Laval university, a campus in the u.s.

Follow courses in French in an environment worthy of the great universities of the anglo-saxon ? It is the promise of this establishment located in the city of Quebec.

Alain Dean, 34 years, door of the université Laval (UL) in his heart for the past twelve years. "I was offered this chance to do research and to teach without prior experience," says this young man cheerful, a native of Metz, an associate professor in the department of food science. First phd student, he has directly followed an academic career : "A trajectory faster than that of my friends stayed in France."

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The jitters felt before giving his first course was quickly dispelled. "The teaching style is more relaxed : my students say" tu " and call me by my first name, and I do the same." The atmosphere of the campus too, pleases him. "It is a city within a city with lots of green space, and a host of services." It is moving by car, by bus, by bicycle (eight kilometers of cycle paths) or by a network of tunnels and walkways that are heated (five kilometers). These are crowded in January-February, when the temperature drops below 30 degrees. "In the winter, it is not necessary to put the nose outside, enjoying Ishmael Rougga Himadou, 25 years old, a native of Niger, who is completing a masters degree in finance. You can go to class, eat, do sport by using the underground."

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Located on a large plot of 1.8 per square kilometre), in the district of Sainte-Foy, not far from the city centre, the campus of the université Laval has a quarantine buildings. If most are typical of the architectural concrete of the 1960s, some out of the ordinary, with structure in wood, glass, bright, or vegetated roofs. As to the imposing pavilion of physical education and sports (PEPS), it includes two olympic-sized swimming pools, two ice rinks, a football stadium... in Short, the UL may be the oldest French-speaking university of America it dates from 1852 , she was able to modernize over time.

More than 40 000 students, of which 2,000 French

"This is the american-style campus as we imagine, but in French", says Jessy Ménard, 22 years old, enrolled in the MBA social and environmental responsibility. Previously at the university of Panthéon-Assas, he arrived in 2017 to finish his law degree during a one year exchange. Conquered as much by the place as by the hospitality of the city, it has continued on a master's degree while working part-time for the government of Québec (1). "The unemployment rate in the capital is so low that the opportunities are endless," says Jessy, which account settle in Québec permanently, like many other students encountered on-site.

The French together represent nearly one-third of the 6,000 international students of the institution, which accommodates a total of 43 000. If they are generally integrated without difficulty, they are not immune to culture shock. "In spite of the common language, it takes them some time to acclimate," said Genevieve Champoux, director of the bureau de la vie étudiante (BVE). To facilitate their task, the VEO has multiplied the initiatives : twinning with students from quebec, practical workshops and other excursions discoveries of the region. He also established operation "How's it going ?" a few weeks after their installation, the students are contacted to check if they are having difficulty, if they are in need of psychological support or academic. If necessary, they can take advantage of free services cover.

"I feel supported, confident"

According to a survey of 2017 by the canadian Bureau for international education, nine out of ten foreign students enjoy their stay to the UL because of the quality of supervision and the availability of faculty. Maximilian Franck, 24 years old, is one of those. "In the French universities, I had the impression of being a ghost, an anonymous," says the student in the first year of her phd in nutrition. "Here, it's the opposite : I feel supported, confident. One has the possibility to express themselves and develop." During his double master's degree from the university of Bordeaux and the UL in food science, Maximilian was able to extend his internship to continue his experiments. "This has allowed me to obtain more conclusive results and to publish my first article in a scientific journal deemed to be welcomed there. Unthinkable in France at the master level."

Phd student in chemical engineering, Juliette Champeil, 29 years old, has, for its part, discovered a vocation to the unexpected. "My ambition was to work in industry," says this graduate of the School of industrial biology of Cergy-Pontoise. But while I could see myself employed by a company, instead, I decided to start one !" Arising a problem that is worked on during her research, project, developed with another student, is in phase of validation. It enjoys the support of Entrepreneurship, Laval, a business accelerator of university among the best in the world. "The professors are very encouraging, says Juliette. One of them we rent his labs and equipment : an excellent starting point for a company in biotechnology !"

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Study in Canada

Quebec : the administrative procedures for foreign students facilitated Ontario will have its French-speaking university Double diploma franco-canadian : a passport to the wide,

(1) foreign students enrolled in a full-time program in Québec may take up a paid job off campus for twenty hours per week maximum, and without restriction of hours for a job on campus.