ENSA La Villette Vs DIT Bolton St

Something I've been meaning to do since I moved to Paris is to write up a comparision between the French college and college at home. So here goes...

Cirriculum
The cirriculum is far more flexible in ENSA (ÉCOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE D'ARCHITECTURE)than Bolton Street. First of all there ARE options. Yes, you heard me, you can actually pick and mix subjects that interest you within the field of architecture and not be handed a set course like you are in Dublin. There are nine themes within the course, the idea being that a student selects a theme of their choice and then selects one of the studio options and some secondary lectures within that theme. External to these themes are construction classes, law, history and philosophy. There are several of these classes to choose from and the student must pick one from each of the four categories. As an erasmus student however, the options are more flexible as the themes can be ignored and no subject or section is mandatory. Thus the student picks what they like to make up the 30 credits for the semester. There is certainly no doubt that the college has a wide spectrum of themes, each with different focus. These range from the Metropoles of the Pacific Arch to Arts and Philosophy.

Speaking to several european Erasmus students at ENSA I have found that many praise the college for its organised cirriculum and huge variety of modules and options. As a Bolton Street student it took a few weeks to get my head around all the choices available but now I can say that I'm pleased with my tailor made course. The fact that you have set your own subjects gives you a more personla claim over the course, these are your subjects, you have chosen them because you find them interesting and it is now your responsibility to attend the classes and get your work done. This can only be a positive approach to learning.

Studio/Classes Framework
Again there are huge differences between Paris and Dublin. In Paris, studio is one day per week and takes place in a classroom. Students show up with work done, the professor speaks for awhile at the head of the classroom and then goes to speak to each student indiviually about their work. This can also happen with the normal classes as most professors give students an ongoing project/dissertation as part of their overall assessment for the end of the semester. Thus there is a lot of one to one discussion from week to week so you gotta have your dictionary open!! Pin up crits are a regular occurance here too, think third year but in a foreign language. Oh what fun!

There is a very different mindset to Bolton Street; students cannot meet their professors outside of the one studio/class during the week as professors leave the college grounds as soon the lesson is finished (they have no offices on campus0. Thus students are left to develop their work alone which is great for individual development although design development is sluggish as there is so little regular feedback from professors. The designs I have seen to date have been quite poor by Bolton Street standards.

Support
There are some serious deficiencies in Paris with regards to student support. Simple services like lockers are limited and there are no set studio rooms; the upside of which is you must carry all your stuff in and out of the college everyday. This can be challenging with models in a cramped metro! Also the library only allows students to take out a maximium of 2 books at a time for ONE week. However, there are more books available than Dublin including a decent sized sociology and philosophy section within the library (the french love to theorise design to death). The magazines and journals are stored in a seperate room similiar to the library where staff tolerate some quite banter and interaction between students which is nice.

There is no year head or senior person to represent the different groups or classes. Essentially there is nobody to answer questions such as: 'When do exams start?' 'What do I do if I fail?' 'Where can I find my professor outside his college hours?' There is a noticeboard in the hallway but information put up on that has proved false several times to date.

Erasmus support is sadly lacking too. There is no proper erasmus coorindinator, just a female paper pusher who processes your papers and looks at you with disdain when you enter her office. Administration office hours are ridiculous in the Parisian college - a halfday on Monday and Friday with the office closed to students on Wednesday. There are no French classes for the weaker French speaking students (me!), a service that is readily available for Erasmus students in Bolton Street. Erasmus events are organised in DIT that allows foreign students to mingle and make new friends outside of the classroom, unfortunatley no such service exists in ENSA.

DIT have been immensely helpful on their part. Any queries or problems I have had to date have been addressed within 24 hours of me sending an email to either Noel Brady or the Erasmus office. They are extremely supportive and patient with regards to paper work and complications on my part. This has really helped ease the often stressful transition from Ireland to Paris.

Fini

The points outlined above are the main differences between Bolton Street and ENSA. The course here is not necessarily bad, they just see the world and its workings in a different way to us. Its a cultural divide that is both challenging and rewarding. You discover words in French that do not have a counterpart in English, a new way of describing things and understanding the world. You learn to readjust your ideas of the world at large and you see things from a new perspective. I came here to learn a language and I've failed. Instead I've adopted a new culture, a different mindset and a fresh pair of eyes. The world is alive with possibility again. Thank you Paris!