My name is Nashwa Nabihah binti Saiful Yazan and I am currently in my second year of Mechanical Engineering in IUT Grenoble, France. I am under the scholarship of Yayasan Telekom Malaysia for their Overseas scholarship programme in which I was offered France for their 6 years of Engineering programme.
To be choosing France for my undergraduate studies, I would say it was more towards by chance instead of by choice but it was by far the best chance I have managed to grab. France is widely known for their engineering schools as this field of study is one of the biggest in the country and also on how they prioritize hands-on learning for the students. These are a few of the driving factors on why I chose France as my place for study.
During my first year in France, which was in 2018, I had to go to a preparatory school for a whole year where I studied French and science-based subjects which were Chemistry, Physics, Mechanics and Mathematics in order to be able to apply to the universities here. It is required for the international students to be certified with a level DELF B2 for their French language and to score a minimum of 12/20 for their overall performance during their preparation year. Thus, I would say that the preparation year was more towards getting use of French as our first language of study and performing well in DELF.
The university application was done by one of our professors in which he would request the students to shortlist a maximum of 3 choices of university and their desired course. He/she would then look into our results for both semesters before proceeding to send our applications. We would be given a few words of advice from the professors regarding our performance and their recommendations on our desired course. In general, the university applications differ from one university to another. As for me, my application required my results from both semesters and they would process it themselves and reach back to me within 3 months for my application result. For some of my friends, they had to undergo a phone interview with their university and submit a Personal Statement as a mandatory process for the application. I have chosen IUT Grenoble as my first choice to pursue my studies as this university is ranked as one of the top 5 best universities in France and they are known for their practical class experience as they are equipped with advanced robotic technologies and fabrication machines. Grenoble is one of the best student cities in France where there are many students’ residences with an affordable living cost for the students compared to other big cities in France (e.g. Paris). The location is also a driving factor for me as it is located at Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a region famous for its plethora of mountains, ski resorts and national parks that can be discovered for a nature enthusiast like me.
My university application to IUT Grenoble was successful as I had met the minimum requirements of my semester’s examination. All in all, the pushing factor would be on how interested I was to be pursuing Mechanical Engineering in their university and that was why I have worked hard in my Mechanics and Mathematics during my preparation year. My advice is that it is crucial for the students to do well during their preparation year, especially on subjects on which course they would want to pursue for their upcoming years because it would add as an extra point as to why they would have to accept your application. Most importantly, focus on your progress in French language as it is very much required as the classes in university are all being done in French. With all of these and endless determination, everything will be eased for your future application into French universities!
Nashwa Nabihah is currently a second year mechanical engineering student in IUT Grenoble (Batch FP19). She is sponsored by Yayasan Telekom Malaysia and loves cappuccino more than she loves herself.