NUS Double Degree Program with French Grandes Ecoles
 
ENG Se-Hsieng
• NUS Double Degree Program with French Grandes Ecoles
• B.ENG (ECE) First Class Honours
• Currently M.ENG Student, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering


Homepage: http://www.chez.com/hsieng (experiences in France and Singapore)

Experience in France (July 2000 – July 2002)

The experience really started in July 1999 when I arrived in France for my very first language immersion. I knew no French at all and when we missed the domestic flight from Paris to Lyon, it felt terrible not being able to understand the airport announcements, or ask directions easily. After one month of lessons, similarities between French and English began to surface. I could ask for directions but I was still unable to understand a running conversation.

 
  During my next language immersion, I lived with a host family for 8 weeks. I picked up vocabulary not taught in class, like names of household items, and skills we would never get to practise in Singapore, like stewing jams from freshly-plucked forest berries. I spent my next two years in Ecole Centrale Paris, one of the top engineering schools in France. One of its most famous alumni is Gustav Eiffel who conceptualized the Eiffel Tower. After obtaining the Baccalaureate, the equivalent of GCE ‘A’-Levels, French students undergo 2 years of intensive mathematics and physics before sitting for competitive entrance exams which determine their engineering school.
 
Ecole Centrale Paris only admits around 450 students each year into its 3-year engineering program. I attended a range of courses from quantum mechanics and finite element analysis to scientific humanism. Most of the technical courses required very strong foundations in linear algebra and abstract mathematics, which I quickly found I lacked. (Today, NUS students are given French lessons as well as extra coaching in mathematics and physics to prepare them.) After 2 stressful years of tough preparatory classes however, the French students were prepared to let their hair down. Alcohol was available at the student-maintained campus bar till 3am each night. A bash was held almost every week on the school grounds. The students clearly knew how to work hard and play hard. As co-curricular activities do not formally exist in primary or secondary schools in France, this was also the first time most students were exposed to CCAs. A wide plethora of clubs and societies are available and new ones sprout up every year. The drama club stages three to four performances each year in the school theatre and the comedy improvisation club may be rivaling competitors in a café in Paris on weekends. In my first year, I was part of a team which organized an Outward Bound challenge with participants from all over France. The Raid Centrale Paris is an opportunity for tertiary students and company executives to interact while taking part in five days of challenging outdoor activities. As organizers, we not only obtain funding from corporate sponsors like Total and Air France, but also form a special bond with the competitors. Because most of an engineer’s education is on fundamentals and broad-based engineering, they adapt easily to a wide spectrum of jobs and are highly sought after by companies in France. For example, I was able to visit Pechiney aluminium factories in Cameroon and Prague and secure an internship with the luxury company Louis Vuitton Moët Hennesy to prepare tender specifications for a human resources project.
 

I soon found that while many French students have heard of Singapore, they hardly know where she is or how she ticks. In my second year, I invited Ms. Linda de Mello, Director of Contact Singapore London, to the annual Ecole Centrale Paris Careers Fair to talk to French students about Singapore and the opportunities she offers. This fair is well-attended by students and companies alike and her presentations were very well-received. With support material from the NUS International Relations Office, I was also able to publicize the Double Degree Programme to ECP students. I also took an active role in the Asian Club, this being the first time that an Asian was on the committee. The other members were Belgian and French. We organized several food-tasting sessions, preparing Singaporean favourites such as Hainanese chicken rice and Mee Goreng.

The most endearing memories I have are of my friends of various nationalities from the student hostel. We enjoyed whipping up dishes by trial and error, European and Asian cuisine alike. They taught me to ski as I watched blond and blue-eyed 3-year olds whiz past me on the slopes. We planned a budget trip to the annual Carnival of Venice, during which the city is transformed into a masquerade party for 5 days. They were also extremely hospitable and welcomed me to their homes for festivals and overnight stays alike.

I witnessed the advent of the euro in 2002 but I still have the habit of counting in French francs. The program was a unique opportunity to learn about France and Europe and I am grateful to NUS for giving me that chance.