Russian, they try to say something in Russian. But I know that in France things are different. Russian emigrants said that in the nineties and early 2000s in France there was a fear of “Russian wives.”
It was believed that Russian women came to France to “bewitch” men and take their money. Some emigrants said that sometimes the French hear a Russian accent and ask again many times, as if not understanding. This is how they show their attitude. I don’t know what this is connected with, I have never had such cases. In general, it seems to me that Russian students are treated much better than Russians of other ages and social status.

Literary Cafe Photo: Veronika Araslanova

Pros of living in France

1. Product variety. I am now very well versed in French cheeses, I can distinguish them by smell. Parmesan used to be something special for me, but in France I just sprinkle it on my pasta. This is a part of life that no longer evokes any special emotions. Products are available and varied.
2. Comfort of everyday life. For example, you can resolve some issues by mail, they will most likely answer you by e-mail. No need to call or go somewhere. The post office works very quickly here; letters are delivered from one city to another in a maximum of three days. I'm very impressed by this.
3. Nature. The place where I live now is the French Alps. Huge mountains, beautiful landscapes.
   When you study history in Russia, and when they tell you about Ancient Rome, it seems very far away. When you come here and go to the south of France, Ancient Rome is here. You see it, you feel it, you feel this story, you breathe it.
4. Politeness. Wherever you go, you will be greeted with a smile, shake your hand and wish you a good day. This approach is especially valuable in medical institutions. I like that the doctor can contact you by phone or email, discuss some problem, showing that he cares.

Disadvantages of living in France

1. The biggest shock awaited me when I arrived at the master's program. I always thought that Europe had advanced technologies. But upon arrival, I discovered that the Internet here is still via a landline phone! Cable Internet is just now developing, and when I arrived, only one company out of four provided it in my area! I like to tell the French that my grandmother lives in a remote Russian village, but even she has cable Internet and Wi-Fi.
2. Banking system. Another minus that I couldn’t get used to for a long time. It’s not like you transferred money to a card and it came right away. The transfer usually takes about three days, and even longer on weekends. It’s not very comfortable to live when you never know how much money you have on your card.
3. There are still things that shocked me a little less, but which are difficult to come to terms with -  these are manifestations, security and hypocrisy. Manifestations can happen for any reason and ruin your whole day. For example, because transport simply stopped running. As for safety, I can say that I felt safer walking even through the darkest corners of my native Ordzhonikidze district. Well, hypocrisy is very striking after honest Russian residents who will not fail to express their feelings towards you. And here there are curtsies at all levels.

Pros of studying in France

1. Freedom of choice. You can always agree with the teachers about changing the program. There is no program as such written by the government. Maybe it exists, of course, but in our country it is obviously neglected. You can ask the teacher to conduct a lesson on a certain topic. For example, the entire first semester was devoted to the 1917 revolution; this was clearly not part of any program.

Disadvantages of studying in France

1. Low quality of education. We [at Perm State National Research University] still have a slightly different level. Here everything rests on the wishes of the students themselves. In Russia, whether you like it or not, you will still learn at least something. The quality of teaching is, of course, not comparable. At Perm State National Research University, teachers themselves are interested in the subject, but in Grenoble this is not always the case. It seems to me that sometimes teachers here teach only because they need it, for example, for doctoral studies.
2. At Perm State National Research University, our faculty and, in particular, the Department of Linguistics and Translation helped us in every possible way to improve our language skills by offering various internships. We could go to the French universities of Grenoble and Pau, and even to a prestigious school of translators in Paris; every year students go to China. I don’t see such a practice here. If you want to go somewhere, find it, negotiate, go, but don’t expect help from the university.

Université Grenoble Alpes (OT) is a comprehensive university offering high quality teaching in all academic disciplines and at all levels: undergraduate, master's, doctoral, as well as certificate programs and student exchanges.

UZA is located in Grenoble, an international city and a great place to live, work, and study. Conveniently located in the Alps, Grenoble has an incomparable natural setting, with opportunities for sports enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Grenoble also participates in the good life of France, offering a wide range of cultural events, vibrant nightlife, and hundreds of restaurants for those who want to sample France's world famous cuisine. French and international students are involved and know: students will have no problem finding organizations and events that are important to them.

A public university, UGA embraces the values ​​of France for higher education.

Story

The university was founded in 1339 by Dauphin Humbert II of Viennois and Benedict XII to teach civil and canon law, medicine, and humanities. However, the institution lacked resources and dissipated after the death of Humbert II. It was restored in 1542 by Francis de Bourbon, St. Pol and merged with the university in Valence 1565. The people of Grenoble tried unsuccessfully to rebuild the university several times in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Napoleon I restored the faculties of law, letters, and science in 1805-1808. During the Bourbon Restoration, the Faculty of Philology was suppressed in 1815 (restored in 1847) and the Faculty of Law in 1818 (again 1824). The School of Pharmacy and Medicine was established in 1866 and became the fourth faculty in 1894. However, at that time the school had only a few students and awarded only a handful of degrees. The development of science at the university was created following the transformation of Grenoble from an isolated mountain town into a major supplier of industrial engines and electrical equipment in the 1880s. The faculties were officially opened at the University of Grenoble 1879 in the newly built Place de Verdun. The number of students grew from approximately 340 in 1868 to 3,000 in 1930. The concept of a public scientific character, cultural and professional (EPCSP) evolved under the Minister of Education Edgar Faure. As a result, the university was divided into several independent organizations in 1970.