FEWER AMERICANS IN FRENCH UNIVERSITIES

The following interview was procured at the suggestion of several prominent members of the faculty, who asserted that Americans who desire to study a year or two in Europe so rarely give consideration to any of the Universities of France, but proceed immediately to either Cambridge or Oxford, where the opportunity for beneficial study is not nearly so great as it is in the French provincial universities, because of the large enrollment and the large percentage of foreigners.

"French provincial universities unquestionably are unique," said Professor Edmond Esteve, French Exchange-Professor from the University of Nancy, when interviewed yesterday as to the relative merits of French and English universities as they concern Americans.

"An American who goes either to Cambridge, or Oxford, or to the Sorbonne in Paris, returns to America very much the same person as regards his point of view as when he left it. This is due, of course, to the fact that there are so many foreigners at these large places. At the Sorbonne in Paris, for instance, one finds that the percentage of aliens is far greater than of Frenchmen and consequently those who attend might last as well have stayed at home and gone to their own local or state college.

Only 20 In a Course

"The provincial universities in France are all very much the same, since they are under the strongly centralized control of the Minister of Public Instruction, and are subsidized by him. Therefore it does not make much difference whether the American goes to Bordeaux, Lyons, Nancy, or Aix, although I should say in this particular that this is not true of Grenoble, since one also finds a great many foreigners and Americans matriculating there.

"At Nancy the student can take and follow any course he desires to, provided he is merely studying and not aiming for a degree, in which case there is, of course, a prescribed program to be pursued. There are, as a rule, about 20 or so students in each course which allows plenty of individual contact with the professors. In France, we have no instructors, as you have here, but put all the burden of conducting the course on the shoulders of the professor.

"We follow much the same system as you employ here. There are lectures about twice a week, and some times the professor makes one of the students deliver the morning's lecture upon an as- signed topic. We do not have the great number, of tests that you have here, while our examinations cover an entire program instead of a single course. Thus a student's examinations depend upon the program he is pursuing, and if this is one of two year's duration he has no examinations until that date.

"Living conditions at Nancy and, indeed all over France, are very inexpensive at the present rate of exchange, while the tuition fees are perhaps ridiculously low. Due to the governmental subsidy it is possible for a student to follow all the courses in the University, if he so desires for the absurdly low rate of 70 francs for the year or about $3.00. If he wishes to qualify for a degree there is a charge of 30 francs.

University Has Big Pool

"One can live very comfortably in Nancy for 25 francs a day, which is equivalent to about $1.25. This includes lodging, which costs about $4.00 a month, and the three meals. A hearty breakfast sells for 2 francs, and lunch runs from 5 to 10 francs, with an extra charge for wine.

"The University has no dormitories and students may live either at a hotel or at a pension in the town. There is, however, a university dining room, where one may eat, as well as numberless cafes and restaurants, and a very large swimming pool. This is about 200 feet long and is filled with warm mineral water.

"At Nancy there is plenty of opportunity for amusement in the evening. Nancy is a town of some 120,000 population, one of the largest ten towns in France, in fact. There are several theatres, which companies from Paris visit weekly, while there are three movie houses. In addition there are a great number of concerts, and every evening one can find one somewhere in the city, if one is a music-lover.

"There are very few courses given on Saturday and consequently students may go away over the week-end. Paris is about four hours in the train, while Strassburg, Metz, and Verdun, are within two hours motoring distance. In the winter time a jaunt of 70 kilometers will take one to the Vosges mountains, where there are excellent winter sports.

"The term begins on November 1 and ends June 3. There is a Christmas vacation of ten days, while a fortnight's holiday is granted at Easter time. There is an annual enrollment of about 250 students, a great many of whom are teachers in public schools, who come to Nancy only once a week for a single course or so.