+ with "n+i"

The difficulty students have fitting in to the French educational system are not due solely to language. Our way of teaching, the amount of math required, and the heavy writing requirements can pose difficulties even for students who speak French very well.

 

“n+i” integrates international students gradually into the French system by partnering with EduFrance to provide individual assistance from the moment students arrive in France. Incoming students enjoy a personal airport welcome, reserved housing, and help with administrative and regulatory requirements (applications, enrolment, and registration; bank accounts, visas, and more).

 

Intensive courses in French enable students to raise their language proficiency before beginning their program. Incoming students whose score on a test of French proficiency is below a certain level study together in France for 2-3 months in summer.

 

A transition semester—the period of linguistic and cultural adjustment—builds students’ confidence in French, science, and technology, while introducing them to French instructional methods.

The “n+i” network organizes the transition program especially for international students. Participants are assigned an adviser who helps them with their course work while providing assistance with housing and other challenges (registration, bank accounts, visas). Schools offering similar programs pool their resources to offer joint transition programs. Thus one member of “n+i” may host the transition program for students bound for several different “n+i” schools or programs.

 

IMPORTANT: Students are encouraged to begin learning French before coming to France and to demonstrate what they have learned by taking a standard test of French. However, whether or not students begin learning before arrival, they will have nearly 8 months in France to improve their comprehension and other language skills.

 

Program of studies

 

Following their linguistic and cultural adjustment, “n+i” students move on to the engineering school or university-based engineering program in which they will earn their degree. Internships and site visits are parts of the program.

 

The role of “n+i”

 

In partnership with French diplomatic posts, the “n+i” network is responsible for the following functions:

§          Promoting French engineering programs to the best foreign universities.

§          Negotiating cooperative agreements leading to joint degrees.

§          Coordinating the admission of applicants selected by schools from a database of applications.

§          Helping the network’s business partners select applicants from specific countries who may be in need of financial assistance or interested in an internship or traineeship.

§          Helping applicants search for scholarships and other forms of financial aid from regional authorities, embassies, and participating schools.

§          Possibly working with diplomatic posts abroad to facilitate preselection of candidates by means of interviews conducted by a visiting “n+i” committee.

§          Informing applicants of conditional offers of admission by French institutions and guiding them in ranking their preferences for the institutions that have expressed an interest in admitting them.

§          Informing applicants of offers of financial aid made by the network’s business partners.

§          Organizing intensive French courses during the summer for students who need them.

§          Coordinating joint transition semesters for students in similar fields.

§          Supporting students through orientations and assistance with administrative requirements.

§          Promoting international training for French students.

 

“n+i” assures the quality and smooth functioning of international students’ programs in France.