France is Very Much Similar To Mumbai - 5 Interesting Similarities From A Mumbai Students Perspective

Hello students, in the series of our experiential blogs, we have come with an instructive blog by Preetesh Shirwaiker, an experienced student counsellor. Mr. Shirwaiker is a Mumbai resident, who knows the city very well. It's surprising for us that he found a great similarity between Mumbai & France. Their culture, people, home, nightlife and especially the education structure & universities are way more similar than any other country.

Obviously, they have some differences too but in opportunities also who can tell this thing better than Mr. Shirwaiker. So enjoy this blog through Mr. Shirwaiker's words.

Hello students, I'm Preetesh Shirwaiker, a student counsellor at Edugo Abroad office in Mumbai. My main aim to write this blog is to clear doubts of students with regards to studying in France as well as drawing out the similarities and difference in lifestyle and various other common points that a student from Mumbai and other cities from India needs to face, adapt and be mentally prepared to have a successful career after studying abroad.

Language

The main concern of the students going to study abroad in a country like France is the language. A few of them think that the courses will be in French and they will have to learn French to study in France. But we want to clear the doubts as all the courses and universities we have in our portfolio teach all the courses in 100% English. Throughout the course, you can learn French if you either want to have a brighter future in France or want to learn the 3rd most used business language in the world which will boost your CV.

Education & Universities

In Mumbai, there are 2 major universities with 700 colleges affiliated below the University of Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is ranked within the 1000 universities of the world and the IIT- Mumbai is ranked around 152. In Paris, though you have 32 universities and almost 11-15 triple-accredited business schools. The QS ranking of the highest university in France is 52nd in the whole world. In Paris, though you will get world-class business schools at very reasonable tuition fees but a slightly expensive cost of living. Mind you the city is getting cheaper and as per the affordability survey, the city now is ranked 76th in the world (Up 16 places). The other differentiating factor in France is their approach to students. In India, most of the studies follow a slightly outdated methodology but in France, their pedagogy mainly involves group discussions, debates, presentations and real-life case studies. This not only prepares the student for real-life job scenarios but also makes him strong-minded. Supporting this theory is the inclusion of internships as a necessary part of the curriculum in your degree. This internship will not only allow you to earn some extra money but also get you exposure and chance to work in many Multinational companies present in France, for example, Renault, Sodexho, Michelin, L’Oreal, AXA and BNP Paribas to name a few.

Cost Of Living

In Mumbai, a paying guest can cost anywhere from 15000-30000 rupees in posh areas to a relatively below 10000 rupees in further remote areas. In France, the same costs about 20000 – 45000 rupee`s depending on the area the student chooses to stay. The mobile expenses in France go up to 8000 rupees a month and a yearly student pass for travel in Paris costs up to 20000-22000 rupees. The public transport in Paris in the form of its buses and metro`s is fairly well developed and covers almost the entire city. From this, you must be thinking that there is a huge difference in the cost of living and Paris is not feasible but as we say a coin has two sides. The 2nd part is the average salary for part-time which is about 9.8 Euros/hour or about 800 rupees/hour and the student can work for about 80hours a month. For a full-time job, the average is nearly 160000 rupees. As compared the average salary in Mumbai is 40000 rupees.

Nightlife, Entertainment & Leisure

As Mumbai is buzzing with life on the weekends during the night at places like Marine Drive, Bandra, Bandstand, Carter Road, Malad Mindspace where all the crowd go to enjoy and dance on some famous Bollywood tunes Paris has its amazing nightlife too. Paris has its shares of nightlife in areas like Oberkampf, Bastille etc. The nightlife is ever ending in Paris and if at all you are bored of dancing you can go to the amazing Eiffel Tower and adore it the whole in the same way you can sit at Marine Drive and Gateway of India in Mumbai.

During your leisure times, you can visit Luxembourg Gardens, dedicate a whole day to Disneyland, walk along the banks of River Seine while understanding the rich history Of Paris which grew around the river, Trocadero River and Eiffel tower to name a few.

Scholarships, Rebates

For studies in France, students are not only eligible for various scholarships from the university but due to a very strong bond between Indian and French governments, there are many scholarships a common student could be eligible for. Few examples of these scholarships are Charpak Scholarship, French Government Scholarship to name a few. Along with this, there is Franco Indian Education Trust which supports students, faculty and research scholars planning to go to France for studies.

The French government also provides something called CAF( Caisses d’Allocations Familiales) a form of housing benefit to students which helps them to pay their rent. The amount depends on where you live, the rent you pay. This is a generous benefit given by the French government and most of the countries in the world do not offer such benefits.

Accreditations

Most frequent and common questions which the students have in mind is that will the degree be valid if they come back to India or if they move out to any other part of the world. We would like to inform them that not only most of the universities in France are well accredited having accreditations like AACSB, IACBE, EQUIS etc. but their degrees hold very good value all over the world and would be well recognized. Apart from that, we would suggest them mostly Grand Ecole, RNCP and CHEQ certified universities only in France so that they don’t have any problem with the validation of their degrees.

Conclusion

As I have shared above the information for a student travelling from Mumbai or any other city from India to Paris for studies it will not be very difficult to adopt. There is just an uncanny resemblance to any Indian city in terms of the simple roads, the old city vibes and the various races of people you come across. Above all, just the feel of the city will make you feel at home. Paris is called a land of opportunities as many manufacturing companies have their offices in Paris as well as India like Capgemini, Airbus, Renault etc. It makes France, an especially ideal destination for budding students who want to study abroad into all possible fields like Finance, Marketing, Management, Supply Chain as well as the Engineering Sector by giving you a 2years of Post-study work visa and a very easy way to Permanent Residency. The people are welcoming and the universities are very well ranked. So do give it a thought and plan to study in France!

We hope this blog by our student counsellor. Mr. Shirwaiker has given you all the little insights about the education in France that you never came across before. Like Mr. Shirwaiker many experienced student counselors under Edugo Abroad support the students to choose their appropriate universities and courses. Our personal support team is always ready to guide you to every step.